Originally Posted by
AcceptingChange 
nandm, thanks for sharing that you've stopped alcohol for 10 years and you still suffer from anxiety. I've been off alcohol for about 16 months, and this anxiety is peaking right now. This anxiety is scary, scary stuff. My mom had it bad, and she self-medicated it, and it was an affliction her whole life. One part of me says "mom used wine & whiskey for most of her life, and it allowed her to participate in life (sort of)". But i'm not listening to that logic. I know of multiple examples of people who were hit very hard with anxiety after years of drinking, when the alcohol stopped working, and then it devastated them..
I can very much relate to this. My world has been devastated by the anxiety. The therapists say it is related to PTSD and the bipolar disorder. I have no idea all I know is that over the past 10 years it has gotten worse not better. To the point of my having to stop working in 2006 and I have not been able to return since then. I have developed agoraphobia due to the anxiety. I have physical symptoms related to it. It is very much a life changing condition. I went from being a fully functioning, professional person who raised 3 children to what I am today. The only thing in my favor is the sobriety. At this point I doubt drinking is going to make my anxiety any better anyway. So I just plug along and do what I can to change it and make it better. But I must say it is quite frustrating and discouraging at times.