findingt

Hey everyone,

Just feeling really low today. Scared, dumb and dealing with major panic attacks ... just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for getting over it.


Thanks

coffeenut

Welcome to SR. Please keep reading in the different forums, I'm sure you'll find words that will help.

I found that once I finally got sober, the panic/anxiety attacks stopped.

CarolD

I've never had a panic attack...I have no experience with
them Very sorry this is happening to you....

Have you called your doctor for assistance?
That's always a wise idea.

We also have a Forum dedicated to Anxiety Disorders.
Are panic attacks the same as anxiety?
You could also check here

Anxiety Disorders - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Welcome back to SR...

Ceres

I had them terribly when I was first sober. I tried to see what my triggers were to avoid them. They subsided when I became a little more at home in the meetings. When I started to establish friendships. I've recently seperated from my husband and I've been a bundle of nerves. It's like one big long anxiety episode. I have to stop what I'm doing and take deep breaths. I also generally just move slower, my jaw gets tense. I notice I'm much calmer after visiting friends. Solitude is my enemy when I get like this.

viavai

I would definitely encourage you to speak to your M.D. I am almost four years sober, and I still do occasionally get panic attacks, though they are extremely rare. My panic attacks are such that deep breathing does not help, b/c I feel like I can't breathe. I do have a script for an anti-anxiety that I take as needed (which is about once or twice a month). I have friends in program who take theirs every night before bed: Everyone is different.

Medication is a last resort for me. I know that when I start to feel anxious, what I need is a good, long, meditative walk outside (weather permitting). When the weather is not cooperating, I try to get to the gym--even if it's just for 20 minutes! That's just me.

Why do I have panic attacks now? Not over the little things, like I used to, but over that fact that my life is so full (sometimes too full) from being and staying sober. I am in grad school (a gift of sobriety), and sometimes I am simply overwhelmed by the amount of work, my anxiety about not being able to complete it (which I always do), and anxiety related directly to my self-esteem (I'm not good enough, smart enough, stable enough, etc.). Which is why I need to work a program of recovery and stay in the now.

Wow, writing all that was a good reminder for me, so thanks for letting me share.

findingt

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses. Gonna see an addiction counsellor this week, gonna discuss all that and hopefully find some answers.