Funyons

Hey everyone, I'm a new user and this is my first post here.

I've never had anxiety before in my life, but for the past 3-4 years I have been drinking on average about a six pack every night. So all of a sudden I started having bad anxiety, and the only thing that really alleviates it is beer or Lorazepam which I rarely take. But like I said I'm mid 20's and have never had anxiety or struggled with it before.

Would you say that alcohol/alcohol withdrawal is causing my anxiety?

I also would like to quit drinking all together, and was wondering what some of your experiences are with withdrawal. I work full time, so would I be able to take Lorazepam for the first week to ease the anxiety without becoming addicted to Lorazepam?

Let me know what you guys think and your experiences with anxiety and alcohol please. Thanks!

KAMRIZ

Hi Funyons, I love the handle!

I found that booze caused every single snippet of my anxiety, once I quit drinking my anxiety poofed away along with ten pounds of wine weight and a foggy noggin.

My withdrawal was fairly typical, sleepless nights, night sweats, feeling blah, and probably lasted about three days but withdrawal is different for everyone and can be quite serious so best to call your doctor.

Kudos to you for posting and welcome!

CarolD

plese read this link with info and some of our expereinces
Note that not everyone had the same de tox.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

I did mine without any other drug...but please ask your doctor
about how best to detox. Of course...mixing alcohol with drugs
is very dangerous...and Yes some people switch addictions that way.

Good to know you are interested in finding a solution...

drunkyjules

Hi Funyons!

I would say that your alcohol use probably does have something to do with the drinking. I never used to have a problem but as my alcohol use increased so did the anxiety, panic attacks etc. I never used to be a person that would freak out and not caln down but now I am. I haven't been off of alcohol that long but I definitely notice a difference if I'm not drinking. I feel like I'm still trying to get back to normal.

As far as withdrawal symptoms, everyone is different and it is a very serious situations that some people need hospitalized for. I would think you would have a problem but when in doubt talk to a doctor. Maybe do some research on-line so you know the signs and what your looking for.

Hope this helps and welcome to the forum!

Funyons

Thanks for the advice. I also wanted to add that I've never lost a job or got in any kind of trouble with the law for drinking. I just feel like the anxiety is caused by withdrawal since after I drink the anxiety ceases, and because I've never had any type of anxiety before. Today I am off and having some beers to keep calm and figure out what I'm going to do. I pretty much never drink liquor, but do have heavy days of drinking where I'll drink 12 or 14 beers on holidays etc. I don't have any type of seizure history or anything like that, so do you guys think beyond the anxiety and depression I might encounter that there will be no real danger if I try to detox without the Lorazepam? And when I say I will take Lorazepam while I detox I mean just 1 mg a day; if I take it.

CarolD

We can not give medical advice...nor should you take our expereinces
to mean x or y or z will happen to you.
There are too many variables to predict with accuracy.
That is why we all suggest seeing your doctor.

BTW...I am an alcoholic who also did not have legal problems
I kept working...paid my bills on time...had an apartment...
nothing was apparently wrong on the outside....anxiety is not
part of my medical history....no financial problems...but finally

after my doctor diagnosed me with situational depression.
he suggested I give up alcohol and go to AA.
I did and still do find AA to be an awesome adventure..
Fortunately...my depression lifted rather quickly...no drugs needed

All my best as you work thru your drinking and anxiety...

Funyons

Great. Well I am going to take 1 mg of Lorazepam tomorrow and the next day to ease my mind about any kind of serious withdrawal symptoms then will come back and let you know how I feel on Saturday.

Funyons

Kamriz about how old were you when you went through the withdrawal and how much were you drinking at the time?

PaperDolls

Funyons, have you seen a doctor?

Kierk76

Hi Funyons,

I was a six-pack per day drinker for a long time, and I gradually progressed into an 8 to 10 and sometimes 12 pack per day drinker. I also have anxiety issues. I take a low dosage of Effexor daily. It's unclear to me whether I had anxiety issues prior to drinking heavily, but I'm confident that my anxiety intensified because of my drinking.

For what its worth, I haven't had a drink in three days, and I'm not particularly anxious, at least no more than I used to be. My detox symptoms are pretty mild--I feel, in particular, fairly fatigued (I slept about 18 hours yesterday), and I began to get the sweats last night, but nothing too bad. My head is a little "cloudy," but I'll take that instead of a bad hangover any day. Also, yesterday I began to take magnesium supplements to deal with my nerves. I don't know if they are working, but maybe they are.

I guess, based on what I've read on this forum, it's really hard to know how your body will react to stopping alcohol. I was very nervous about it, and I was going back and forth trying to decide if I should check into a detox facility. After three days without drink, I now know that this time (and I'm telling myself there won't be another) I didn't need 24 hour medical assistance. However, I did consult my physician before I began detoxing. Perhaps you should think about doing the same.

Good luck and many blessings!

2granddaughters

Are you self medicating? Are you seeing a doctor?

Why not get hooked up with your local AA groups and see how the oldtimers did it....

All the best.

Bob R

Kierk76

Also, to ride off of what CarolD said, many alcoholics are more or less functional--that is, they exhibit socially normal behavior by keeping their jobs, having good family relationships, keeping healthy friendships, and staying away from legal trouble. Of course, that doesn't mean their functional in other respects--inner conflict, suffering, anxiety, depression, and so on.

In my case, I never thought I had a drinking problem. I'm an academic, hold a Ph.D., I'm a professor at a well-respected university, I carry healthy relationships with my students and colleagues, etc. Because my heavy drinking never appeared to impact my social and professional life, I don't give it much thought. This was until I began connecting the dots between my inner conflicts/anxieties and my alcohol use. I began to see that the person I wanted to be--a person with a particular kind of virtuous character who meets familial and personal obligations--could not reasonably be achieved (or continue) if my alcohol habits continued to progress in the way they already had. It didn't require "hitting rock-bottom" for me. It only required foresight and moral vision.

Just some thoughts.

Funyons

Well here I am day 1. I've got the Lorazepam on hand if I need it. Of course I'm already up and have work today, so today is going to be a long one I'm sure.

flutter

I didn't use any drugs to quit drinking, but I did see a doctor..and a counselor. Hope today goes ok for you and you don't feel the need to medicate yourself!

MetalChick

I know that drinking caused anxiety for me- mainly because I did stupid stuff and blew off my responsibilities while drunk-- That made me worrisome and fear ridden.

Veritas1

One thing caught my eye.

When you said, "I pretty much never drink liquor".

It was interesting for me to learn that alcohol is alcohol. Whether it is beer or liquor.

I think that I thought by mistake, that beer was less harmful that "liquor", but it is all alcohol.

I guess with alcohol being stronger, more proof, we think beer is the better option.

Beer has alcohol in it.

We put alcohol in our body, and we don't feel well.

I hope you are able to be free of it.

My experience with anxiety and anxiety medication is that I was given xanax for anxiety years ago.

I would drink and use xanax to help me with the effects of drinking.

It was, for me, a bad combination.

I medicated myself. I used pills to feel better from drinking too much, "anxiety", and to ease withdrawal, and in place of drinking.

My doctor knew about my alcoholism, but felt it was better for me to take a half of a pill of xanax then to drink a bottle of vodka, or a 12 pack of beer.

I think we shouldn't be trying to figure out how to use these pills to withdraw ourselves without being under medical supervision, and I mean a good md with experience with addiction.

I think now that the md that told me to take xanax knowing I drank was making a mistake.

Be careful.

Funyons

Really shaky so far today and fatiqued. Prob drank about 9 beers yesterday, but I'm not going back. I don't think anything really serious will happen to me as I've seen some stories of people detoxing after drinking for like 20 years then quitting cold turkey. So I know the first few days will be hard, but I'll get through them. Will probably leave work early today.

Kierk76

Funyons,

Keep it up! I'm sure the shakiness and fatigue is due to your nervousness about your decision to quit drinking. These may not be actual withdrawal symptoms, since, if I understand you correctly, you're drinking habits consisted of about a 6 beers or a little more a day. Do you normally feel withdrawal symptoms at work after a night of drinking?

I would try to push through and stay at work. There's nothing worse than finding yourself at home with nothing to do. That seems like a potential recipe for walking down to the liquor store and grabbing a six-pack. If you do leave work, try finding an AA meeting.

Keep us updated and stay safe!

Galita

Hey my sister did the same drinking and after she was taking Xanax at the end she went to rehab cus alcohol and pills , she cudent stop with pills because still been drugs , maybe now you can control it but soon or later that can hit you hard , be careful ... Thanks god she is in rehab and she is doing great

hypochondriac

Hey Funyons.

I had a lot of anxiety and panic attacks which were caused by drinking. They have pretty much all disappeared since quitting. I also had a lot of health anxiety too, for good reason. And with severe anxiety it is usually good to get checked out medically too. It isn't always just a matter of some things being in your head. Anxiety can cause a lot of problems and with quitting drinking at the same time you really should just get a check up.

Welcome to SR x