withdrawing

I just wanted to post something that might be helpful to anyone who has quit drinking and is having a tough time with anxiety. I was under the impression that my alcohol withdrawal was causing my anxiety but it turns out that I actually had GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) all along and I had been using alcohol for 20 years to medicate myself from this disorder. The alcohol actually made my anxiety disorder worse though.

My doctor diagnosed me the other day as having this anxiety disorder. Some people are born with an imbalance in certain neurotransmitters as serotonin, gaba, and norepinephrine which can make them more prone to having an anxiety disorder. This is why I was so attracted to alcohol. Alcohol temporarily boosted my serotonin and gaba and made me feel better. Once the alcohol level dropped, my serotonin and gaba levels dropped and I started to feel bad again so I returned back to the alcohol to feel better.

Now that I have taken the alcohol completely away (day 54 for me) after 20 years of medicating myself with the alcohol, my brain is low in serotonin and gaba and I am now dealing with incredibly high anxiety on a daily basis. But it was just the untreated anxiety disorder coming to the surface. The alcohol just made that worse by leaving my CNS in an agitated and excitable state when I was't drinking and by lowering my serotonin and gaba.

Just wanted to pass this on to anyone who is having anxiety issues after quitting the alcohol. I am now being treated for my anxiety disorder by my doctor and I am also seeing a psychologist to help too.

UofI2008

I actually was the exact reverse of you. I was diagnosed with OCD/GAD about 2 years ago. Fighting my anxiety helped me to realize that I used alcohol to self-medicate and allowed me to realize that the drinking only made my anxiety symptoms worse. This pushed me over the edge and helped me make the decision that quitting drinking would only make my life better and almost anxiety free. I haven't been perfect in my sobriety since I decided to quit but let me tell you that the longer you stay sober the easier it will be to deal with the anxiety. Best of luck with your anxiety.

UofI2008

Oh and congrats on your sobriety!!!

UofI2008

The medication is quite amazing. I took Zoloft for my OCD and it literally wiped out ~70% of my symptoms. The rest I had to work on with CBT etc. I am now close to the point of getting off the meds and I dont think I could do that unless I was sober.

Stang

I read alot on here about anxiety. The only time I had it was when was hung over.

least

I too medicated my anxiety with alcohol, which of course just made it much worse... But since I've been sober my anti anxiety meds (buspar: non addictive) work a lot better and my anxiety is manageable.

eJoshua

Thanks for sharing!

Introvrtd1

Im kinda the same way, withdrawing......the binge drinking is a vicious cycle of withdrawal anxiety....its terrible.....but I keep doing it over, and over, and over, again....sigh

butterfly175

I understand completely. I'm bipolar and suffer from anxiety disorder, I've used alcohol and pills that weren't prescribed to me to medicate myself. I've been clean and sober since 9/5/11, originally 11/27/08...