same story here almost. i was put on serzone in july 2001 for severe anxiety and it took the anxiety away. unfortunately in july 2004, they said serzone was bad for your liver and they put me on paxil. february 05, i had my first craving for alcohol (previously hadn't had it any) so the weekend before i turned 21, i had my friend get me a bottle and got drunk for the first time. so i can't really say it was the paxil or me turning 21 because from february 05 until october 06 i drank normally, then something changed.
anyways, i can tell a definite difference when i'm on paxil vs when i'm not. the cravings are much stronger on paxil but changing to cymbalta didn't help, nor did effexor. also the cravings for food are stronger. i gained 20 lbs in the first 6 months of using paxil. but i can't NOT take the paxil because then my anxiety comes back.
i'm convinced there is a connection. when i'm on the paxil, i spend the entire day thinking about doing nothing but drinking.