ACOA and Anxiety
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Canada
Posts: 14
ACOA and Anxiety
I am curious as to how many of you have problems with Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
Over the past six months I have been struggling with Anxiety and Panic Attacks. I am 26. When it first started I was talking to my younger sister who is 19 and she told me she went through the same thing the year before for a full summer, but had never really told anyone. Last month my other sister who is 21 started having problems with the anxiety and panic attacks too.
I have read before that female children of alcoholics are more likely to have problems with depression, could our anxiety also be related to having an alcoholic father?
Over the past six months I have been struggling with Anxiety and Panic Attacks. I am 26. When it first started I was talking to my younger sister who is 19 and she told me she went through the same thing the year before for a full summer, but had never really told anyone. Last month my other sister who is 21 started having problems with the anxiety and panic attacks too.
I have read before that female children of alcoholics are more likely to have problems with depression, could our anxiety also be related to having an alcoholic father?
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Posts: n/a
Prolonged stress can bring on anxiety and panic attacks. Living with domestic violence as a child is a cause. Blocked memories of abuse can trigger panic attacks if you start re-experiencing some of the events. Lots of times we have coping methods that worked for us when we were young and then for some reason don't work for us any longer. If we get a hole poked in our coping method the whole wall starts to fall down. This causes us to feel panic.
It's not fun. I went through it for many years. Developing good healthy boundaries and good healthy coping methods will help a lot.
Here is a site with lots of good information.
http://www.coping.org
http://www.coping.org/tools/intror.htm
Hugs,
MG
It's not fun. I went through it for many years. Developing good healthy boundaries and good healthy coping methods will help a lot.
Here is a site with lots of good information.
http://www.coping.org
http://www.coping.org/tools/intror.htm
Hugs,
MG
believer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: walking in faith
Posts: 1,023
Hi Lonelygirl,
I'm ACOA and I used to have panic attacks. They started around my mid 20s and stopped about a year or so ago. Once I started going to therapy I didn't have them nearly as often. I don't know if the attacks were completely related to being an ACOA, but I definitely had a lot of anxiety and personal issues that I wasn't dealing with. The attacks seemed to come out of nowhere and I couldn't really relate them to any particular event going on in my life. I think it was just my inner self telling me I needed to start examining some things about myself.
Hope this helps,
JG
I'm ACOA and I used to have panic attacks. They started around my mid 20s and stopped about a year or so ago. Once I started going to therapy I didn't have them nearly as often. I don't know if the attacks were completely related to being an ACOA, but I definitely had a lot of anxiety and personal issues that I wasn't dealing with. The attacks seemed to come out of nowhere and I couldn't really relate them to any particular event going on in my life. I think it was just my inner self telling me I needed to start examining some things about myself.
Hope this helps,
JG
Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,955
Originally Posted by Morning Glory
Lots of times we have coping methods that worked for us when we were young and then for some reason don't work for us any longer. If we get a hole poked in our coping method the whole wall starts to fall down. This causes us to feel panic.
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Earth (most of the time)
Posts: 30
I had them a lot when I was younger. The first one occured while I was high on weed, so it really intensified the panic. It scared the sh*t out of me. I was convinced that I had gone insane.
I went to a psychiatrist that assured me my anxiety was related to my drug use (LSD and marijuanna). Of course I ignored her and decided to cover up the problems from those drugs with alcohol. I would drink to take off the edge which meant I was drinking ALOT... which meant more anxiety.
I got over the panic attacks. I still have anxiety attacks that border on 'panic' but they don't really bother me, and they usually only occur after a bender. I also have trouble concentrating and have racing thoughts (even though I can't stand NASCAR...=), but I know this is related to my drinking problem. The only way for me to get over it is to quit drinking, forever. In the past I've went a few days, maybe a week, then noticed that the generalized anxiety would begin to go away. And get this... it's going away and so I start drinking again?!?
Anyhow, not trying to hijack the thread. I kinda went off on a tangent, huh?
- Dave
I went to a psychiatrist that assured me my anxiety was related to my drug use (LSD and marijuanna). Of course I ignored her and decided to cover up the problems from those drugs with alcohol. I would drink to take off the edge which meant I was drinking ALOT... which meant more anxiety.
I got over the panic attacks. I still have anxiety attacks that border on 'panic' but they don't really bother me, and they usually only occur after a bender. I also have trouble concentrating and have racing thoughts (even though I can't stand NASCAR...=), but I know this is related to my drinking problem. The only way for me to get over it is to quit drinking, forever. In the past I've went a few days, maybe a week, then noticed that the generalized anxiety would begin to go away. And get this... it's going away and so I start drinking again?!?
Anyhow, not trying to hijack the thread. I kinda went off on a tangent, huh?
- Dave
Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ontario
Posts: 6
I know how you feel lonelygirl. I've been struggling with anxiety/panic for years. Oddly enough, I've never made the link between ACA and Anxiety....go figure. It makes alot of sense though. When we learn to obey mercilessly and/or are severely neglected by those in authority who are supposed to care for us, it is not surprising that we would become weary of authority which comes out in the form of anxiety. I assume it's a form of learned helplessness. Or at least... that's what my problem is ... social phobia.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help too! It tries to straighten out all the the irrationnal thoughts that cause anxiety in the first place. That doesn't mean you can ignore the root of the problem (psychotherapy can help you with that). I do hope you're seeking some kind of help to uncover the cause/triggers to your anxiety. Talking to your sister is a great start! Try journaling, it helped me!
Well, you're certainly not alone. Thanks for posting.
Riv
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help too! It tries to straighten out all the the irrationnal thoughts that cause anxiety in the first place. That doesn't mean you can ignore the root of the problem (psychotherapy can help you with that). I do hope you're seeking some kind of help to uncover the cause/triggers to your anxiety. Talking to your sister is a great start! Try journaling, it helped me!
Well, you're certainly not alone. Thanks for posting.
Riv
Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: CA
Posts: 11
Wow, I came here tonight thinking about posting on this very topic. And then here the post was, already here! How cool!
I truly believe there is a connection between ACOA & anxiety. I'm an ACOA & I've been anxious & perfectionistic for years. I had my first full blown panic attack in my early 20s. The tiniest mistake or setback is blown into catstrophic proportions in my own mind. I think the roots of my problem started in my childhood. My perfectionism was a misguided attempt to control what was out of control (alcoholic, mean critical dad). Part of me believed that I was only valuable & lovable if I was perfect. Over the years, I have lived with constant anxiety and even have been praised for being "high achieving" etc.
When my AH went to rehab last year, I attended some family therapy sessions which shed light on family roles in the alcoholic/dysfunctional family. I strongly identified with the "hero" role, being the oldest and being the one who always gets straight As and does what's right.I feel I am held to a higher standard...must work harder, take less breaks, not be human, etc. Sometimes you assume a role in life, and later realize that you didn't want the job. That's how it is for me. I am slowly giving up my hero role in my own mind and thoughts. Now I see it for what it really is.
In my own recovery, I am learning that much of my anxiety stems from irrational thoughts, habits and negative self-talk. I get easily upset if things spin out of my control, or don't go as planned. I may look calm on the outside, but inside, I'm stressed out & insecure. I am actively working on changing my conditioned beliefs and responses to life in general. It can suck all the joy out of life...feeling so inadequate and anxious all the time. I have decided to care less about people-pleasing, and care more about being balanced.I am admitting to being only human...with warts and all.
My new attitude is, "So I made a mistake, big whoop."
Another I like is, "Things aren't going as planned...oh well!"
And, "Is this something I have control over? Nope!"
These small saying make a BIG difference in my life. I am letting go & letting God. I am admitting I am powerless. It's not my repsonsibility to fix everything, to be everything, to be perfect. Things don't go my way sometimes...it's out of my control. I can still enjoy life despite all so called downs! What a lesson. It's hard to go with the flow, but when I do, it feels soooooo gooood!
I truly believe there is a connection between ACOA & anxiety. I'm an ACOA & I've been anxious & perfectionistic for years. I had my first full blown panic attack in my early 20s. The tiniest mistake or setback is blown into catstrophic proportions in my own mind. I think the roots of my problem started in my childhood. My perfectionism was a misguided attempt to control what was out of control (alcoholic, mean critical dad). Part of me believed that I was only valuable & lovable if I was perfect. Over the years, I have lived with constant anxiety and even have been praised for being "high achieving" etc.
When my AH went to rehab last year, I attended some family therapy sessions which shed light on family roles in the alcoholic/dysfunctional family. I strongly identified with the "hero" role, being the oldest and being the one who always gets straight As and does what's right.I feel I am held to a higher standard...must work harder, take less breaks, not be human, etc. Sometimes you assume a role in life, and later realize that you didn't want the job. That's how it is for me. I am slowly giving up my hero role in my own mind and thoughts. Now I see it for what it really is.
In my own recovery, I am learning that much of my anxiety stems from irrational thoughts, habits and negative self-talk. I get easily upset if things spin out of my control, or don't go as planned. I may look calm on the outside, but inside, I'm stressed out & insecure. I am actively working on changing my conditioned beliefs and responses to life in general. It can suck all the joy out of life...feeling so inadequate and anxious all the time. I have decided to care less about people-pleasing, and care more about being balanced.I am admitting to being only human...with warts and all.
My new attitude is, "So I made a mistake, big whoop."
Another I like is, "Things aren't going as planned...oh well!"
And, "Is this something I have control over? Nope!"
These small saying make a BIG difference in my life. I am letting go & letting God. I am admitting I am powerless. It's not my repsonsibility to fix everything, to be everything, to be perfect. Things don't go my way sometimes...it's out of my control. I can still enjoy life despite all so called downs! What a lesson. It's hard to go with the flow, but when I do, it feels soooooo gooood!
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