just a couple of more thoughts...
Hello, I have not written in a long time because I went through a big move a while ago and have been sorting out my life. One thing that I have not managed to sort out yet - though I don't stop trying - is my binge drinking. In some ways it was worsened by moving to another country and I am working hard to keep it to a level that I considered 'normal to poor' in my home country - 2 binges per week, roughly. Luckily I have found a good, supportive doctor over here who I feel comfortable with and she knows some of the issues that I am having from drinking. Like most drinkers I have downplayed my drinking - I told her I binge but only once a week. That was enough for her to suggest that I have neurological damage from drinking and I'm being check out by a neurologist now. So I am as certain as I can be without meeting the O.P. that his/her problems are caused by alcohol. By now s/he has hopefully moved on and gone back to normal but I just wanted to warn against labeling symptoms like those s/he described as being anxiety related. This strikes me as a form of denial about the threat that booze poses to our neurological health. I know that people who posted to suggest this as an explanation probably meant well and were trying to reassure the O.P. but when one is showing so many symptoms while continuing to drink I think it's unhelpful to soft-pedal the dangers. It was a real wake up call for me to hear my doctor suggest I may have brain damage - who doesn't love their brain? - and I assume it would have the same effect on many people who received such an honest assessment.
Another thing: I suffer from anxiety and have used alcohol mainly to relieve it in my life, so I think that suggesting to an alcoholic that his/her withdrawal and hangover symptoms are actually being caused by anxiety can inadvertently persuade them to carry on drinking, or even to drink more.
That's all I wanted to add. Wishing everyone a positive start New Year...
Lexington