akazia21

Ah, Redbull in the bar! I have done that a few times while I was sober. It does contribute to being jittery and paranoid, especially if you drink two or three like I used to.

I am also a very shy person, I always was, and alcohol was my way out of that. I think that's part of the reason I became so used to using it as a crutch in social situations. I never really dealt with why I was shy in the first place - lack of self esteem and self confidence. After a while of being sober I gained some self esteem and confidence and found myself being more open in social situations-but that did not happen immediately.

Ironically, the longer I have had a relapse, the more of that self esteem I worked to build during my sober periods went away and I had to work to rebuild that again. I'm not sure exactly what to tell you, other than start slowly, the anxiety does fade a bit over time - besides, although you may not have been anxious when you were drinking at a bar, chances are, that if you are anything like me, you were an idiot instead. I'd rather be sober and a bit anxious around others than a drunk fool. Good luck