Originally Posted by
khendal46 
I have to say that I understand where you are coming from completely. I have anxiety, my dad has anxiety, and my sister thinks she has it too. I had a rough childhood to say the least. My sponsor in AA always tells me that a lot of the anxiety I'm feeling is my body withdrawing from the alcohol. I never wanted to accept it, but I'm starting to realize it's true in some cases.
It seems the first couple of days after quitting cold turkey I get massive panic attacks and anxiety, then it sort of subsides to a manageable level, but then they rear their ugly head back up again at random times. I have relapsed chronically for the last year and a half because of this, and most people say that if you're taking benzos or anything for anxiety that you're not truly sober. I say IGNORE THOSE PEOPLE. If you are honestly experiencing this severe anxiety, be honest with your doctor and tell him about your history, and how the anxiety is affecting you. I have had panic attacks since I was fifteen years old, before I even started drinking.
I am prescribed Klonopin 1 MG 2x daily for my anxiety, but as I have been on it for two months I am slowly starting to skip my dose on days where I don't need it. Sometimes I think these medications can be a tool to help us get adjusted to life. I don't think it will be a permanent solution, but if you are miserable right now and may turn back to drinking to quell this anxiety, there is no shame in taking medication for it. Just my two cents!
You're message truly helped me. Both my parents and my siblings all suffer from anxiety too, I think I never realized how bad it was because I was medicating so much with the alcohol. And now without the alcohol, it's hard to control the anxiety. The first few days after stopping were so scary I thought I was going to die. The thoughts going through my head terrified me. The last week I had been using .5 mg xanax to help curb the freak outs once a day but the last couple of days have been easier with the panic attacks so I was able not to. Today the anxiety reared its ugly head back again though and it took me close to 2 hours to calm down..
I'm excited to seek options and talk to my doctor. I know that if I need to be on anti anxiety meds and that is their opinion, than so be it! There is nothing wrong with needing that kind of help I don't think..