Originally Posted by
Justin61571 
Hello all,
Just a little back story to begin. I'm 39 years old and I had been drinking pretty heavy for the last 12 or 13 years. Some days I'd drink 3 or 4 beers some days I'd drink 20. Most days I'd average 10 or 12 beers. I had a Xanax prescription (.5mg a day) for about a year and was able to quit that cold turkey in November. In my younger days I dabbled in cocaine every now and then but luckily never got hooked.
Believe it or not I maintained a pretty active workout routine most of those years while I drank and my job requires me to walk quite a bit. However the last year and a half I had suffered from severe panic attacks (hence the Xanax) which was one of the deciding factors in getting sober. I've had every test you can take under the sun and apparently I'm physically fine. My last round of blood work came back great.
So I'm roughly 70 days sober and I've noticed what I can only imagine is paws. Ears ringing, anxiety, cognitive fog, out of body experiences, sometimes sheer panic bordering on an attack, tight Jaws, muscle aches, racing repetitive thoughts, and impending doom. Heart palpitations... they really ramp up my anxiety. They scare me the most. These symptoms come in waves and last days at a time.
My question is simply this... Is this all normal? Any long term drinkers have any experience with this? It's very scary. I've maintained a pretty vigorous workout routine and proper nutrition. Any advise would be awesome.
Ha also on a lighter note I dream about drinking most nights of the week and my sleep has started to even out. I still feel pretty tired most days though.
Justin
36 year old recovering with very similar drinking background and symptoms as you. Daily drinker for 12 years. Anywhere from 2-15 a day; every day. Managed to stay somewhat active going to the gym or walking 3-4 times a week until the last 6 months of heavier drinking.
Started getting neuropathy like symptoms in March/April: tingling feet, cold feet, leg cramps, aches & pains which led me to quit for a month. Started eating better and exercising more and felt great for a month! Made the mistake of drinking one Saturday which turned into a 4 day bender. 3 days later leg pains and feet tingles came back. Have been sober 3 weeks now and symptoms are still here along with tiredness, lightheadedness, anxiety attacks and a feeling of complete exhaustion every morning. Much harder than my last attempt at sobriety, but I’m still trying to eat right, take vitamins and exercise in hopes these symptoms pass in the near future.
Let us know how things progress!