Welcome, trident. Your story is almost exactly the same as mine, except that I started drinking to help control the anxiety (self-medicating). I was even taking anxiety meds while I was drinking, but always went back to the beer when I felt overwhelmed.
For me, I had to get medical help - so I have been using some medications to help with the anxiety during my detox stage. I'm 12 days sober now and just took my last pill this morning, yay! I also started seeing a counselor to help me deal with the anxiety.
This site is a wonderful place to share your thoughts, feelings, and pretty much anything that can help you to get & stay sober.
Stick with it. You can do it!
