Maudcat

I think that one of the paradoxes about drinking is that we drink because we are anxious, but the not drinking makes us more anxious. My experience was that once I got a few months sober time, my anxiety slipped away so quietly that I had to think about what was missing. Oh, yeah, I don't feel anxious anymore. I had a couple of short relapses and, of course, anxiety returned. One very important reason why I don't drink is that I hate that scary, anxious feeling. It. Is. not. Worth. It. Peace.

Doug39

Today I am 60 days sober.

60 days ago my anxiety was at a 95 on a scale of 1 to 100.

These days it hovers around 15-25 depending on the time of day and situation.

I am also on anxiety medication - but I am positive that the sobriety has played a major part in reducing my anxiety. I plan to try and taper of the medication in the future.

ScottFromWI

No one here is judging you or keeping track of when you quit or how much you drink Blankspace, that's all entirely up to you. It is worth pointing out however, that just because it makes sense to keep drinking "in your mind" that it could be your alcoholic mind telling you that too. Almost all of us have been there before - wanting to wait until the time is right, waiting until after a certain event, etc. But in almost every case it was our addiction telling us that. If you need to quit, now is always the best time.

As an anxiety sufferer myself, be aware that your on/off drinking won't really help either - in fact it might even make it worse as you'll be cycling in and out of the withdrawal phase which increases your anxiety.

In any event though, it's your decision to make and I hope you can make one that helps improve your life.

Hawkeye13

My serious anxiety when drinking pretty much went away entirely when I quit.
Every week better and better, and by one month I felt "normal" again.

Everyone is different, but I was shocked at how much better I felt (and how quickly) removing alcohol entirely from life.

No reason you cannot start to taper now if you are unwilling to quit entirely yet.

It will make things easier when you are ready to commit.
Life is so much better sober! Good luck!

JeffreyAK

It makes perfect sense to me, and I found many reasons like this to not quit myself, at various times. I think what some folks are saying, or thinking, is that that's your addiction talking, not you. There's never a "best" time to quit, and we can always come up with perfectly logical-sounding reasons why today is not good enough but tomorrow will be better. And then tomorrow, we can always do the same thing.

I think the real problem with setting ourselves up to fail like this, by telling ourselves we're gonna quit for sure X days from now and then not doing it, is that we feel like failures, and the surest way to avoid dealing with that failure is to drink some more. It can be a very destructive cycle, where we lose a lot before we finally decide that today really is the day and we stick to it.

Mester

Drinking causes my anxiety. When I'm sober my anxiety is next to nothing. Problem is, I'm anxious because I drink and then drink some more to get rid of the anxiety caused by my drinking. It's a vicious cycle.

Flyfisher125

You mentioned being perceived as weak for not drinking. Regardless what family says, you are taking the more difficult path which is not drinking. That is strength, no matter how family interprets it.

Done4today

BS, Your honesty is amazing. We all had to come to our "bottom" to chose to quit. I was 6 months sober before I admitted to friends and family. I had a relapse last NYE because I tried to "control" my drinking in front of people that I didn't want them to know. That last relapse just solidified that I am powerless and I needed to surrender. I am a really discrete and private person also. I don't wear my sobriety as a scarlet letter or a badge of courage but I am willing to discuss my recovery with anyone now. I have learned to be comfortable in my own skin through my recovery (12 steps). You will too soon when you decide its time for you. Please keep coming back and being open and honest. Don't be afraid, ashamed or worried about what anyone here might think because everyone here wants you to succeed. Just remember no one is here judging you. We have all been in your position at least one time in our drinking careers.

Happy Holidays everyone and prayers for everyone in and out of sobriety.