BetterNow2017

I am not alcoholic I drink because of anxiety... heard that one today.

Um no, that is just about exactly what alcoholism is !

BrendaChenowyth

A lot of people use it for social anxiety. And then they get up and go to work all week and don't think about. And if they stay in for the weekend? They don't drink.

PhoenixJ

for me it was a circle- one fed the other..

ScottFromWI

Those people are not alcoholics though....big, big difference.

JeffreyAK

Yes, for me alcohol caused a lot of anxiety, that went away once I'd been sober a good long while.

LayEDla

Well I was one of those people. I use to think that I drink because of anxiety, but drinking caused me more anxiety so it was a vicious cycle. In the end I was always anxious, which meant I was drinking all the time.

dirk41

I didn't really have any success in sobriety until I sought proper treatment for anxiety. Like others have said they can go hand in hand and it's a viscious cycle.

FBL

An alcoholic will almost always have an excuse to drink. I know...I had a million of 'em!

zjw

i smoked cigarettes because of anxiety too it started off innocent. but then after the oxygen deprivation wore off adn the nicotine started to wear off I'd get a bit restless and anxious from the with drawels and i'd have another cigarettet o treat the anxiety .

I did the same with booze. It started off innocent it helped with anxiety. but in time as the booze wore off and i started to go through a bit of a withdrawel i'd feel restless and anxious and well reality sober didnt appeal to me there was that so to treat the anxiousness and discomfort i'd drink again.

I think if it wasnt so addicting i could see how it could be "treatment" for anxiety.

Now that i'm sober I still have anxiety issues I just try to tend to them in diff ways.

tomls

The chat room dinging all the sudden caused anxiety!

CoffeeInstead

My anxiety is through the roof daily, I realized I was self-medicating for year and years. I am off to see my doctor soon and will get this all figured out!

zjw

My theory is the average joe has to face a lot of stuff they where not designed to face. and some of the usual ways of blowing off steam IE doing some physical work or excercise don't typically apply then our diets are normally not as great either becuase we got so many tasty other options at our finger tips.

Its really all a perfect storm for one to find themselves in a predicament where there using something liek booze to try and cope through life.

for my lifes had to get simlpier and its still not simple enough sadly so its a constant battle to keep my life manageable so it doesnt spiral out of control again. and after all of this I still have anxiety its just how it is.

Bunny211

I got sober, worked the steps with a step study sponsor and my anxiety was through the roof. I was told to come off all psychiatric medications and stupidly, I did so. I did not think about drinking but I was barely able to function. Meditation, exercise, reiki, acupuncture, deep breathing, prayer supplements, chinese herbs etc. did not work. It got to the point for me where I wanted to harm myself on a daily basis because I was so anxious. I ended up firing that sponsor, getting a new one, adding in some prozac and serious therapy and am finally getting to a place where I can be sober and happy.

For newbies, do not EVER let anyone tell you to come off medications. AA'ers are not physicians.

puddlejumper70

It's funny you mention Reiki. My sister is a Reiki master in St. Louis. She teaches classes all the time. I've had several treatments and always felt a dreamy, narcotic sensation when it was over.

ScottFromWI

This was the case for me too - eventually my drinking was causing more anxiety than it was relieving.

Mtphc

Same here, got to the point to where it was day and night.

BrendaChenowyth

Yes, exactly.

WaterOx

I second the reiki. I feel like it's slowly but surely helped me move towards sobriety. It's been very life changing for me.

AnonSara

This made me laugh out loud because I said the exact same thing when I started my recovery process.... and someone close to me in recovery truly laughed in my face. At the time I was angered in all of my self-righteousness but now I get it!

2muchpain

For some people, this works. For others like me, not so much. I have always had a lot of social anxiety. Alcohol, and drugs helped me a lot to be around people and have a good time. Without it, I would of had a terrible time being around people and if I did, I would of been a nervous wreck and probably would of just stayed home. It worked great for a while and have a lot of great memories of those days. Unfortunately for me, I used drinking and drugs to eventually deal with daily problems. I would go home after work, angry and wound up and would drink to calm down. This lead to more anxiety and more drinking and I became pretty much homebound.
A few drinks at a party or just to unwind turned into a full-blown addiction. This is how things turned out for me. Some people with mild anxiety or are just a little uncomfortable at social gatherings can have a drink or two and be fine. My extreme anxiety is another matter. Drinking just doesn't work for me. John