My sisters and I laugh about having the anxiety gene in our family as personified by the grand old dames in the family ( my great aunts now in their late 90's). Having them all in one room for a holiday was an experience, especially when your parents are drunk and gearing up for another holiday disrupting fight, just sit back for the ride. Actually my first getting drunk experience occurred at one such gathering when I was 12. Now that I'm not drinking (40+ years later) I know how much my drinking was self medicating. I finally saw a Dr. and told him about the anxiety that started to really explode as my drinking accelerated. My anxiety was especially harsh in certain work/social situations that I began to avoid to my detriment. Finally got some relief through antidepressants and benzos (that I still use in specific situations, I fortunately do not have the desire or inclination to misuse them). The best medicine however was quitting drinking. My doctor also prescribed a beta-blocker for my hypertension. That really made me feel normal for once. Now I don't need it ( BP back to normal) but it is still prescribed to me for use in extremely stressful, social anxiety type situations. Talk to your Dr. about your anxiety and get help. Joe's tips are a great resource as well. Chill
