DD931

Just wondering about others experience of when their withdrawal anxiety started to go away?

I know everyone is different but reading about it is helping ease mine right now.

I'm day 3 free of alcohol.. My last binge my anxiety let up around day 5 but I'm struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel here.

least

It took me about a week before the anxiety got better. Whatever you do, don't drink, or you'll be back at square one and have to go thru it all over again.

Dee74

Hi DD931

I think it varies for people. Its different too if you had pre existing anxiety before you started drinking.

If it let up around day 5 on previous occasions, thats probably a good indicator for this time, more or less.

In the end alcohol only exacerbates anxiety because you end up with the added anxiety of wanting to drink again as well.

If you try and drink it away you'll just have to deal with this again, so my advice is to push on through - maybe see a Dr if it's really debilitating.

D

tekink

I don't always have anxiety but I have PAWS pretty bad and I'm running through waves of irritable, grumpy, pissed, anxious, depressed, apathetic, confused, sometimes alone and sometimes combined. I'm mentally exhausted but feeling a little better. I'm getting a handle on the fact that it's my mind trying to balance itself back out and I'm not going crazy. I'm starting to sleep better than I have in years.

I haven't had a drink in 143 days. I think I was frying my brain a bit there

D122y

DD,

For me the days seemed to progress...exponentially in the end.

For the first 30 years...I don't know because I kept drinking. As I began to try and quit in my mid to late 40's it seemed to go like this.

Drink heavily - anxiety 3 days. Sober 2 weeks.
Drink heavily - anxiety 6 days. Sober 1 month.
Drink heavily - anxiety 30 days. Sober 2 weeks.
Drink heavily - anxiety 1 year plus. Sober the whole time.

So that is why I say...I don't think I have another day 1 in me. The next time..the anxiety may be for life.

That is scary stuff. That is why some folks end up in the looney bin. The brain damage gets to0 heavy.

Thanks.

DD931

I have only ever had anxiety after a drinking binge.
And I will not have a drink, there's no way.
Pushing through one hour at a time.
Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight.. this gets exhausting.

Thanks for sharing with me this site is so great

Mags1

Hi DD931

It does get better, keep doing what you're doing, as you say, pushing through and you will soon have months under your belt.

Forward12

Don't keep drinking and looking for support after you screwed up.
Look for the way to make sure this never happens again.

DD931

Ya unfortunately I have never been to a point where I actually wanted to stop. And now I'm there.

Isn't this site here for support?
I have a great plan set out for me and was just trying to get through the first few days.
Maybe keep your comments to yourself instead of making someone down feel a little worse.

MidnightRider

Are you taking good care of yourself.... lots of rest, hydrate and proper diet. These can help ease the anxiety. Especially rest... Need to give the brain a rest!

thomas11

The withdrawals and anxiety was a major contributor to me quitting. I couldn't take it anymore. My anxiety etc...usually lasted 2-3 days which isn't that bad, but I know it would get worse if I kept at it. Hopefully tonight you can get some solid sleep and tomorrow you will break free from the anxiety.

Behappy1

I don't think I've ever timed it out either. The first few days are the worse. I've found that if I keep moving whether it's walking around, cleaning house, exercising it goes away quicker. I felt like the more I did to "burn" it off and get the alcohol out of my system the better. I agree with the others, if you keep drinking to get rid of the anxiety the longer it takes to get rid of it for good

halfalife

I have only a few months in sobriety, but the first 45 days were difficult. My anxiety was not panic inducing, more the energy sucking, mood deadening fear that something 'scary' was going to happen. Inevitably, the days went by, the scary things never happened...I didn't drink through it and now when it starts I know in the back of my mind it's a moment and will pass.

I realized two things in that time #1) I had to face it sober after numbing myself for a few years and and #2) It would likely be very difficult at the beginning with my brain rewiring itself and not having used a healthy stress response in a few years.

You are relearning a new way of living, and a healthy authentic one at that. Good luck to you...per those on SR with some longevity in their sobriety, it gets better for us.

Chilledice

Woaaaaaaah :O now im kinda scared!

PurpleKnight

If like me it took years to get to the point of quitting, it's gonna take a bit longer than 3 days.

But it will happen with each passing day, hang in there!!

NoahJ

Good luck!

Anxiety was really bad for me, for the entire 1st week of withdrawal. REALLY. BAD! And it was just bad for the 2nd week.

From 3 weeks to 2 months it was in and out. Sometimes I would freak out over the smallest thing. I had to work very hard to keep it from being overwhelming.

At 2 months, it suddenly lifted. It was miracle...until it came back again at 2.5 months. It has been slowly lifting since then (I'm now 3 months into sobriety).

I hope yours resolves itself much more quickly.