HereIAm321

until I got sober. It's getting worse with each attack.

Dee74

Many of us experience panic attacks after quitting - I knew what they were because I'd had them before, but they can be terrifying.

If you think you need some help with them do think about seeing your Dr.

This site gives some good general advice too:
Calm Clinic for Your Anxiety & Panic « Calm Clinic

D

Coldfusion

The panic attacks I had were not from being sober, they were from being an alcoholic.

HereIAm321

Its crazy to see how much my AV affected other parts of my life.

10 days sober, and it's like I just woke up from some nightmare where an alternate me was living my life.

mecanix

Going back to drinking wont solve anything . the panic attacks are still to do with alcohol imho , i was all jittery nerves for about a month .
I find meditation helps , as i meditate i touch my ear lobe , when i get in stressful situations i touch my ear lobe and remeber the meditation and it helps a bit . takes some practaice though .

Peace and bestwishes, M

hypochondriac

I had my worst panic attacks when I was still drinking but it was still a psychological thing because there were times when I didn't have any at all. At the time I kept insisting that I felt fine and that there was no reason for them but something was definitely off. I never really found a cure for them but I did some CBT worksheets and that really helped me and my panic become more rational. Have a chat to your doctor or get a good book on CBT or how to deal with panic attacks x

vegibean

Hey Here, I had panic attacks starting from when I was a very young child and I had them throughout my life, into adulthood even when I wasn't drinking.

YES, they certainly are caused from alcohol, but I also learned I had a lot of stuff that I was traumatized by that I had not dealt with and until I did I continued to suffer from them. They were horrible and scary for me, and for a long time I had no idea I was having panic attacks, I seriously just thought that my heart was going to stop breathing or I was just going to fall over and die.

Maybe talk to your doctor about it, they don't necessarily have to prescribe you Xanax or Valium or anything like that, but there are other things they can prescribe that might help you to stay balanced. Just a thought.

soberlicious

An alternate you was in charge. But now you are driving the bus. It will take time, but your mind and body will even out. Stay the course.

LexieCat

Sometimes panic attacks cause a snowball effect--you start to panic from the thought of panicking. Or you start to feel anxious and then all the gears kick in.

They are very scary, but they are also very common in very early sobriety. Ten days is awesome, but your body and brain are still not settled down yet. So it is VERY possible that these will be gone entirely in another 2-4 weeks or so. I got a very occasional one for several months but they did go away on their own without medication.

Seeing a doctor never hurts, even if all he or she does is reassure you that this may be a normal part of withdrawal. If they linger for a long time, you might need some extra help, but at this point it's pretty much impossible to tell.

Remind yourself that the attacks, unpleasant though they are, do end.

escapist

I have had them sober and while drinking. When I stpped drinking I was on an anxiety rollercoaster for 6 weeks. At 30 days sober, I went to my Dr. I took an anti depressant for another 30 days. It helped me. I have not had one in over a month. I am so happy.

2granddaughters

My panic attacks subsided when I went to AA

All the best.

Bob R

renaldo

That's a good practice. I know it well from living in India. Perhaps the physical action would do me good, but I'm a stubborn pragmatist and say to myself, 'as long as I'm thinking it, what need is there to go through the physical action of touching my ear?'

Plus, I am burned out on rituals from having lived in India. The symbolic overshadows the pragmatic there up the yin yang.

On the other hand, Western pragmatism leaves something to be desired. It can be cold, dry and analytical and misses the boat sometimes.

I can't recall who said it, but he was talking about the analytical mind with regards to looking at a tree. He said, "I can have all kinds of thoughts about that tree, how long it has lived and such, but as soon as I've seen that tree, my heart has already gone thump-thump to that tree."

Of course, going with your "feelings" can be disastrous at times too. A multi-pronged approach seems the best course of action. That's why I like this forum so much. Thank you everyone.

Anna

I have had panic attacks since childhood, and of course drinking made them worse. Since being sober, I have read many books on the topic and I feel like I can manage my panic attacks pretty well. It sounds so simple, but breathing slowly, deep belly breaths can really help. If you notice when you panic your breathing becomes shallow and quick and worsens the situation, so slowly breathing for a minute really does help.

kizzy40

I was prescribed beta blockers as I was having anxiety attacks from a car accident we were involved in 4 months earlier!...Had no idea it had even bothered me.
Would go see your GP.