SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information (https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/)
-   Alcoholism (https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism/)
-   -   anxiety! (https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism/436760-anxiety.html)

hothow 03-01-2019 01:39 PM

anxiety!
 
hi,everybody,has anybody experienced anxiety after stopping drinking,i have just gone past the two month mark after 30 plus years drinking on and off.i seem to be cloudy headed a lot of the time and when im in situations that are new or unfamiliar i have awful anxiety for no real reason.i know its common very early but 2 months on?please let me know your thoughts,thanks

Ghostlight1 03-01-2019 01:52 PM

Yes, it is very common. I think there's a forum dedicated just for it.
I went through anxiety for a long time after I quit.
I think it's very common.
If it becomes a problem I would see a doctor.

ScottFromWI 03-01-2019 02:05 PM

Yes, anxiety is common - if not almost universal, after quitting. Having said that, it's also entirely possible that you suffer from GAD or a variant of it - it's a very common issue. If you cant' get a handle on it on your own, consider seeing a counselor - it's a very treatable and common condition.

Some of the standard things to look at are caffeine intake ( cut back or cut out completely ), sugar consupmtion, diet, exercises, sleep, etc.

hothow 03-02-2019 12:23 AM

thanks for the replies,at least there is light at the end of the tunnel,starting to think i was losing the plot!

SnazzyDresser 03-02-2019 04:23 AM

Anxiety is our modern plague! It's a tough nut to crack, that's for sure. Maybe we can never really crack it in fact, just learn to tame it a little, get that anxious voice inside us to calm down a little and behave a little better. Meditation has helped me a lot in dealing with my anxiety. I highly recommend the book 10% Happier by ABC newsguy Dan Harris, he actually had a panic attack live on Good Morning America once reading the news, and meditation helped him tame his anxious nature and even get a little happier in the process!

murrill 03-02-2019 08:08 AM

I was always deemed "high strung," even before I started drinking. I evolved into what can best be described as "a hot mess" during the drinking years, but I thought all of that was behind me once I quit.
Not exactly. I began having free-floating anxiety in the early months after quitting. It seemed to come from nowhere: Rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, panic. Fortunately, it never lasted very long, and people assured me that it was normal and temporary. It occurred with decreasing frequency during my first year of sobriety as I began to face living sober.
Here I am now, sober for decades, struggling with a full-blown anxiety disorder. I feel it coming on, attacking me from the inside, undermining whatever strength and resolve and self-confidence that served me well in the past. It is debilitating.
I hope that does not frighten you. I think there is probably a difference between the anxiety of my early sobriety and what I have now. In that early days, I was learning to live sober, holding onto sobriety for dear life, and repairing my central nervous system. It is normal, and it passes.
My current anxiety disorder is, I think, in response to a trauma I had a few years ago. Regardless of the timing or the source, there are things that have helped me to endure. Meditation, yoga, mindfulness--these give me reprieves and tame my fight-or-flight response. All I really know is that drinking will not help.

Zebra1275 03-03-2019 07:40 AM

I had some anxiety in college (grades, finances, and the usual college age stuff).

I soon discovered a couple of drinks could quickly change how I was feeling, and alcohol became almost a daily companion for several decades.

Now I've been sober for several years and no longer self medicate with alcohol. I've discovered other ways to deal with life.

I still get anxiety today, but frankly, everybody does.

I view anxiety as a positive symptom telling me that I'm still alive. I don't think dead people feel anxiety.

NYCDoglvr 03-08-2019 06:47 AM

I had a lot of anxiety in early recovery which was alleviated by daily meditation. It's a process but it gets better just not as fast as we want.

JamesLe 03-14-2019 04:05 AM

Hi, my girlfriend has the same problems with anxiety. She had an alcohol addiction for a long time. She stopped drinking now but she doesn't like her sober life even with my support. She often says that she has strange and horrible feelings or thoughts. I'm not a doctor so I don't know how to help her. Maybe she needs professional help. There are so many rehabs in states. I found centers for women only on Addiction Recourse. Who knows...maybe with outside help she will able to overcome this problem.

Jimboagust 03-14-2019 08:51 PM

Anxiety is always terrible to deal with but please know that the physiological effects of alcohol make the problem much more difficult to deal with. It was only after having a prolonged period of sobriety that I was able to begin dealing with anxiety and depression instead of self-medicating in a way that exacerbated the problem.

If you are regularly having feelings of anxiety for no apparent reason you should definitely consider seeing a doctor. An earlier comment suggested that everyone feels anxiety, which is very true, but there is an important distinction to be made between a normal anxious response to a truly stressful situation (which is simply your body releasing cortisol as a proper defense mechanism), on the one hand, and a generalized anxiety disorder where you are feeling anxious over a situation that should not normally cause such a response, on the other (which is what it sounds like you are dealing with).

Therapy has been a huge help for me in dealing with an anxiety disorder. There are a variety of self-help techniques you can use, too, such as yoga or meditation, although these do not work for everyone in the same way.

Anyway, I think the greatest gift of sobriety is that it makes true self-care possible. Best of luck and take good care of yourself.

sherlockholmes2 03-20-2019 04:03 PM

Not unusual at all. I had crippling anxiety for years when I was drinking and for months and months after I quit. It was only after around 12 months that it started to improve. 14 months sober and I can finally say it's under control and reducing all the time.

ChloeRose63 03-20-2019 04:14 PM

Anxiety is a big trigger for me. I am said to be "high strung". I am always double /triple tasking, making things perfect and trying to keep "one step ahead of the game" to the point of OCD. I get panic attacks from worries that are imagined. Along with the anxiety, I also get annoyed very quickly at little things. Frustration comes for no reason.

JayTee33 03-21-2019 02:19 PM

For me, drinking was a way to cope with an ongoing anxiety issue that I've had my whole life. It "took the edge" off of the nerves and constant worry. But what I didn't realize at the time was how much worse my drinking was making things, not only physiologically, but by piling new anxieties on as the result of my actions while drinking.

Just over a year sober, I can say that from my experience, that intense post-quitting anxiety *does* get better, in the weeks and months that follow. But, if you suffer from underlying anxiety, quitting won't be a cure-all. In a way, it can brings the anxiety into sharper focus, since you don't have the escapism of the booze. It's a tough path, but a big part of my recovery has involved examining the root causes of my anxiety, and finding new, healthy ways to work through and with it. I've been working through the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). You might want to take a look at it, if anxiety continues to be an issue. And/or talk to your doc.

All that to say you're not alone and we've got your back!

JT


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:22 PM.