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Anxiety was caused by alcohol?

Old 05-26-2013, 02:52 PM
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Anxiety was caused by alcohol?

Before I stopped drinking I was anxious and restless all the time. I scheduled appointment with my doc so that she could give some meds or something...
Well now that I stopped drinking all those feelings are gone..

I feel calm, relaxed and in peace. Is it really possible that alcohol caused all those negative feelings?
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:09 PM
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No, it's not possible, it's a dead certainty. This is part of the lie that alcohol tells - 'You need a drink to relax', but in fact, it is the alcohol itself that is giving you the screaming meemies. For me, the worst was the 3:30 am panic - I had sobered up enough to wake up and get really worried about stuff that was going on. Eventually, I ended up 'stuck' in a perpetual panic and state of anxiety that just screamed for more booze.

The cure for all of this was a solid decision to face my anxiety without booze. Very soon, it disappeared, and I was then able to turn my brain back on and deal with my issues that, in the sober light of sobriety, really weren't that big a deal anyway. Some of these issues just disappeared, like my anger and depression.

Stick with this abstinence stuff, it gets much better. I recommend it!
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:20 PM
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oh yea, me too. I don't miss that 3.30 am panic
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:23 PM
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It's amazing - the thing we use to make ourselves feel better, to calm down, to face problems - is the very thing that causes our anxiety and inability to cope. I'm glad we finally are getting that.
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:27 PM
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Originally Posted by sassu78 View Post
Before I stopped drinking I was anxious and restless all the time. I scheduled appointment with my doc so that she could give some meds or something...
Well now that I stopped drinking all those feelings are gone..

I feel calm, relaxed and in peace. Is it really possible that alcohol caused all those negative feelings?
LoL Yes alcohell caused me major anxiety and panic attacks..all gone since I stopped drinking the drug.
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:31 PM
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Originally Posted by sassu78 View Post
Before I stopped drinking I was anxious and restless all the time. I scheduled appointment with my doc so that she could give some meds or something...
Well now that I stopped drinking all those feelings are gone..

I feel calm, relaxed and in peace. Is it really possible that alcohol caused all those negative feelings?
ARE YOU STILL ON MEDS?

Glad you are feeling at peace and suggest alcohol makes bad stuff even worse.
For me it is very important to keep my guard up all the time. Alcohol and drugs can hide the core stuff and make it essentially worse at the same time.
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by sassu78 View Post

. Is it really possible that alcohol caused all those negative feelings?
Yes.
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Old 05-26-2013, 03:55 PM
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I thought I had anxiety and anger issues because of me. I am learning now it was alcohol.
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:08 PM
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I only had anxiety when I was drinking. Once sober, all panic and anxiety attacks evaporated.

And that 3 am wake up after drinking? THE WORST!! There were a few times I had a drink in the middle of the night, because the panic was so horrendous. Of course that just made the cycle continue.

Glad that you have found the source of your anxiety, and are feeling better!!
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:09 PM
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Anxiety

Wow
You guys are talking my life...
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:16 PM
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is this really true? the anxiety and anger and panic might stem from the thing (wine) i use to stop those things?!

my mind is blown right now. i just got to the point where i saw the drinking at the root of those things. i can't remember back farther... how do i find a way to see it? how do i find what it really is?

does time sober help... because i truly want to fix what i broke to get here...

and for the original poster... we're here now. that can only be a good thing. i wish all of us peace through this...
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:25 PM
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Originally Posted by ersatzmatriarch View Post
is this really true? the anxiety and anger and panic might stem from the thing (wine) i use to stop those ?.
Yes. Alcohol causes anxiety and anger. There may be other issues too, but alcohol is a major cause of anxiety

Time sober does help
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:34 PM
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I am convinced a LOT of my anxiety was due to the cycle of binging/hangover...waking up with panic, heart racing...ugh. horrible.

I am so much more calm and mentally at ease without alcohol in my life. I've reduced the dosage of my lexapro (don't even think it was working while drinking), and I hope, one day, to be off it completely.
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:38 PM
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i have to really really lay off coffee and of course cigarettes (totally not smoking) and cut down on white sugar too as a part of my quitting drinking. all of which arent good for anxiety and also another part of why i dont go to AA - i dont believe in intaking a bunch of sweets and caffeine when trying to rid alcohol from your life also, i have anxiety in groups with a subject as personal as my story and life issues and alcoholism. (plus, i am in a town where i dont want people to know i have an alcohol prob - so a meeting would not work! people DO talk and DO judge, critique, preach, threaten, etc., "anonymous" or not! at least in my city and among the general social scene! everybody knows everybody in clubs and in my industry. anyway AA was invented when there was no internet. i see how the going to groups and having the support can help but i get no anxiety doing it here online so thank goodness for this forum and others like it!
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Old 05-26-2013, 04:40 PM
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I got a huge boost the very instant I decided I had quit drinking for good because the shame and guilt of being a habitual drinker, an addict, just plain lifted like a sour miserable putrid fog. I was leaving all of that behind me. You might call that The Abstinence Commitment Effect. Truly a blast, a crystal clear buzz I had never experienced before.

The next few weeks were almost painfully acutely felt, in a thousand different ways. Most of them were beyond good, it was as though my life was beginning again. It was a fresh start.

After that period came the realization that I could do sooooo much more, I could achieve so much more, I could be so much more than I had accepted while drinking. All day and every day. Done, finito, phhhhht.

This is why I often end my posts with the suggestion: Onward! It is there for you, too.
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Old 05-26-2013, 05:21 PM
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What I've learned is that alcohol is a depressant drug. (Any thing that is mind and mood altering is a drug) The withdrawal process from a depressant is often the opposite of it's effects when taking it.....for me, I believe that this is why as an alcoholic when I was detoxing I was really anxious and panicky. When I drank I was anything but anxious.
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Old 05-26-2013, 06:05 PM
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I think my chronic anxiety was caused by drinking and drugs. I used to try to quiet the anxiety which then made it worse. I was also always worried about hiding my life and being pulled together enough to work and travel for work. Since I've stopped drinking/using I'm really surprised how much more calm I am. My blood pressure used to be through the roof at the doctor's office. I had an appointment a few weeks ago and it was almost normal. My doctor smiled and said "I think you're on the mend"
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Old 05-26-2013, 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by sassu78 View Post

Is it really possible that alcohol caused all those negative feelings?
One. Hundred. Percent.
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Old 05-26-2013, 07:08 PM
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Thank you so much everybody

I actually have the doc appointment next month so I never got any meds.

I'm very happy to hear all this. You guys totally made my day!

I thought that I was the only one waking up at 3 am, my heart racing so hard I was sure I was getting a heart attack...
That was so scary!!!
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Old 05-26-2013, 07:14 PM
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I drank to medicate my anxiety but the next day it was always 100 times worse. I was in a vicious cycle. Now that I have quit I feel so much calmer. I sometimes get anxious but nothing like when I was drinking. Now when it happens, I can pinpoint the reason and work through it.
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