Anthony555

Hi,

I used to drink a 1/2 to 2/3rd's of a 750ml of Tequila nightly for 6-7 years straight. I finally stopped drinking for good in late Jan/early Feb of this year. My anxiety was so bad I was on 1-2mg of Xanax a day for 30-days to cope. Everyday I was so tense it was like standing on the roof preparing to jump. After that is started to subside but here we are 7-8 months later and I still have tough times during the day. I might have 2-3 good days and then hit a day where I have a rough hour or two. It's unpredictable.

Will this ever go away? Maybe after 1-2 years sober? Or is this just it for the rest of my life?

Any input would be appreciated.

Dee74

Hi Anthony - good to see you - I think it depends on a lot of factors...like whether you were anxious in the years before you started drinking in earnest or whether this anxiety is a new phenomenon for you?

Have you seen a Dr about it since February?

D

Astro

Definitely something I would see a Dr. or wellness specialist about. I experienced high anxiety my first year, and on occasion I still have mild bouts of it. What helped me through that first couple years though was talking to a wellness specialist and being prescribed something to "smooth out" those times of turbulence in my early recovery.

I believe it will pass for you, but sometimes we've gotta put a little extra effort into discovering the roots of these speedbumps on our road to recovery.

Anthony555

Hi Dee,

Yes, I have seen a Doctor. They tried Buspar, Lexapro and a few others. Nothing worked. I manage it myself. I am able to cope but maybe once a week I will need a 1/2mg of Xanax to bail me out. I am at about the 7-month mark. One day at a time. I have never been happier not drinking. #NEVERAGAIN

Anthony555

Thank you Astro. That's the general consensus. Everyone has said it takes "about a year" to come back to reality after drinking heavily for years.

Dee74

Thanks for the update Anthony

Astro

Glad you checked in Anthony. It may take "about a year" but I can also say that after many years in recovery I'm still a work in progress, I still have days of anxiety and feel like I'm on the life plan but I'm totally OK with that. In spite of the ups and downs my life has never been better. Hang in there.

ant385

Each recovery is different. It can take more than a year to recover for a lot of people. Not to be downbeat but I don’t want you to be disappointed if you still have bad waves 1 year out and think you will never heal. You will heal. But it takes time patience and continued sobriety. So far you are doing everything right. Just be really careful with those benzo’s. take them in emergencies only. I am trying to save you the trouble of having to create an account over at benzobuddies

sobersub

I am very new to this forum and this is one of the first posts I clicked on. I was nearly in tears reading it! I had anxiety before alcohol, and found that drinking was the only way to calm my nerves. Since quitting 3 months ago I feel like the world is about to end at any second. An hour feels like 4, and the day stretches on like some terribly cruel test of my will to soldier on despite near crippling anxiety. I didn't expect this when I quit.

Dee74

Hi and welcome sobersub

some folks find all they needed to do was stop drinking and the anxiety vanished - for others the anxiety didn't go away or was even worse for a while.

Like you, my anxiety was pre existing before my drinking - it's one of the things that got me into drinking, so getting into recovery I had to look for other ways of dealing with it now I was a non drinker.

Have you thought about speaking with your doctor about this at all?
D

VikingGF

Benzo withdrawal is pretty horrible, and it is possible that Xanax is really not your friend in this. Speak to a medical professional about your benzo use, and best of luck to you. Congrats on 7 months!

Astro

sobersub, I found anxiety to be very crippling too for a long time. The things that helped me were recovery meetings, prayer, meditation, sunshine, fresh air, and exercise. We all find tools to aid us in recovery, but most importantly I never drank again. I hope you'll continue on this path and find SR to be a source of help and inspiration.