jalyea

Hi guys,

New here. Have an issue. I have an anxiety issue and have been drinking to cope. Issue is it takes about almost a liter of wine to have the desired effect. Most people notice at that point via the smell...although I am mostly still sober. Have tried getting Therapy but my issues are neither recognized nor accepted by insurance accepted Therapy. I am a functional alcoholic as of yet but my son and husband have started to notice. Any advice?

Leeloo

Hi Jalyea,
I'm right there with you, drinking to make the anxiety go away. But then in return, the drinking makes the anxiety so so so much worse. You should feel it gets better once you've not had a drink for a while. Meditating helped me a great deal to work with stress without feeling the need to self-medicate with alcohol. There's a bunch of good guided meditations on youtube. It's mostly about breathing and calming the crazy monkey in your brain.
Let me know how you get on.

Astro

Welcome jalyea. I found that alcohol increased my anxiety, so the only answer for me is long term sobriety. It took awhile to work past the anxiety but now I can truly function without the help of a substance. Keep reaching out for help, I'm glad you're here.

SoberCAH

We're certainly glad you're here with us, jalyea.

I used alcohol to numb my chronic anxiety, but alcohol ultimately enhanced my anxiety on a somewhat exponential basis.

For me, complete sobriety has been the answer to my dealing with anxiety.

I also take meds for it, which are completely effective I might add, but they don't work if I continue to drink.

Alcohol went from being the solution for me to being the primary, over-riding problem.

pauly6617

Hi Jalyea, I may know kind of what you are going through.

My anxiety was going through the roof.

I went through absolute hell for over 5 years in which helped make my anxiety go through the roof.
It was very bad, I won't get into too much detail of what happened right now.

My anxiety was getting so bad I was having trouble driving my car, I felt like I was going to get into a wreak or some how loose control, I've always been a very, very comfortable driver never fearing anything so this was very strange.
I also had an extremely hard time being around anyone and I had a part time job where I had to deal with public.
This part time job also helped increase my anxiety and self worth, it was humbling & felt humiliating and there's a very good reason for this.

When I drank it erased this feeling pretty much completely yet it would also become much worse the next day from the drinking.

When I use to drink I would just get hung over never anxiety quite the opposite I'd feel relaxed, still medicated from the alcohol.

Then recently this turned into very bad anxiety on top of already being full of anxiety so it was getting bad.

I did not want to be alive, I hated waking up and I hated going to sleep because I knew what I was going to wake up to after feeling relieved from drinking, it was a double edge sword.

Like I said it was becoming so bad I was close to not being able to drive.
After I did something very dramatic that did not work I then went on a mission.

My mission was I can not go on like this so I dove into the internet looking for everything and anything that could help, supplements, drugs, support groups, church, God, whatever.

First thing I found and tried was L-theanine with coffee.
Not sure if you are like me but there was no way I could drink coffee after a night of drinking which is like every night.
If I drank coffee I get very shaky & the anxiety would double or triple and the only thing I knew of at the time that would work was drinking.

However taking L-theanine changed this and totally worked where I can now drink coffee and 9 times out of 10 I am fine to actually where the coffee & L-theanine help me feel better.

It was by no means a cure all just a small step in a better direction.

I continued my search, I was like a guy drowning searching for anything to grab onto so I don't go under.

I was researching this machine called NutriBullet RX for like a year, did juicing, blender health drinks and none really worked so I was very hesitant getting this thing like I said it took over a year.

I knew my nutrition was very bad, I was eating McDonalds double cheese burgers or not eating at all.

So I found a deal at best buy with a 90 day money back and figured what the heck I'll try it after reading many reviews over year.

I did not think it would work very well & likely I'd return it.

The first drink I made came out really good I then drank these for the next week adding more and more greens & other nutritious stuff and I tell you after a week I felt much better, anxiety was down I had more energy it was pretty amazing & I kept drinking them for the next 2 years every day.
I was also still drinking alcohol, this really did not change right away.

During this time I also found supplements that also added to helping my anxiety and depression, I just kept searching & trying different things and I am still searching on occasion but no where near the degree I was at first.

I still drink every night honestly but it has decreased quite a bit from the time I first started all these new things I found and the anxiety and depression are virtually gone compared to where it was.

This happened long before things in my life got better, I was going through the hardest times of my life for about 5 or more years and the last year or two I was mentally pulling out of it, my situation was not changing, it was actually looking worse however my mental state was getting much better because of these things I was doing & continued to do and still do today.
I can't drink the Bullet RX drinks every day but I do drink a green powder with protein, aloe vera, liquid multi vitamin and other healthy additives along with taking supplements first thing in morning and at lunch time supplements I found through my search for anything that could help.

I was sober at one time for 5.5 years and I was miserable for much of this time, I did all the AA things you are suppose to, had commitments etc..
During them years I never took anything to help with anxiety or depression, did not even know I had this.

So now my goal is to find a way to cut down my drinking even more to maybe losing the desire altogether which I never did in all the years of being in AA.
Maybe if I found and tried these things I have found maybe I would still be sober, who knows.

My desire to go back to AA is very low to not there and I do have my reasons.

So yes there are many things that are very legal and very safe and do not need a doctor to get them that could help you big time, they may not or it may take a while before you find the right combination which is referred to as stacks.

So if you are eating poorly like I was and like most who drink regularly do may want to consider this NutriBullet RX or something equivalent or at least try green powder and protein mix drinks.

I can give you a list of different things I've tried, I currently take and what I put into my daily green/protein drinks.

They help for me.

I think I mentioned I was getting to the point of barley being able to drive the anxiety was getting so bad.

Now I drive a commercial flatbed truck for work, I drive in some very difficult areas and onto some very difficult job sites, large commercial job sites like many high rises in down town Los Angeles, very small and steep roads in Santa Monica hills, the new Rams/Chargers stadium etc.. Yea I get a little nerve racked on some of these deliveries but I can do them and to think like two years ago I could barely drive my 2006 Mustang (6 cylinder) and I still even drink every night, not as heavy but still too much.

I drink much heavier than a moderate drinker for sure but less than I use to.

I do want to decrease this more it's just hard when you all alone and have a large home to take care of.
When I drink it's easier to get stuff done, kind of takes away the loneliness & misery but does still hinder the next day a little, no where near how it was though thanks to these things I found.

If they did nothing there would be no way I'd be driving a big commercial truck in places I do and doing this for a year and a half now, pretty amazing.

Dee74

Hi Pauly

Honestly my anxiety never improved much until I stopped drinking completely...and then it got a little worse for a little while before it got better.

I think the more years we drink the harder it is to deal with the accompanying anxiety. If you can think about quitting now it'll go easier on you.

Not trying to be mean either but I think anyone who drives for a living is pretty much playing with loaded dice drinking every night, regardless of the amount.

The real step forward IMO is quitting completely

D

pauly6617

Hmm, almost seems as if you overlooked everything I wrote, wow.

Whatever, not surprising.

Most people choose to stay stuck on stupid for some reason beyond my understanding.

Maybe try re-reading what I wrote and actually "understand" what I am saying rather than jump to your conclusion.

Apparently you missed the part where I did actually say


"I was sober at one time[/B][/U] for 5.5 years and I was miserable for much of this time"

"So now my goal is to find a way to cut down my drinking even more[/B][/U] to maybe losing the desire altogether which I never did in all the years of being in AA.

Maybe if I found and tried these things I have found maybe I would still be sober, who knows."

"I do want to decrease this more it's just hard when you all alone and have a large home to take care of."

So again try re-reading what I wrote before you make your judgment on me.

This person was asking for a solution not how to quit drinking, she said alcohol helped her cope and it sound like she wanted a better solution or something that may help and I was explaining what I have found that has worked very well for me and that I am still in search to continue to get even better like more alcohol reduction to possibly losing the craving all together.

If one can quit with no problem then great but if not like me then try other stuff that could help reduce or put you on a path to losing the desire.

But for you to jump to conclusions as you did is just wrong, you should either re-read and understand what I was saying and trying to do or simply keep your judgmental opinion to yourself.
Thank you!

Dee74

Sorry to have offended you Pauly.

Its sometimes difficult to distill all of what I'm trying to say into a readable succinct paragraph or two, and even more difficult (and risky) when I'm 'speaking' to people new to the site I don't know.

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut this time

One again, my apologies - the good news is if you don't like my approach there's a good couple of thousand other approaches here .

Hope to see you around some more

D

pauly6617

Thank you, appoligy accepted.

Not offended just disappointed you apparently failed to read my post and understand what I said in its entirety.

I'm not perfect and I am still searching for more ways to improve and maybe I will end up back in AA or church who knows where my path is taking me I just know the few things I recently found that saved my ass big time, did not cure my problems just helped me live with them much better and even face many of them.

This was all I was trying to convey to this person, what I found not tell her she needs to quit drinking to find whatever, she will decide or come to the not drinking or reduce drinking or continue drinking decision on her own or how ever but not from me or really anyone until she actually asks point blank that question in which she did not.


Anyway I appreciate your response!

Bob4x4

that reminded me to fire mine up ...... wild blueberries, natural yogurt, POM, ground flax. nice snack instead of drinking.

I think sometimes you just have to make a challenge for yourself to quit for a few days at a time and then make it a week... and repeat... just to see if you can.

Dee74

I did read your post Pauly.

I just took out what I thought were the important bits and replied to those.

I understand that you were sober for a period of 5 years and you weren't happy.

I wasn't happy being sober either - mostly because the only change I ever made was not drinking.

I was trying to live a drinkers life still but just not drinking.

I don't know why you were unhappy sober - but I think it's a very alcoholic reaction to consider that the answer to that unhappiness is to drink again.

I also understand you're aiming to cut down towards zero too, but I still contend that drinking alcohol - any amount, regularly - actually increases anxiety because you not only have the original anxiety you drank over but you also have the added anxiety of wanting your regular dose of 'medicine'.

I may disagree with you on certain points from this side of the fence but I know how tough it is to let go of drinking entirely - there's no judgement here.

I'm under no illusions I'm going to change your mind, but I posted again just in case this discussion may help someone reading.

Like I said, if you don't like my advice, go with someone else who's closer to your wavelength - no harm no foul.

D

Bob4x4

This is also what Dan Carr says about quitting smoking.

I know the Dan Carr quitting smoking is on YouTube - possibly his quitting drinking is also on YouTube. good stuff to listen to before bed.

Dee74

Do you mean Alan Carr, Bob or is there a Dan Carr as well?

D

least

Drinking made my anxiety worse, much worse. I had to be sober for a while before it got better, but it did get better.

anxiousrock

My anxiety is bad right now from drinking, but I definitely drink because of my anxiety. It’s a terrible cycle and it’s gettinf worse all the time.

Rodney18

Exact same cycle with me
I almost knew this, but since the horrible anxiety that I had when I wasn’t drinking vanished, I lied to myself and pretended it wasn’t so bad
Now I’m being honest with myself
And while painful it’s also better in a strange way

0percentABV

This to me is an essential part of becoming sober. So many people I know that want to quit drinking try to just stop, keep it secret and just carry on with life as normal. I find that it needs to be totally accepted and shared (to some degree) with people you know and a new life needs to be put in place.

But yes, like others my anxiety only got worse. The first 15 or so years of my drinking it was the cure, then it wasn't and became the cause and I thought that all I needed to do was drink and it would go away. Only to find once I stopped it slowly started to dissipate. Granted it's not gone nor never will be but I can ease it by slowing down with my life when I can. Take the time to smell the roses as they say. Meditate. Breathe. All that stuff. Recognize when it's happening and reminding myself that it will pass. I still consider seeing a doctor about medication but for now I just deal with it. It's nothing like my last year of drinking and only really comes up here and there and it's minor.

So my advice, stop drinking. I mean, it's your decision but why not? What are you hanging on to? The hangover? The hour or two of bliss then then 24 hours of drag? Meh, F all that. Why fight to keep the drink train running? Drop it and live a new life.

calvinm16

I drank 6-12 beers a night for at least 3 years straight self medicating my anxiety. You're not alone, but definitely should stop. Women should only have 2-3 units of alcohol per/day and men 3-4, a bottle of wine depending on strength is typically 10-12 units. It won't be long before your liver and health goes down the dumps. I got out early so I'm lucky but my brother who drank more than a bottle every day ended up with near liver cirrhosis before finally quitting at age 27.

Alcohol can work to "patch" anxiety, for me anyways, it did. But the sick problem with that is once it wore off, over the years being sober was even more hell. So the trade off is you drink more, or feel worse and it ends up pretty much turning into a drink yourself to death situation most people end up in. It's because when you're drunk you're only making the anxiety and problems worse by masking them, those negative emotions will only multiply in strength with the strong armed assistance of the strongest over the counter depressant, Alcohol.

'Do you want to drink yourself to death, or live sober and anxious' is what I had to ask myself. ~120+ days stone cold sober now and I couldn't be happier of my decision, it does suck not being able to taste craft beer anymore, but honestly not feeling dread, depression, anxiety and grief to that level every morning I wake up is worth it.

You can read some of my threads, I talk a lot about my anxiety and I tend to write my mind and how I'm feeling. It helps and as always we're here for you.

Lonewolf22

I'm struggling with anxiety and a drink problem at the moment too.

I'm hungover today just sitting with the shame of what I'm like when I get in a state. The thing is seems so bloody easy to pick a bottle up to put some life into my soul. I was too anxious to get more beers from the shop today so at least I got a break from it.