The heavy drinking lasted about 12 years. There was once it was so heavy I wound up in the hospital for it, about a half of a fifth or more of bourbon or vodka, every night, and the last of it was just insane. It was only beer and stuff like White Claw, but I was drinking so much of it I would have the worst hangovers and I was working like that! I just didn't drink one day and that was it, cold turkey. I had no acute withdrawals at all. But then between 60 and 70 days it hit me hard and I went into severe anxiety with panic attacks and wound up at the emergency room thinking I was dying. I also then suffered from terrible anhedonia for a couple of months before the meds gave me a little relief.
I've told my doctors, my GP and my psych that it was always self medication I was doing. My wife, her English is still not perfect, would say 'You are masking your nervous'. It was exactly that.
Thanks for the encouragement! Good thing my wife is here all of the time and has forbidden me to drink. That won't work, but somehow it works now. Poor woman is still traumatized over that panic episode I had. She says 'You freaked out'. Yep, totally.
I'm not in good shape. My vision is much worse, I did not take care of myself in any way and now need a bunch of dental work and implants. It is making me depressed.