johnrambo

I'll try to make this short, sorry so long-
I'm 30 years old, from ages 19-29 I drank everyday. 11 months ago I quit drinking because my anxiety was terrible. After 11 months I was feeling so good I figured I'd be stupid enough to have a couple of drinks (please don't ask me what I was thinking) I've drank 3 times in the past two weeks and this most recent time my anxiety decided to remind me why I had quit. The next day (today) it was through the roof. I'm more worried about how bad I've screwed up my progress than anything. Can anybody who has had a similar experience please share it with me? I know no two cases are alike and you can't give medical advice but I'm trying to get some idea of how far I have set myself back. If I stay away from drinking do you think I'll feel better again soon? Or is it like turning the clock back 11 months?

Jabbadabutt

What else have you done in the past 11 months besides simply not drink? Meetings, counselor, etc? If you had done any work and learned about your disease and from your disease, you can pick right up where you left off

Rickie

How long did it take for the anxiety to subside?

Like truely go? Or does it even go? Because it's ******* hard to live like this. Perhaps some of us have a chemical inbalance and what we really need is anti-depressants.

11 months is good progress man. You can do it again

johnrambo

I haven't been to very many meetings. I understand I need to go to more. My question was more aimed at my biochemical recovery, the science behind it. Has my nervous system stopped trying to repair itself? I know nobody can give medical advice thats why I was looking for somebody thats relapsed before, so I can see their experience. I'm sure its pretty common that people quit for the same reason (anxiety) and was just curious what a relapse does.

johnrambo

The day to day worry and fear had gone away about 90%, the social anxiety is taking a bit longer, it's about 25% gone

Rickie

I don't think your nervous system has given up per say. I think there's probably other reasons for your anxiety. Perhaps issues you haven't solved, or guilt.

Have you tried exercising? It will help.

Cool thanks man. Anxiety is a curse.

Hevyn

John, I can only say what happened with me. My drinking career lasted must longer than yours. Every time I started up again after being quit for awhile, the impact was more intense & the recuperation was longer. The damage we do to ourselves doesn't exactly heal or mend right away because we stop drinking - we sort of pick up where we left off. I did alot of damage to myself, but everything is fine now. It just took longer to get well again.

This is a good lesson for you - and one I took decades to learn - we can't keep abusing ourselves and expect to recover over & over again. It takes a terrible toll each time. Your decision to quit once and for all is the only way to go. You can do this!

Stimmed

I started my recovery around 3 yrs ago. but the thing is i fall off sometimes, and always over do things and end up quite ill. but just as you mention about how it reminds you why you gave up to begin with, is the same thing i get, and that is what helps me. I have tried and tried to figure out what my triggers are, but i can only say that it is when im feeling somewhat repaired. I am told tho that this has the potential to be very dangerouse to my health, from such an over-indulgence.
Its fairly rare but when have a drink, i become depressed as i raise it too my mouth, but i just dont stop myself. If i understood and appreciated my triggers more, i think my stays on the wagon would if not be permanent, a lot longer lasting. because in all honesty my life is so much better without alcohol.

johnrambo

yea I exercise a ton and and stick to a ridiculously healthy diet due to a vitamin d deficiency from a reaction to gluten.

least

Same here. Any sober-time-feeling-good was wiped away with how sick I got when I drank again, and the withdrawal was a lot worse. Yes, if you give it up again you should get back to feeling better but it will take some time. Wouldn't be a bad idea to be checked out by a doctor, liver function tests and blood tests and the like. But yeah, any time I started drinking again it all came rushing back, all the bad stuff.... which is why I've been sober now for 14 months and don't ever want to drink again.

Dee74

Hi & welcome John

Well, I can absolutely guarantee that by giving up drinking you'll feel better physically...eventually.

It's a slower process than we'd probably like, but I just let my mind and body sort itself out at its own pace.

Like Hevyn, after years of stopping and starting it took longer and longer to be 'ok', but I did begin to feel better physically after a while.

If the anxiety is a problem tho you may want to seek professional medical advice.

I'm glad you're back on the right road, and glad you're looking to add to your recovery programme.

D