Room1

I feel like I am going mad, since I quit 23 days ago. I have severe anxiety symptoms. I have never suffered anxiety before so this is all new to me. My doctor say's it's anxiety anyway, I just feel like I am about to die half the time and half convinced there is something seriously wrong with me, I must have checked every internet symptom checker out there, I can't seem to come up with a diagnosis though unsurprisingly, although I could have about 100 possible diseases most things seem to end up taking me to anxiety websites.

The symptoms last all day, I'm trembling or feeling feint or my heart is pounding. I am so tired and scared, I keep trying to relax but then a new symptom comes along and I start panicing that I am seriously ill again. Did anybody else go through anything like this?

I was half tempted to go and buy a drink earlier just to see if that would releive my symptoms and make this nightmare end, I just want to feel normal again

Anna

Hi Saxony,

Anxiety can be really uncomfortable to deal with. I had anxiety long before I began to drink and still deal with it now. I think you can learn to live with it, to some extent. Knowing what it is, can be a big help. The second most important thing for me is really simple - remember to breathe. When I feel anxious my breathing becomes very shallow and quick. So relax and take some deep breaths and your boedy will begin to relax. Some other things that might help are exercising and meditating.

GlassPrisoner

I've never heard of it, but I agree, there should be one !!!!

The anxiety in early sobriety (yes, you're in early sobriety) is almost unbearable.

Stay away from caffeine and sweets. Get plenty of rest. Walk or exercise. Take MultiVitamins and B complex. Keep hydrated.

But most of all, seek out a good recovery program. With AA, I have found Serenity, which is the exact opposite of anxiety !

Justme57

Hi saxony,

I second whar glass has said.

The symptoms you describe are common in early sobriety .

Have you been completely honest with your doctor regarding the amount you were drinking, and that you have now stopped ? If not, I strongly reccomend you go back to see him, and let him know exactly your situation regarding alcohol. It can be quite dangerous to detox without medical supervision.

Do stay hydrated, take some light exercise , and rest, it WILL pass, but in the meantime be kind to yourself.

Just dont pick up 1 drink for 1 day

HUGX
Leigh

CarolD

See if this info helps

http://www.tlctx.com/ar_pages/paw_part1.htm

You too can find health and peace
I have thru God and AA...

Congratulations on your sober time!

calfritch

hey sax - i know what you're going through. i started having anxiety attacks and i had never had them either. i drank to try and calm myself which made everything a lot worse. i second what Justme said above. good luck and god bless

wylielass

Unfortunately what you're dealing with is VERY common. My first three weeks of sobriety were pure hell. I googled for info about alcohol related liver disease, cardiac disease... you name it, I believed I had it. I had high stomach pains, low stomach pains, heart palpitations, burning hands and feet, dizziness, nausea, itchy skin, on and on and on. And the more I googled, the more symptoms I noticed!

I'm on day 32 now, and slowly it's getting better. About a week ago I forced myself to quit googling anything health related. I also came clean with my doctor and had her order some liver function tests, etc., to see if any problems were showing. Evrything came back okay, so I'm forcing myself to chill. Now it's more of an occasional, mild, background "concern", not a panic.

I also panicked about other things, too. For example, my daughter has what's called "global delay". She's two and a half, and she can't walk real well, she can't perfom tasks on demand, and she has never uttered a single word. Now, I KNOW this is due to the fact her birth was traumatic; she almost died at delivery and was only a 1 on the apgar scale. There was oxygen loss, and we're now seeing the effects. And even though all I had to drink during my pregnancy was a couple glasses of wine the day before I found out I was pregnant, I convinced myself that she had fetal alcohol syndrome. She doesn't... her therpaists and her doctors have said that. And pregnancy was the one time I didn't drink. Yet I was convinced that prior alcohol had damaged me, and therefore damaged her. No, there is no medical basis for this. But try telling that to someone in the throws of alcohol withdrawal!!!

Try to lose yourself in a good book, some good movies.... anything that will distract you. This raging paranoia does go away, and it's okay to use healthy escape hatches while you wait! And when you find yourself wanting to look up more symptoms, come here and talk, talk, talk!!!

Much love and support and hugs,
Brenda (who was also dying of everything!)

lonlion

A lot of us drank or used drugs to self treat disorders that were never diagnosed, such as anxiety disorders. I know for myself I had panic attacks and anxiety for years, but my solution was to self medicate, which of course just compounded my problem. A lot of alcoholics and addicts suffer underlying secondary disorders, it is very common. You've been given some great advice here, but also try to make your life as stress free as you can in the first 3 months. Soak in the bath and light candles, and breath or excercise.

All the best to you,
Diana

scaredykat

Hi Sax, Just hang in there no matter what. Tonight's difficult for me too. So i come on here. I don't have anxiety, but i have other problems. I still haven't got to the Dr. I don't know what I'm waiting for. I really hate Dr's and have a fear of them. That's when i do have anxiety seeing them.

Do you drink a lot of water? That helps a lot i think. Vitamins are also good like Glass said. I take them myself. You have a lot of good advice here. Take care.

Barb

paulmh

Yes Sax, very familiar. Many years of being unable to stop drinking because the fear was too great, after a week or a month or a few months. Always picking up, always ending up in the same state. What can I say, except that I found my answers in AA. I don't believe there is such a things as spontaneous remission. I think where we don't have some sort of programme of recovery - whatever that might be - we always struggle not to quit, but to live sober.

All the best

Room1

Thank you for all your kind words and advice. I first saw my doc about 2 months ago when I first started with these symptoms and came clean about my drinking, he did blood tests then and they all came back ok.

He was not very good though and actually told me to go home and have a drink as I was suffering withdrawal, and the only way to feel better was to taper of the drinking gradually. Obviously that didn't work! So in the end I just quit.

I have been taking vitamins and trying to drink as much fluids as I can. I am pretty much having to force myself to eat as I just never seem hungry, but I am trying to make sure I eat at least 3 meals a day.

Brenda, I can really relate to everything you said, I think I am going to stop googling stuff it definatly isn't helping lol. I can also relate to the the problems you have with your daughter. My first daughter who is 11 now, suffered oxygen loss at birth
and didn't talk until she was 4 when she was also diagnosed with Autism. I didn't drink once I knew I was pregnant but the guilt was still there.

I actually have felt a bit calmer the last two days than I have so hopefully things will continue to improve.

Thanks everyone

hugs
Sax