Originally Posted by
trident 
I just wanted to post a quick introduction.
I have tried to quit/cut back on my drinking for as long as I can remember. I know it's not good for me and I know I need to stop but every time I tell myself I won't drink, I panic.
well, today I am going to get through the panic stage, and get through the day/night without drinking. I hope eventually the anxiety will lessen if I quit drinking but I'm not sure. In the past, if I didn't drink for a few days the anxiety would become unbearable and I would go back to the booze to help alleviate it.
Everything just feels so out of control in my life right now and I'm extremely overwhelmed. That's the main reason why I have decided to quit, once and for all. The alcohol helps me get through the day in the short term but it's making life impossible in the long term.
Alcohol makes anxiety so much worse. It made me paralyzed with fear and panic. Withdrawal also causes massive amounts of anxiety, but you have to tough it out to really be free from the anxiety. It will go WAY down if you stick with the sobriety and start to allow yourself to heal. Alcohol and anxiety go together like peanut butter and jelly..........they feed off each other and keep you a prisoner. Give it a few weeks, be good to yourself, and try to limit outside stress if possible. I promise you, the anxiety will go down and you will start to feel better. Every-time you turn back to the bottle as a quick fix, just remember it will make it worse and worse as you continue on.