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Extremely anxious

Old 07-04-2007, 02:58 PM
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Unhappy Extremely anxious

I have not had a drink for 11 days now. I seem to be copying by trying not to think about it. The only problem is that i am feeling overly anxious and also i have this dread/ fear thought in the back of my mind (no single reason to why i am like this).

I am really concerned about it. In a way i am also feeling overly concerned about a lot of things. An example is the way my partner and sister are with each other. I keep worrying about whether they will offend one another. I am worried about conflict and keep playing things over in my head.

I was not this bad before i gave up. I am sleeping ok and I am not on another medication. No history of depression.Has anyone any advice. Will this go away? Can i take something to dull these thoughts. thanks
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Old 07-04-2007, 03:09 PM
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sobriety anxiety.......

hi....i never thought of myself as an anxious person.....until i quit drinking....now,i seem to worry and fret over everything.....i am on an AD,which helps alot....and taking Xanax when i feel i need it,and going to a therapist helps...she helps me find positive ways to deal with my fears and anxieties.....i never felt anxiety before,because i would drink through any emotions.....because they were uncomfortable for me......i guess anxiety comes with sobriety...but it does get easier...trust me....KT
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Old 07-04-2007, 03:14 PM
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Thanks for your post. Never been this bad before. Its weird as i had only slight withdrawal symptoms. I guess when your drunk you dont feel it as much.. Its not the taste of drink that could start me off again.. its feeling this way. I dont like it at all. Hope it gets better i really do. How long should i be like this before going to Dr do you think karrotop a month or two..thanks again
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Old 07-04-2007, 03:32 PM
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It's still kind of early in recovery for you Amelie and I suspect your emotions and feelings are still settling down. It's true that many of us drink so that we don't feel so much. I know I did. And, then when we stop, it can be overwhelming - so much coming at us all at once. But, hang in there, it will get better.
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Old 07-04-2007, 04:10 PM
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I feel annoyed with myself. I kind of realised i had a prob when i was 16 (my ex boyf at the time kept saying i was horrible when drunk and arguementative) I am now 28. I joined this site in Dec 06 and since then i have been indecisive to whether i was an A or normal.
I did not really want to believe it to be honest (neither does my family and current partner). I hope i can get over this - at the moment it is almost unbearable. I keep second guessing people. I guess if i have this problem when not drinking it proves for certain that i am an A. I have wasted so much time. I hope i can be fixed and i am not permantly like this.
thanks for all your advice it is appreciated.
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Old 07-04-2007, 04:25 PM
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Amelie, if you're an alcoholic, you cannot be fixed.

There is an invisible line and when we cross it, there is no going back.

I tried controlling my drinking for a long time and all I did was obsess about it and fail endlessly.

If you are unsure if you are an alcoholic, why don't you try stopping drinking for a set period - say 3 months, and see what happens.
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Old 07-04-2007, 04:35 PM
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Thanks Anna,
I have tried and given up for about 6 months a couple of years ago and felt great and then tried to controll and eventually started drinking every day again. I am gradually accepting that i have a problem. I cant afford to drink and also cant risk my career because of it. I have missed work at least 3 times since xmas because i was too hungover to go in and had to lie saying i had stomach upsets etc.
I dont recall this anxiety though the last time but as you said its early days,
I hate drink not doin it again going to try and quit 4ever. thanks
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Old 07-04-2007, 04:35 PM
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Amelie, I am also new to recovery and I understand how difficult the early days can be. Not thinking about drinking probably won't help. If you need to think about it, then do so, but don't act on it. Find other ways to get yourself through the minutes until the craving passes. It seems to work for me and I know of countless others who have said that worked for them as well. There won't be any fixing you if you think you're addicted, it is a disease, not a broken bone. Keep on towards your recovery and good luck!
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Old 07-04-2007, 04:41 PM
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I think Amelie, that each time we quit, it gets harder and harder.

That might be why you are feeling more anxiety this time.
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Old 07-04-2007, 06:38 PM
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I hope this link will help you

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

heard often in my AA meetings
"Feelings are not facts"
in relation to that sense of doom.

Blessings
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Old 07-04-2007, 08:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Amelie View Post
I have not had a drink for 11 days now. I seem to be copying by trying not to think about it. The only problem is that i am feeling overly anxious and also i have this dread/ fear thought in the back of my mind (no single reason to why i am like this).

I am really concerned about it. In a way i am also feeling overly concerned about a lot of things. An example is the way my partner and sister are with each other. I keep worrying about whether they will offend one another. I am worried about conflict and keep playing things over in my head.

I was not this bad before i gave up. I am sleeping ok and I am not on another medication. No history of depression.Has anyone any advice. Will this go away? Can i take something to dull these thoughts. thanks
I would be willing to bet that a lot of people who drink have a tendency toward anxiety. I do. I grew up with a feeling of dread all the time--I was a highly anxious person, and was havong full-blown anxiety attacks as a teen. I found that the feelings I got from alcohol, and especially certain drugs, gave me a freedom from anxiety that I had never experienced before, and I had always wanted to just have some freedom from that constant nagging dread. Maybe you have had a tendency toward anxiety for a while, and had been covering it up fairly well by drinking?
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Old 07-04-2007, 08:57 PM
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Hi!

Holy heck, the first two weeks after I quit drinking I was an emotional wreck!! Anxious, overly sensitive, repetitive thoughts, couldn't concentrate..it was like PMS times 5,000.

It got better. I found that once things settled down a bit, and I started going to AA meetings and reading the literature, I found the tools that I needed to settle my anxiety down.

Have you looked into AA?

((Hugs))

Karen
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Old 07-04-2007, 11:55 PM
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Hi -

Just gonig to say that some of the anxiety is also the body trying to heal itself after so long (doesn't matter HOW long) of being sedated.
Chemicals are trying to regulate themselves. They haven't been regulating themselves, on their own for a while now.

You get an abundance of say, adrenaline - your brain thinks it's anxious.
So that's what it's saying.
When in fact .. some organ is trying to balance and clean out toxins.

Thinking that; and trying to remember it ... helped me tremendously.

I mean - the world would be ending - I was Zen Mamma.
Somebody pulls in front of me at Wal Mart -
I'd be so shook up I'd have to park again and wait it out.
It *is* us being crazy, sure -
but it's mostly those chemicls trying to balance out for themselves.

Now, if like me; you're ten months in and still can't sleep - that's usually about the time the doc will step in to help out with something or the other to start 'teaching' the body how to do it for itself again.
If you're lucky enough to find a doctor who takes the time to listen.
If yours won't - find one who will.

I've been quite lucky in that regard.

I think that's why 'One Day At A Time' is so profound.

Anyhoo - just my two bits.

Maybe stop and thank the body for still working at all.
That's what I did.
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Old 07-05-2007, 12:22 AM
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Thanks for your messages, I have started logging on to AA online and visiting that everynight. I havent been to any face to face meetings though.

I think your right that i was probably always anxious (when i was at school say 11 i used to be very anxious and v thin) so it probably has been masked by drink since i was 16. If i think its healing it self as barb dwyer said it may help me relax about it. I might also look into hypnosis or Cognitive behaviour therapy. thanks all amelie
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Old 07-05-2007, 12:23 AM
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AA is the best bet - there's guaranteed to be folks there who know how it is!!!
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Old 07-05-2007, 12:38 AM
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Can i just go to the online aa forum or do i need to go in person. The reason i ask is that i would find this highly stressful and i dont think i would cope well at all. Especially at the moment.
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Old 07-05-2007, 01:57 AM
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hi amelie..i hope just reading the previous posts makes you feel alittle better....we all went through it....the only thing you have to decide is...how are you going to handle/deal with it? I say,do whatever you have to.....see a doc,a counselor,go to a meeting,or just stay right here at SR....as long as you stay sober,you are doing the right thing.I could never go to a meeting in the beginning....being in a room full of strangers and admitting i was an,"A"(i see you have a hard time even saying the word,as i do/did....) would make me want to drink...I think i could go now though,after a few months,i just choose not to...but i know if i ever needed to go,i could...so,like we're trying to tell you,what you're going through is a normal reaction,and it's going to get better,trust me.....just don't drink! love KT
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Old 07-05-2007, 02:00 AM
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amelie -

nobody walks into aa because they're feeling terrific or because they want to be there.

The miracle is - what happens when you do walk in.
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