Anxiety and Alcohol
 

I seemingly can't break the cycle. Drinking makes me anxious (the morning after - in fact the whole day after or until I have another drink). But alcohol is my crutch and gives me confidence and time away from my own self destructing thoughts.

Do I drink because I'm anxious, or am I anxious because I drink? I never used to have this problem.

What have you tried to break the cycle so far ?

I still have anxiety, but not as badly as I did when I drank. I still have some obsessive thoughts but a lot of my anxieties (unwarranted fears) have gone away, because when you get sober, you slowly learn that your feelings aren't real things and they can't hurt you.. does that make sense.

When I was young and growing up I had a lot of anxiety, shyness and I generally felt inadequate.

I started drinking alcohol daily at age 25. I became outgoing, confident and the anxiety was gone.

As years went on my alcoholism grew and if I wasn't drinking I was very anxious and depressed.

After 27 years of daily drinking it got to the point that I was constantly anxious if I was sober or drunk. That is when I knew my drinking days were over.

That was 57 days ago.

I am now 53 years old and I have spent most of my adult life drunk. The remaining years will be spent sober.

To answer your question some people just have anxiety issues without drinking. But drinking can also cause anxiety when you stop.

My guess is you drink because you are an alcoholic.

Anxiety can be made worse by alcohol too, absolutely. The cycle of drinking and withdrawing causes anxiety, and it can become worse over time.

In any case, the solution is to stop drinking. It will be rough at first and you may need medical assistance to detox safely. But if you have underlying anxiety even after you've been sober for a while, you may need additional help. Anxiety is a separate, diagnosable disorder - but again the therapy/meds that are used to help will not work if you are still drinking.

I can attest to this. The cycle is no joke.

I think scottfromWi is right on.

I have always dealt with some anxiety, and I used to think that having wine each evening was a stress reliever. However, it was causing my anxiety to be even worse.

I am getting close to one year sober, and my anxiety is definitely much less than it was a year ago. The first few weeks are a little tough, but it is so worth sticking them out.

Do you have any supports in place to help you stop drinking?

Quitting drinking will make you have less anxiety. I bet alot of it is caused by the alcohol. Have you thought about seeing a counselor to help deal with your anxiety? The thought of talking to someone about mine made me SO ANXIOUS, but it really is worth it.

I also drank alot of the time to feel more comfortable with myself and be more outgoing. Now I know that no one was able to really get to know me because I was masking my personality with alcohol. I'm seeing a counselor to try and get more comfortable in my own skin. Trying to fix my anxiety by drinking only made things worse. It's simply not worth the consequences to my life, body, and mind. Trying to cover your anxiety with alcohol won't work and will ultimately do so much harm in the long run. Get help to learn how to be comfortable with yourself, it's so much better than trying to drink your anxiety away.

You may be an alcoholic who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

You may need help for both conditions.

I certainly did, and I have found help for both of them which works very well.

Stick around here and keep us posted.

Thanks.

The truth is, you won't know the answer to your paradox unless you get some sober time.
One thing is certain, alcohol will not help anxiety.

Maybe you are an Alcoholic? (Like Myself) you sound a LOT like me...
it used to "work" (drinking that is)
And then it became a Huge Burden...
then it became Life Threatening... Alcoholism is PROGRESSIVE!

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder before i realized i was an alcoholic. Alcohol, without a doubt, was blowing up my anxiety the following morning. I was like you in that I used alcohol as a social lubricant because i didn't have confidence in my sober self. I didn't think i was a fun or valued person unless i was drunk when i went out.

One of the big lessons i've learned is that once the alcohol is gone for an extended period of time, and i really started looking at who i was (getting counseling, or just being open with others about my situation) my confidence level went through the roof. That was something i DIDN'T expect to happen when i got off alcohol. I realize a lot of it has to do with my own faith as well - realizing that I am forgiven and pure in the sight of God and that my value isn't tied to earthly things. I realize many have different interpretations of this or ways of dealing with self confidence.

Thanks all. I really appreciate your responses. I feel like I need to be alcohol free to assess the extent of my 'true' anxiety. I feel that a lot of the anxiety I feel currently is shame relating to my drinking, or my actions (or lack of actions and productivity) when drinking. I just hope I can make it through the holidays.

Today will be an alcohol free day (see previous posts which explain why I'm waiting for January to attempt to quit completely...)

I am at home, getting the house ready for family arriving for the holidays. I have a huge to-do list which is a little daunting but I know making my way through it will give me a better buzz than opening a bottle of wine.

Help a brother out. This is the busiest time of the year here. Could you just remind me why you're waiting til January? :)

I agree that you need to be sober to adequately assess and deal with your anxiety.

A day here or there sober is obviously better than not being sober but you're not going to be able to get to the 'real you' without a prolonged period of sobreity IMO.

:grouphug:

--carl

I was looking for a reiteration from blankspace really, but thanks Carl.

The idea that there's some time where life will suddenly stop and quitting will be easier is another variation on the 'maybe one day I can drink normally' fantasy.

There's no good time to quit. I can remember many times I set January 1 as a date and was still drinking in April or May.

If you're using 'social commitments' as a reason to continue drinking, you will use that same reason after Xmas as well.

The longer you leave quitting the harder it will be.

D

I don't have a valid excuse, at least not one that you guys will (probably quite fairly) find valid.
I feel I've made huge steps in the past couple of weeks to acknowledge and face up to the issues I have with alcohol.
I'm just not ready to go the whole way yet. Perhaps I don't want to admit to family and friends. I've always been an exceedingly private person (see above comments re social anxiety). If I quit in January it's easier for me to then claim that I feel so much better after a month and continue it...if I quit not I feel like Christmas will be defined by why I'm not drinking.
Again, many will think that is weak, but it does make sense in my own mind. Sorry, I don't mean to infuriate

I can identify with this - especially when it comes to my daughter. She is 20 years old now but I was basically drunk all of her life.

Since I structured my life around alcohol I could have been a better father if I was sober. So many times I let her down and couldn't do something because I was too hungover or I did or said something stupid in front of her cause I was drunk.

My daughter is happy that I quit drinking but we still have my wife to deal with and my daughter hates her drinking as well.