Sonny McB

I'm 23 and I've been drinking for about 4 years. 2 days a week on average. Usually weekends.

Within the past 6 months I have begun to experience severe anxiety when waking up the next day after a night of drinking. At first the anxiety was only minor and would only last a small portion of the day. The anxiety has slowly progressed in intensity and to the point that it will last several days if I don't have another drink.

I've decided to stop cold. It has been 10 days since having my last sip of anything but water/juice and the last 2-3 days I have felt extra strange. I'm still having the usual issues with sleeping and I'm having abnormal social anxiety. I've already gone out with my friends on 2 occasions and watched everyone else drink. Doing this was an extremely difficult accomplishment which makes me happy that I can do it but also creates fear in me to realize just how hard it is.

Is it normal to experience anxiety and symptoms of depression for such a lengthy period of time after having stopped drinking. I'm hoping I can get back to normal again within the next couple weeks without any alcohol... Or does it take much more time?

1963comet

I have heard of people getting anxiety after quitting. Most here will tell you to check with your doctor just to be on the safe side. I had it for months myself. But everyone is different.

Glad you are here, always like to see new people that want a better life.

CarolD

Welcome to SR...

You may not be aware of PAWS

Post Acute Withdrawl - Relapse Prevention Specialists - TLC The Living Center

It's always wise to have a medical check up
to determine what damage alcohol might have done.

Glad to see you are working
towards a healthy productive future!

tellus

Welcome.

I'm 22, drinking four years also, although daily and much heavier. I had anxiety and depression before I started drinking, but if I'm not drinking by my normal time they both get exponentially worse. I think it's common. Comet's right, though, if you're at all worried you should check with your doctor.

Sonny McB

THANKS, the responses are appreciated. I do intend to check with the doc.

I value the thoughts and opinions of those of you who have experience dealing with these things. I stumbled upon this site sort of by accident but my desire to stop has grown even stronger after spending a bit of time reading here.

PatsFan81

23 also...only been 8 days sober so not much I can offer up, but I was drinking daily and for the last 5 years. I can't imagine you would get withdrawels from only drinking twice a week. I'd check with a doctor cause something else might be going on. Everyone's body does respond differently to alcohol, but to be on the safe side I'd get checked out.

sugErspun

I relate completely.

It did go away for me, but I got active in staying sober (that does not mean I rid myself of my friends who drink alcohol.)

I got panic attacks, afraid to leave the house ..I was unable to tie it back to alcohol, but I felt better when I drank..so alcohol worked very well in that regard for a long time. The doctors called it self medicating....

Sonny McB

Twice a week but very HEAVILY. Not just a casual drink or 2. Sometimes it will be more than twice a week but that's not very common. I have always known better than to do that. However, I always thought it was fine to get messed up a couple days a week if I left the weekdays for recovery between drinking.

As far as something else other than alcohol withdrawals going on, I am certain that it's just the alcohol. The issues Im having flow hand in hand with my drinking.

PatsFan81

Might be withdrawels, i'm not really an expert on this other people can probably offer a lot more information that I can. It is nice to see others my age looking to make a change though

AmericanSpirit

Congratulations on your ten days sobriety. As for the anxiety that increased day after drinking, mine progressivly got worse with every hangover to the point where any thought was unbearable. It got so bad that all I could do was stay on the couch all day not moving watching tv going in and out of sleep. Its horrid, and I too noticed it got worse each time. I am on day six of sobriety and my anxiety is still through the roof, but nothing compared to the actual hangover anxiety. I never want to feel like the only escape is removing my brain and throwing it down the garbage disposal again.

Tazman53

For me every time I quit the anxiety set in, it never seemed to get better for me, I obsessed about a drink because I knew that would help, I quit in my early 20's for a year and a half and still felt anxious and still thought about how nice a good cold beer would taste.

The last time I quit the anxiety hit me like a ton of lead bricks, my anxiety would drop to nil everyday I went to a meeting until the next day at about 1PM then it would start building up again until I went to my next meeting. FUnny thing.... 1 PM was the time I normally would have my first drink of the day.

The anxiety started to really go away as I worked the steps with my sponsor and then one day it was GONE!!!!! Along with any desire to drink at all. For me the steps were the answer to the anxiety and the drink obsession for me.

recovery4me

hi mate just thought i would say i am in the same boat with anxiety due to booze its a living hell, i drink 2 make anxiety go away then the day after i feel really ill again like i am dying i feel like this as i am typing booze is a terrible thing i have 2 stop just really hard, if u can do it mate DO it just gets a lot worse beleive me i have stopped before so i know i can do it its just the first couple of days its really hard anyway good luck mate :praying

Sonny McB

So the general consensus is that it takes several months for symptoms of anxiety to go away? Oh man.. This is going to be really tough. I feel so fortunate to realize the need to get this **** out of my life at such an early point

sugErspun

Once I started working a program towards recovery (my case AA)..anxiety seemed to disappear. Rather, maybe I wasn't so concerned with 'how I feel' anymore.

It's pretty cool.

User_Name

I'm 23, and drank daily for about 7 years. I was waking up in the middle of the night having panic attacks, and would have them throughout the day until I got drunk enough so I wouldn't have any feelings. My anxiety has gone down dramatically, I'm not having panic attacks anymore, and I have been able to go out in public without as much anxiety. I used to not be able to go to the grocery store alone the anxiety was that bad. I went grocery shopping yesterday and stopped at Home Depot on the way home to get something for my house. I know this seems trivial to a lot of people but for me it's huge. My life was (and still is) unmanageable, most people can go buy food when they are hungry. The anxiety used to be crippling, and it seems to be going away slowly but surely. I am starting to realize how badly the booze messed with my emotions. I hope at some point that I will be able to do "normal" things (like shop for food) without having to calm myself down in the cereal isle. Before, I never would have stepped foot in the store in the first place.

chip

Welcome to SR, SonnyMcB
I'm glad you found us. You ARE fortunate to get this out of your life at 23. Many of us go on, beating our heads with the club of alcohol, for many years before we reach a breaking point. I knew I had a problem with alcohol at 23, but I thought I could handle it on my own. Guess what? I had to come really close to ruining my whole life before I got smart enough to ask for help. I have no doubt that if I continued to drink, I'd ruin my life.

I did most of my drinking on weekends when I was 23. Alcoholism is progressive, and it doesn't get better once it gets worse. By the time I was 30, I was drinking all day everyday. I would have major panic/anxiety attacks if I didn't drink. They started pretty innocently...but got worse and worse. At the end of my drinking, I couldn't go more than 2 waking hours without a drink. I believe that my addiction to alcohol was leading me to my death. The progression of the disease in my twenties shows a undeniable downward spiral...right down the proverbial toilet.

Quitting drinking was the best thing I could have done.

I'm sure you will find lots of people here that want to give you support. I hope you find what ever you are looking for here. Seeing your doctor about this is a solid plan.
chip

Sonny McB

I hope I continue to feel this way without the other issues I was experiencing returning. I don't want to go through what I was having happen to me a few days ago... ever. I felt like a mess. Do you guys think I am in the clear for now? Or should I be prepared for it to return periodically?

barb dwyer

Hi -

That's one of those questions a responsible person would hesitate to answer.

I haven't posted here because I dont know about 'moderate' drinking.
I'm a full blown alcoholic.
And I know - that I always will be.

Kind of like you, I was an 'appointment' drinker in my younger years.
(birthdays, 4th of July , Kentucky Derby Day, new Years' ... etc.)
then... it wsa drink HEAVY ... on those days... (mid - twenties)
then... drink nothing for years ...
then... back to appoinstments (mid-thirties)
then heavy on appointments (late thirties)
then more appointments ... the finally - all the time.

ha!

It just meant I'd drink - much later.
And be legally dead .. within five years.

*shrug*

WIll it return?
Probably.

Always - when you're not looking.

barb dwyer

I apologize fgor sounding like 'Sister Doom' or something ...

but hon --
some bottom line talk for a second:

normal drinkers' lives aren't disrupted ... when they stop.
normal drinkers - dont 'moderate'.
They don't even think about it.
Normal drinkers ... don't ask these questions.

We cant go back to being cucumbers, once we've become pickles.

*shrug*

Sonny McB

Well, I went out with my friends tonight. Of course, where was it? A rowdy bar! Six people I was with... All drinking. I had a good time but by the end of the night my anxiety got the best of me. No, I did not end up having a drink or anything but I actually snapped on one of my closest friends on the way back home. Being around all the drinking and not being a part of it made me really edgy. I did this about a week ago and it wasn't as hard on me.. but there were less people and it was a more mellow atmosphere. I dunno.. Any input..? It's just hard.. still. I know it will get easier (I hope)...