Gettinstarted

I was drinking 4-6 beers a night (IPA's and Pale Ales).

Started having anxiety and a feeling of walking around in a fog all day, I finally made the connection that it was probably caused by the alcohol.

I quit for a week, had some anxiety still but also some depression (almost felt like homesickness).

Last Sunday I had three IPA's while watching football. The next two days were awful, day 1 had pretty bad depression and day 2 terrible anxiety.

I haven't had a drink since.

The weird thing is I don't crave alcohol but I still have mild depression and some mild anxiety.

Does all of this sound normal?

I thought I would be able to drink socially instead of quitting altogether but that doesn't look like it is going to be possible.

SunriseSky

Congratulations on your sobriety. The mild depression/anxiety sounds very normal. I'm sure you've spent some time reading other posts - it seems like almost everyone has some level of anxiety. I had some anxiety at the beginning also. It went away very quickly - after a few days of not drinking, I realized the world wasn't going to end if I didn't have a glass or 3 wine.

If your symptoms get worse or don't end, you could see a doctor to see if medication might be in order.

In any case, hang in there! Life gets much better when you're not attached to a bottle.

KateL

Well done. You sound normal to me and seem to be doing really well. No, I think most of us realise eventually we can never drink normally again x

least

If you stay sober that anxiety and depression might get better. Give yourself some more sober time and see how you do.

kflee

It does sound pretty normal. The depression can hit really hard or sometimes be mellow for me. Hope you have a mellow evening.

Anna

I hope you continue to feel better and stopping drinking forever is a good idea.

bigsombrero

You asked some questions in your post. I was a pretty heavy drinker, and noticed that my anxiety was extremely high during the mornings/days when I was not drinking at that time, so bad that I even had to go to the hospital. When I quit drinking, I went into severe depression for several months.

While my symptoms are probably on the more extreme end, it fits a common pattern and yours sound similar. In my case, my depression eventually disappeared for the most part (aside from bad days - we all have those) and my anxiety has decreased tenfold. I can't say I'm completely anxiety-free now, but I can do "normal" things and get through them fine, including flying on airplanes, going to department stores, and working at a job and getting along with clients and colleagues.

I think that getting the alcohol out of your life is a great idea. You certainly won't feel worse, and you will likely feel much better. Good luck!

Dee74

Hi and welcome gettingstarted

It sounds normal to me

For some of us the longer we drink the more ill effects we experience, and the smaller the volume of alcohol it takes to produce those effects.

D

Mek2

This is exactly what I experienced. It will get worse as time goes. I thought I could do the 3 or 4 beers during a game but then the next day I would get hit with the depression for a few days. 43 days sober today!

CaliButterfly

Yes Gettin, the anxiety and depression are very normal after regular drinking then abstinence. It seems like for most of us, as the cycle repeats, those symptoms get worse and worse. Luckily, the longer you stay sober, the better you feel. It's a great motivator to stay away from the crap that makes you feel like crap afterwards.

hypochondriac

Welcome to SR Gettinstarted

Your post broke a memory for me. I was often depressed after a night of heavy drinking but before I quit I tapered off and I was surprised how awful I felt after just a few drinks. I think it was withdrawals really, and to some extent the final realisation that I was quitting for good. It took so long to get there that when I did it felt really flat. With time it gets better. Hang in there x

DarkDays

Very normal , drink caused me years of depression, anxiety manic, thoughts insomnia and waking up in the night convinced I was going to have a heart attack .

Drink is just fuel for all of this , cut the flow of completely FOREVER.

BoatDaddy

Almost exactly the same thing for me. I went to the hospital the day after my birthday because I thought I was having a heart attack. It took me almost 6 months to realize it was the alcohol and with help from a counselor I finally quit for good. Tomorrow is 30 days sober and I am feeling better every day. The waves of anxiety and depression are getting shorter and less intense. I did see my Dr and let her in on what was up and she put me on a low dose of an antidepressant to help out.

I don't crave alcohol but for some the cure for anxiety is drinking. The sooner you recognize the cause is alcohol you will be better off and you just have to get through it. I kept telling myself I never wanted to feel that way again and to make that happen it means never drinking again. Keep posting and were all here to help each other stay positive.