slipped

I have been a lurker here for years and joined today to ask this question to those who have been sober for awhile..
I have been sober for 4 1/2 years. (thanks a lot to this site). But, I have had anxiety off and on for 4 1/2 years. It comes and goes, varies in intensity, \and sometimes it gets overwhelming. At first I thought it was PAWS, because what I experience fits the description. But at 4 1/2 years out I wonder. Does anyone with longerish sobriety still have anxiety and what do you do about it. I don't want to take meds, but this can get annoying at times.

Amajorityofone

I am ten days away from nineteen consecutive months of 100% sobriety. Thus, I can totally relate to what you're talking about.

For me, it boils down to simplification. Confine your thoughts to the present and you will cease to worry. Concentrate solely on what's in front of you. Treat each day as if it were a separate, life. And then maximize that day to its fullest. Especially when you decide to rest. If you do this, when you look back over a twelve month stretch, it'll feel like you lived two years, not one.

Finally, at the end of each day, call it to an account in your mind. What virtues have you acquired and/or strengthened? What sins have you vanquished and/or weakened? What have you learned? What do you need to let go of? Each day, make a concentrated effort to nurture that which you want to grow, and starve that which you want to die.

Hope this helps

ScottFromWI

I'm just passed one year and have anxiety that comes ans goes too. It has definitely gotten better but not gone away completely. I also find focus on the task at hand and keeping busy helps a lot. Idle time compounds the issue.

Climber122

Anxiety disorders are common among us. I have suffered for years but it has gotten much better to almost gone with some years of sobriety and additional therapy in counseling. Getting sober and staying sober helps - without that there's little hope of it improving, but since you're maintaining sobriety you're in good shape to address the anxiety.

I've noticed that we can sometimes want sobriety to be a magic pill. We think if we get sober everything else in life will be great. Truth is, we need to get sober just to have a chance to live and then to live differently, and then we can go from there. I would suggest professional counseling for you - you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, in which case it can be treated! The good news is you are meeting the basic need to stay sober, so now you can think straight enough to seek treatment for other maladies. If you need some help connecting to a counselor in your area, feel free to PM me and I'll send you a link or two.

BMel311

I still deal with normal every day anxiety. However, it is nothing that I can't handle and it certainly is nowhere near the intense anxiety I felt after a binge.

RobbyRobot

It is always helpful for me to separate anxiety from fear. Anxiety is not a normal response, and is always uncomfortable, unfocused, and almost always a purely subjective response to over-cooked generalizations of whatever stressors are underway. Fear is itself a normal response, and with all things being equal, fear is healthy. Anxiety is not healthy. Anxiety is unreliable as an indicator that there is anything to be afraid of in all cases. Anxiety is a lousy barometer that things are going south. Ironically, many people use anxiety to determine what actions to take in their sobriety, when in fact the best remedy for anxiety is to simply not have it. Easier said then done, but still doable. For those with actual anxiety disorders, anxiety must be managed. Many ways are there for the choosing to deal effectively with anxiety. Meds should not be the first option taken, imo.

I rarely have anxiety anymore. I use to have it so bad, I would actually become frozen and awash in feelings of doom and gloom. Weeks I wouldn't leave my house. Even checking the mailbox was a supreme challenge. Speaking with others also would leave me voiceless and mute. Very troubled times for me. The phone would freeze me out. Even watching TV would freak me out for totally surreal and unrealistic projections. Hard times. Those days have been behind me for a long time now. I'm awesomely grateful for how far I have come in my sober journey.

Fear and anxiety separation is essential for me to stay healthy. I suggest you research the differences between fears and anxieties. You may be surprised. I was. Just being able to isolate my anxiety is enough to manage it. Its a learned skill. Anxiety can't be bent into shape. Best to manage it into nothingness while also dealing with the fears that almost always travel along with anxiety like a hand n glove partnership.

Try to recognise the differences and tell signs between fears and anxieties. This is my suggestion for your already established sobriety.

Take it easy.