smit83

Hi people.
This has been going on for 12 months now. I've had anxiety (worse after drinking alcohol, even if its in moderation) I've had 2 panic attacks. They began when i split with my last girlfriend. I'm suffering sever performance anxiety (sexual performance anxiety) Its ruining my life. Its all i think about everyday no matter how much i try stop or how much i try ignore it. I can not think straight. Cannot think positive. Just the thought of getting a woman gives me heart palpitations. The strange thing is when it comes down to sex i have never suffered ED. Only on a couple of occasions when i have had alcohol.

So what im trying to say is, im having really bad anxiety about this when it isn't even happening, I don't even have a girlfriend now but its still the only thing on my mind from the moment i wake to the moment i sleep. Doctors tried putting me on citalopram which i stopped taking because they do actually cause ED. Knowing this actually made my anxiety worse.

My question is does anyone else have these obsessive uncontrollable thoughts, even knowing there false and its all complete nonsense. Is this Alcohol related i mean is there some sort of imbalance that are creating these false negative paranoid thoughts???

Any help would be greatly appreciated

GirlFromCO

I'm going to defer to the men here on the details but I'm willing to bet you're not alone. Anxiety affects a lot of people in a lot of different ways. Are you seeing a therapist? That might be a good start.

Anna

Morning Glory (Administrator) posted this thread awhile ago and it really helped me to begin to disregard the obsessive thoughts:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...anagement.html

I also found that Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth" gives lots of information on how to deal with obsessive and irrational thoughts.

FamilyMan2153

There is a men's only forum where you might get more answers. This does happen if you are drinking or not and also know that for most men this does pass. Hang in there and just try to breathe!!

smit83

I'm currently on a waiting list for a therapist. Thing is though this is not actually happening. But the more it stays in my mind the more likely it will happen eventually. Its all in my head but thats the problem. I can't remove it. Can alcohol fuel these sort of thoughts even though there not realistic?

Happier

Glad you are seeking help from a medical professional. I obviously am not one.
In my experience though, alcohol can indeed cause lots of panic, anxiety, and/or negative thoughts. These can manifest themselves in a variety of way ways.
Keep reading on here and you'll see that in many cases, these symptoms go away once the person gets into recovery. In other cases though, they may remain and may have been one contributing factor as to why the person may have started drinking in the first plase. I think the only way to know is to get clean and sober then see what, if anything, remains to be addressed. There are lots of people, programs, and help to deal with that stuff too.

Try to relax and do not be so down on yourself. You are not alone and there is a way to get better.

smit83

Thanks for this link. Very interesting and helpful read.