Quitting With anxiety Disorder
 

It is so hard. I wake up shaking with nerves and freaking. How can I survive a day? Help! My son deserves better. I never get drunk. I just drink to kill the nerves. But I have to stop. How do I survive a day of this horrid fear and pain? I suffer, pace, and freak out. No med has worked, I have tried. Help, I want to stop.

Get in touch with a dr and be very honest about whats going on.

If it helps, I was in the same shape 2 weeks ago and feel better today than I've felt in many years.

All the best....

Bruce thank you so much! I need this support. You have given me hope....lease tell me about your journey?

You got to see your doctor about your anxiety. Self meding yourself will only make it worst even if you don't get drunk on the booze. Most likely they will give you medication for your anxiety.

I have tried a dozen medications. The benzos do not work on me at all, sadly. Valium, etc. nothing. Help! I am so scared to face a day! And the insomnia.... Help! Ambien, etc does nothing. God help me!

Hi,

Anxiety is tough to deal with, but you can manage it. There are lots of good books out there on the topic of how to manage anxiety. The "Mind Over Mood Workbook' is a really good one.

Thank you Anna! I will keep trying. Tomorrow will be day one... Hold my hand!

Hi, I know very well how much anxiety alcohol can cause. When I stop drinking (there is a phrase highlighting a problem...), I have a lot of anxiety, insomnia, and downright paranoia.

It sounds like you probably have underlying anxiety problems, and I completely agree that you should go see your doctor. I am just some random guy on the internet. Your doctor is a professional and capable of offering real help and not just support.

Speaking about myself I can only say that alcohol makes things worse. As for insomnia, somehow I have managed to accept staying in bed not sleeping instead of freaking out about it. Eventually, I will drift off if only for a bit (it gets better the longer I stay sober). But I will still be better off the next day than if I used alcohol to try to sleep.

I hope you are well and wish you all the best!

Thank you, new friend! Your support means the world to me. It sure is hard, but you give me hope.

Hi Sober

I have problems with anxiety and insomnia too. Please go back to your Doctor and tell him exactly how you feel and how the only thing that is calming you is alcohol.

Alcohol does actually make insomnia worse, it does for me anyway, I go to bed exhausted then lie there wide awake for hours, or I crash out and wake up at stupid o clock and can't get back to sleep. Then I'm sweating and my legs are restless and my feet are too hot.

I'm on day 4 and I know that I will sleep much better in a couple of weeks without the poison. I know, because I've done it before. This time I'm doing if for good.

You can do this, you can do anything if you really want to.

Big hugs

G
xxxxx

Thank you Grace, your message ,eans the world. I sure can relate!

I should have put this in my previous post -- don't mean to "spam" :)

Regarding insomnia, this is what I do:

• I enjoy the quietness of the night.
• I enjoy the dark.
• Living in northern climes, I enjoy my big fluffy duvet that I can wrap myself up in.
• Most importantly, when trying to fall asleep I start trying to "see" whatever images that go on in my mind, without trying to control them! This is a meditation technique I learnt many years ago. The more "accepting" I am of whatever image that come up (and some can be weird), the sooner I tend to fall asleep.

Hope it helps.

Hi Sober,
I know the crushing anxiety you feel. I became a daily drinker because I couldn't stand the next day panic, so it was a matter of postponing the inevitable suffering. A few shots here, a beer there...just enough to hold off those terrible thoughts. Eventually, I would end up with no money to buy booze so I was forced to just spend a day or two holed up inside until I was normal. Of course, now I realize that I was going through alcohol withdrawals that were potentially dangerous. The physical symptoms were bad, but it was the psychological ones that I really couldn't handle.

You have to break the cycle eventually and it won't be easy, but the pain is temporary. Seek some medical advice and get sober!

Thanks you, both. I know I need to break the cycle! Good advice. Good ideas.

I woke up on Aug 8th with a gut full of fear, anxiety, panic attacks, shaking and my thoughts running in 10 directions at once....most of them were about stuff that I could not control.

I feel great today.

The first few days were not fun but SO worth it.

I didn't drink, I went to a meeting, I got online to this forum and a couple others....that's about it. I've been continuing that every day.
It doesn't make intellectual sense......but it works.

The only thing I should have done differently is that I should have consulted a doctor....detox, I found out later, can be dangerous.

All the best....

Thanks Bruce! I can do it....

I have depression and anxiety. I can tell you that alcohol only made my mental problems worse and rebound like you wouldn't believe.

I struggle with finding a good doctor in my area, but if you can, try to get a doctor that has experience with anxiety and possible medications for it. I have an appointment in two weeks for a new doctor and I'm hoping this will be the last time I have to search for a knowledgable doc. I just want my mood to be on a nice somewhat even pace -- the past 1 1/2 years have been a struggle because of my lack of a good doc, but I have been able to stay sober. Staying sane is a whole different ball game I'm dealing with now ;)

I'm not trying to give you medical advice, but in your situation, professional medical advice would be a plus.

My Dr. has told me that drinking actually makes anxiety worse, not right away but the next day. They call it rebound anxiety. Then you feel like you need another drink, it's a vicious cycle.

That could very well be true for me!

Hello:
The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous enabled me to get and stay sober for quite a while now.
They also address those pesky "defects and shortcomings" in our character that prompted many of us to drink in the first place.

You've been here since January, you must have heard your story told countless times.

I wish you the best.

Bob R