LazaB

I have been drinking for 9 years , i didn't even know what panick attacks were before that , for the last 4 , 5 years i have psysical symptoms, shakes and so on, but i dont drink every day , 3-4 times a week, but every time after i drink i have those awful anxiety symptoms. In 2013 i stopped drinking for 35 days and they seemed to go away completely. How long do i need to not drink for those panick symptoms to go away ?

Jojay

Hi.I think we all have differing experiences with drinking related anxiety attacks.I didn't have any when I was drinking,they kicked in during the first few weeks of recovery but didn't last long,around 3weeks.You are doing great by wanting to stop drinking.Here at SR there is the most genuine,caring support.Keep posting and take a look at the links regarding recovery plans.Stay strong and focused,you can do this

LazaB

Thank you, if someone had the same symtomps it would be very helpful for me to know how long will i have to wait until i feel like before ( when it comes to anxiety ).

Andante

Hi LazaB -- I know you won't want to hear this, but it's the truth: it takes as long as it takes.

Anxiety is very common when quitting drinking, but there's no standard timetable for when it goes away. It varies tremendously according to the individual.

That said, you can probably expect something of a difference in how you feel by a week or so sober.

Only one thing's for sure: if you don't drink again, the anxiety is almost sure to go away eventually. If you drink again, it will only get worse.

Welcome to SR, hope you find the support you need here to quit drinking for good!

least

My anxiety calmed down a lot after I'd been sober a few weeks. After six months sober, it was gone for good. Whatever you do, don't drink, or the anxiety will come right back.

LazaB

How long have you been drinking before that ?

shauninspain

I found that exercise helped. Nothing to taxing, just an hours walk or a swim at the local pool. Swimming in particular was beneficial. If you can go at a time when the pool is quiet and without screaming kids! Stick with it mate, it DOES get easier, trust me.

Forward12

I've had bad depression and anxiety issues for years that I tried to suppress with alcohol. It's one of those things where it makes anxiety worse in those that have it, and also can create it in those that otherwise didn't.
It eventually got to a point where the next day or two after drinking, I would get absolutely massive panic attacks and off the charts anxiety from the alcohol.
If you are asking how much sober time do you need before you can go back to drinking without the severe anxiety afterwards, the answer is likely never, as alcoholism is progressive and never gets better.

LazaB

I think that mine will surely go away completely for several reasons, i never had panick problems before alcohol, i heard about panick attacks but i never knew what they are , and when i went more then a month without alcohol the symptoms were almost completely gone , it would take a lot to make me panick then. Like least said, i just think that i need to stop completely.

zjw

you sound like me i was having panic attacks and didnt even know what they where. I only quit drinking becuase i read somewhere that its possible drinking can cause them so i figured i'd give it a whirl but that if it didnt improve i'd just start drinking again.

the panic attacks calmed down pretty fast. but my anxiety was off the charts for 8 or 9 months. then it got easier slowly.

now at over 6 years sober its tolerable. I never have a day free of anxiety however. i'm pretty anxious all day long to be honest but its not as intense or severe. I do lots of things to try and keep it at bay.

I get panic attacks every now and then but generally there brought about by some kinda trigger / life event and not for no apparent reason at all.

If i had to complain i'd say it frustrates me that what can make me anxious and panicy is no big deal to most folks. That can be rather frustrating.

Thinking back i had a ton of anxiety as a child. with all the abuse and all i guess thats why. But before the abuse and such was I an axious person? I dunno. i cant remember.

All in all my anxiety isnt to terrible i've come to accept it for the most part.

August252015

Hi Laza-
I had some of the same symptoms as you and I was very sick by the time I quit drinking. I noticed a noticeable shift in a lot of things- physical, psych and emotional- around 100 days.

This didn't mean my anxiety went away - instead, for me, it was an identification of when it was coming on (and the shaking hands and such went away five or six weeks in as my body truly cleared itself of the extreme consumption and abuse I inflicted on it)....and growing ability to use my AA program tools to deal with it, as well as as-needed ativan (lorazepam). I also have a nightly sleep med (quetapine/seroquel) with an anti-anx component; I also take a more powerful rx, trazadone, for sleep. My dr and I have a strong relationship where I am completely honest, and I am a believer in the med regimen she directs and we monitor.

For me, anxiety often manifests now as shallow breathing or holding my breath (a dedicated yoga practice REALLY IS helping with this though it took me ages to begin!) and trouble sleeping.

Agree with the above comments that we are all different and it does take whatever time it takes for us to heal - and, if we still wrestle with certain things (I have realized that anxiety was a big issue for me going back to childhood), we become better able to deal more effectively and quickly with them.

Keep going- IME and as I have watched others- everything is better sober and we can keep healing.

LazaB

I really never had those symptoms before drinking a lot for about 4 years , i was even training Mixed Martial Arts and i was drinking heavily at the same time, i had several sanctioned amateur fights and i had almost no anxiety before them, although i was drunk day before the fight and almost always after the fight was over. After about 4 years of drinking ( December 2011) i started to feel anxiety, panick attacks and shaky hands and i know that it is 100% correlated with alcohol. When i go for longer periods of time with no drinking i feel great and i have many days when i am not even thinking about anxiety, but when i drink few days in a row that is when it comes back STRONG , i basically have to drink to calm myself down gradually when that happens , i am 27 years old btw , started drinking after high school.

Jojay

Hi again Lazab.You are young and have your life in front of you and it will be a far better one without alcohol blighting it.Stay strong and keep posting.

ScottFromWI

Welcome Laza. For me anxiety was a problem I had to accept as a distinct problem needing a separate solution/treatment. I can't say when my anxiety started becoming severe, but it was in the last few years of my drinking. I also tried using alcohol to self medicate, bit eventually that quit working too.

I sought treatment via counseling and other methods and it has helped tremendously. Having said that, the first step was to stop drinking. AKA: None of the things that used to treat anxiety will work why you are still drinking. And it's definitely not pleasant at first, but it will improve over time.

Doug39

I drank every single day for 27 years. During the last decade or so of my daily drinking, if I didn't have alcohol in my body I would suffer depression, anxiety, panic and dread.

I am now 9 days away from being 1 year sober and my anxiety is gone. I can think clearly and I feel good.

For me it was a gradual change; it probably took a good 8 or 9 months sober to really be able to have an anxiety free day.

Sure I will always experience anxious times - but through God and AA I now have a way to deal with such issues.

paulokes

I agree there is no definite time frame for this...everyone's experience differs. I had very similar symptoms to you all I can say is they are now greatly reduced. I spend a lot of time anxiety free and I know for certain drinking again would bring it all back with a vengeance.

I helped me to understand that anxiety is underpinned by a physical response...chemical reactions and processes that feel overwhelming but never really are. Maybe get educated (if you aren't already) about what anxiety is and why your body responds the way it does to give you the thoughts and feelings you have.

I'm also much more comfortable talking with people about anxiety today. It's othing to be ashamed of, and it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. It'll pass I'm time...and each time it returns...it'll pass again

P

Bunny211

IT is different for everyone. I now realize that I drank to self medicate my anxiety and depression. I had horrific anxiety when I first got sober....like hooked up to machines in the ER because my panic attacks were so bad.

An anti depressant with anti anxiety properties works for me, in addition to meetings and stepwork, therapy, exercise & body work (looking into transcendental meditation & reiki now).

Sadly, there is no "quick fix" but most of us can relate to how you are feeling.

ChloeRose63

I just had a terrible anxiety attack in a public place. I was sitting in jury duty and they were asking questions to determine if you are a good fit. The questions were about mental illness. I felt my heart race, my blood pressure rise and I tried to speak but couldn't get sensible words out. I was shaking and had to have someone walk me out. I kept saying I am sorry and I was shaking. They let me leave and I am home but, I still feel like it could happen again at any time. It really was a panic attack that I did not expect. I had to tell someone...am I crazy!

paulokes

I saw a great video on anxiety and panic attacks yesterday but can't post it here. Talked about how this is a physical reaction...an emotional response to certain situations which is triggered by fight or flight mechanisms in the deepest part of the brain. And for this reason completely uncontrollable while it's happening. ..

There are long term answers to anxiety but when ot comes on not something you can stuff down or ignore. And it feels irrational because it is irrational! No logic involved, that part of the brain is bypassed when it's responding to what it irrationally thinks is an emergency.

It helped me at first to understand this, so I could stop trying to pin the feeling on an external event or beat myself up for responding the way I did. Just used to walk away find some quiet space and distract myself until it passed...and not believe any disastrous thinking that came up in the heat of the moment.

Medication, meditation, CBT, and lots more...there are plenty of long term answers that may or may not help but in my experience these feelings pass if you accept them and give it time.

P

ScottFromWI

Sorry you had to go through that Chloe. I've had panic attacks like that before too, and sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Just last week someone ran into my vehicle ( hit and run ) while I was in a store and I had to call the police, I had somewhat of an attack waiting in the parking lot for them to show up. Weak knees,rapid heart rate, you name it.

Know this though...you are NOT crazy at all. Anxiety is a normal response that everyone has. Some of us just react in a much more intense/exaggerated fashion.

And there are solutions - as Paulokes says, it does take time and sometimes things don't work. I can happily say that I've found a combination of many things that keep my major symptoms at bay almost all the time now. I still have flare ups but I'm able to be conscious of the process...predict it and remind myself that it's just my body responding in a perfectly normal fashion.