beckys

I had a vicious cycle - I'd suffered depression and self-worth issues for around 10 yrs before I began self-medicating this with alcohol. I'd had other behavioural fixations in this time which I used to take my mind off these and was constantly setting myself unachievable goals to make my self feel better, or giving up on life entirely. Alcohol numbed these at first, but then made them worse.

When I tried to stop, I found my poor mental health led me back to drink (a subconscious excuse perhaps? - although it FELT completely real - I could not cope without it), but then the fact that my drinking was back out of control made my mental state worse. Inevitably I would then drink again...and so on... and so on...

This has only started to lift as I tried to combat both at once - I quit drinking, and am spending a lot of time listening to positive meditations. I have also started an online journal - because I tend to see the negative in anything, especially myself (that is my default thought pattern) I struggle to THINK positive things and BELIEVE them. I've found making myself WRITE them has helped - even if I've not been doing much, I've just tried to reflect positvely on a quote online or something.

FeenixxRising

Anxiety really had nothing to do with my drinking. I rarely drank to escape problems; I drank more out of boredom, and I enjoyed drinking--at least for the first two hours or so. I enjoyed that warm, comfortable feeling that spread throughout my body after I finished a few cold beers; alcohol relaxed my mind and helped me to see a different, more colorful and interesting world. As I continued to drink, I became happier and more outgoing. It was instant bliss from a bottle.

Of course, after two hours things went in a different and decidedly more hazardous direction. And the hangovers were awful, but again, alcohol didn't cause me to have anxiety.

People drink for many reasons, and a need to self-medicate isn't always why someone picks up a drink.

prosaic

That sounds very similar to my situation. Now having quit (86 days today) My anxiety is much worse than I can remember from before my drinking days. It does seem to be slowly improving though.

Dan1888

Im sorry but I cant agree with that. I had social anxiety before I ever touched alcohol. It was the anxiety that made me drink so I would feel much more comfortable around people. In time I started drinking more and more and I became an alcoholic.

My heavy drinking definitely stemmed from my social anxiety, of course alcohol abuse made it worse but it did not cause me to have anxiety in the first place, I had that before I ever started drinking.

dSober

I think there are lots of reasons that can cause one to drink. In my case, it was a very poor relationship. I started drinking heavily so I would pass out and be able to sleep through incessant nagging. Obviously, not the best solution but that's what I did. That got the snowball to hell rolling. Extreme anxiety, dishonesty, selfishness, etc. followed shortly thereafter.

ClearLight

Boy - I NEVER drank to ease any anxiety.
I never drank out of loneliness.
I never drank to dull the pain - whatever that is.
I never drank to feel comfortable in social situations.

I drank because I liked it - it was an instant personal party.

FeenixxRising

Yep:

"FOR MOST normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good."

BB, 4th Edition, page 151

Of course, I stopped being a "normal" drinker long before I admitted I had a problem, so I still chased the normal drinking pattern described (very well IMO) in the Big Book.

dSober

Looking back I realized I was never a normal drinker. Most of my life I drank infrequently but when I did, I overdid. Later, when I used alcohol to go to sleep, to self medicate, I drank like I always did, but I was doing it every night. Little wonder it messed me up, big time.

Looking4Help123

Is there such a thing?

dSober

Lol, maybe it's just a legend.

matt4x4

I drink cuz i a boozer. It swtiches my feelings yo.
The juice causes many bad things.

For alcoholics, alcohol has nothing to do with our problem.

As an example, seen many drunks stop the drink, and who have never gambled or went to a casino in their life. Soon enough, they fill the alcohol void with another addiction, like gambling. You name any other addiction, if you dont deal with the thinking, just swap addictions.

prosaic

That was painful to read. It has such a familiar ring to it. Tears me apart inside.

Thanks for sharing that.

WMJ1012

All my answers are in the BB

"Selfishness - self-centeredness. That we think is the root of our problem."

dSober

We're all in this together prosaic.

bigsombrero

I had anxiety all my life. Finally felt "normal" after I started drinking, felt more relaxed and social. Then I got addicted to alcohol and it nearly killed me. Stopping drinking was definitely a positive step, but now I'm dealing with pushing through anxiety with out any meds or alcohol, so that's been a challenge. Not sure it matters which came first in the end, though.

dSober

I can only attest to what's helping me change myself. I can feel it every day now and it feels good. Life's challenges are still there, in spades, I'm just better equipped now to deal with them, not run away from them.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...where-god.html

Stang

Over thew last few years of my drinking alcohol gave me anxiety. It would take about a week for my self confidence to come back after the last drink.

Aiko

Anxiety is part of the human nature!

Getting anxious over the anxiety it multiplies it and makes it unhealthy.
It is ok to have some and natural to keep us moving.
But we multiply it!!!

Alcohol makes gives you Anxiety!
You will get more and more and you will need to drink more to get false freedom of it.
and when you stop you will want more alcohol to calm down the addiction.

You think alcohol will calm anxiety but in really it causes you even more...
So keep away

Bombadil

I was always pretty awkward but never really socially anxious. Until I took up drinking and smoking weed that is. I probably wouldn't be on 100mg Sertraline a day if I had decided to not experiment. Normal social situations cause me massive amounts of stress. It's getting better with each sober day though.

needtostopthis

I have always had anxiety. I think I had it since I can remember which is around 5 years old. It stemmed from having an alcoholic mom though. I was always worried about when and if my mom would be drunk. But I do believe my anxiety has gotten much worse through the years and I am actually hoping it is from drinking, as bad as that sounds because if I can stop drinking that means it will finally go away or at least get better.
I do know one thing, lately maybe in the last year if I drink and really get drunk the next day is filled with anxiety, much worse than normal.