Rattlesnake

Hello everyone thiw is my first post so here it goes.. My alcohol problem started out bc I have an anxiety disorder and I had a major panic attack 13 yrs ago and rushed to ER..I drink a little before the incident but after it I found alcohol really helped ... I

have had a full time job the whole time and drinking doesn't affect it I don't believe bc I gota u promotions and very successful.. But I dramk around 18 beers a dayduring the week and around 30 or weekends..

I limited myself 6 beers last 3 night and tonight is the first night quitting cold turkey and my heart will race and feel tight and I feel I'm chocking..

The question is is this normal or should I consider talking to a dr before I give up cold turkey??

Bellamiaa

I would definitely consult a doctor. Alcohol withdrawal can kill you. I think you should see one before quitting cold turkey. Others probably know better than me though. Good luck! xo

Ruby2

I found that my anxiety attacks got worse due to withdrawal, and I'd never had a panic attack before trying to quit drinking. I'd recommend seeing a doctor. Welcome to SR.

Dharma33

Hi Rattlesnake-

Welcome to SR and congrats on your decision to quit drinking!

Please do let your doctor know you are quitting alcohol. Withdrawals can be very dangerous, even fatal.

There is a lot of great support here- I'm glad you posted.

sleepie

Hi Rattlesnake glad you are here, I agree, its best to talk to your doctor and be medically supervised to ensure you do okay.

Dee74

Hi rattlesnake

the thing with alcohol is it stops working after a while.

Where once it seemed to help, it actually comes to exacerbate anxiety because, basically, we want our alcohol fix.

For peace of mind I do recommend seeing a Dr when quitting, for sure

D

jezza

Alcohol will relieve your anxiety & panic attacks BUT.......... Alcohol is the main cause of anxiety & panic attacks... You'll find you're in a vicious circle... Take alcohol out of the equation & you'll find your anxiety will settle down. It won't go away totally due to the fact that in your mind you'll find that when you suffered before in certain situations, it will be in the back of your mind & psychologically can come back... I suffered terribly with panic attacks but as soon as I stopped drinking, they ceased... Something you should really have a chat with your Doc about...

FreeOwl

Yep.... To everything that's been said.

And as for work, once your sober you will look back and see how much alcohol really was effecting that too.

For many years I used the same kinds of things as evidence that there wasn't a problem. I'm getting raises and promotions so I must be fine.

With hindsight I can see how terribly my performance in everything in life was impacted. I'm sure I'd have been promoted and given raises to far greater places at work had I not been so deeply into my addictive cycles.

Soberwolf

Welcome bud

BBQBOY

Welcome Snake, I would definitely get an appt. to see a Dr. before you go cold turkey. The Dr. can prescribe some meds to help out with the symptoms of withdrawal. Just lay out your drinking pattern and don't lie, Drs. are here to help you not judge you!. Take care of the physical withdrawal first and then you can work on your recovery plan. Do you have a plan to stay sober?

Holds1325

I had a massive panic attack from the result of marijuana/alcohol mix that resulted in the worst month of my life!

About two weeks after that incident I thought, eh, alcohol would help because it did help against a minor one in the past, it only made it WORSE. My wife can attest to this as well, alcohol only makes things worse for us addicts. She started developing headaches after herself quitting and thought she could try some and it did help, but came back twice as worse the next morning.

ccam1973

Welcome rattlesnake. There's a ton of support here at SR. Like the others have said, your best bet would be to see a doctor if you've been drinking that much for any length of time. Better be safe than sorry.

Welcome to SR