Why do we all seem to be battling Anxiety?
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 322
Why do we all seem to be battling Anxiety?
And why is it so debilitating?
What is IT exactly? why can't we do the work in our minds to be happy individuals?
Its got me thinking about all the tougher times people went through in the last 100 + years, surely they would be feeling worse, wouldn't they?
I know alcohol plays a big role in anxiety, but why do people with sobriety still feel anxiety and battle with it?
Does it just boil down to a battle for more self-confidence in today's ever so high achievement society?
is it so rampant because these anxious people meet very confident people and they feel beaten because in their own mind they feel inferior?
Thus they go off and hide and let the confident people take all their opportunities?
What about the confident people with anxiety, whats the deal with that?
What is IT exactly? why can't we do the work in our minds to be happy individuals?
Its got me thinking about all the tougher times people went through in the last 100 + years, surely they would be feeling worse, wouldn't they?
I know alcohol plays a big role in anxiety, but why do people with sobriety still feel anxiety and battle with it?
Does it just boil down to a battle for more self-confidence in today's ever so high achievement society?
is it so rampant because these anxious people meet very confident people and they feel beaten because in their own mind they feel inferior?
Thus they go off and hide and let the confident people take all their opportunities?
What about the confident people with anxiety, whats the deal with that?
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,431
I can only speak from my own experience.
I've always been anxious, long before I had my first drink. Drinking was my futile attempt at dealing with being anxious, in time of course it just made it worse and worse.
right now I'm the least anxious I've ever been in my life and I credit a few things like recovery, age, lifestyle and attitude for that.
D
I've always been anxious, long before I had my first drink. Drinking was my futile attempt at dealing with being anxious, in time of course it just made it worse and worse.
right now I'm the least anxious I've ever been in my life and I credit a few things like recovery, age, lifestyle and attitude for that.
D
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 342
Hi renvate
We're a complicated race of beings, different personality types, some sensitive some not so sensitive, some been abused some not different cultures backgrounds.i guess every human is on a complex scale of mental/emotional illness or disturbance and severity!
Also many so called confident ones have created a mask persona to protect how they really feel.
Suppression/repression, avoidance and projection are part of people's internal imbalances, in many ways we live in a world of fakes not everyone of course but we each only have to master ourselves, once we attain to a decent level of healthy self empowered love others shortcomings will be like water of a ducks back. An authentically confident person would never leave anyone feeling anxious only a fake projection of confidence with its hidden agenda to suck energy from another would do this. These people are like leeches. Stealing someone's power to fill their own gaping void its like a drug to them but only if we allow it! We do have the Power to stay strong in every situation it just takes time to heal.
Each time i connect and live my truth, yes I do experience anxiety I even sometimes shake but I do always have a glorious after effect of self motivated esteem. I have always struggled to maintain sobriety over the years 90 days is my best period of time. But I subscribe to the belief that if I overcome the relapse pattern and maintain a sober life in recovery and do empowering things instead of talk about them. That given time miracles will take place inside of me and I will be stronger in every aspect of myself!
G
We're a complicated race of beings, different personality types, some sensitive some not so sensitive, some been abused some not different cultures backgrounds.i guess every human is on a complex scale of mental/emotional illness or disturbance and severity!
Also many so called confident ones have created a mask persona to protect how they really feel.
Suppression/repression, avoidance and projection are part of people's internal imbalances, in many ways we live in a world of fakes not everyone of course but we each only have to master ourselves, once we attain to a decent level of healthy self empowered love others shortcomings will be like water of a ducks back. An authentically confident person would never leave anyone feeling anxious only a fake projection of confidence with its hidden agenda to suck energy from another would do this. These people are like leeches. Stealing someone's power to fill their own gaping void its like a drug to them but only if we allow it! We do have the Power to stay strong in every situation it just takes time to heal.
Each time i connect and live my truth, yes I do experience anxiety I even sometimes shake but I do always have a glorious after effect of self motivated esteem. I have always struggled to maintain sobriety over the years 90 days is my best period of time. But I subscribe to the belief that if I overcome the relapse pattern and maintain a sober life in recovery and do empowering things instead of talk about them. That given time miracles will take place inside of me and I will be stronger in every aspect of myself!
G
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 350
My take on this is
Alcoholics diet invariably poor.
Alcohol inhibits the body's ability to absorb vitamins and necessary minerals.
Alcohol affects/damages the brain in many ways from cognition to the balance of chemicals that it requires for normal function.
Alcohol affects/ damages a multitude of bodily organs that try relentlessly to convert and clear this alcohol/ethanol poison from the body.
Skin liver kidneys gut just a few.
Invariably we have been drinking many years before realisation that there is a problem (damage done) which focuses our attention.
As well as trying to rid ourselves of addiction our body's and brains are effectively in toxic shock/ panick mode releasing all sorts of hormones into the mix.
Our body's being as marvellous as they are start to work towards putting things in order but this will not be a quick fix, it will take much time and effort and it will be unique for every single person.
Tension anxiety stress are just some of the symptoms our body's will no doubt experience during the detoxifying healing of brain and body.
I personally have experienced debilitating levels of the above through early sobriety.
This has eased off In line with length of sobriety between month three and four I have noticed the constant tension abating which is a welcome release. I do still get anxiety/stress spikes occasionally but at a much more acceptable level.
These are natural hormonal reactions to fight/ flight/panick so we will always have them it's just getting them Back to their natural baseline levels and getting used to them for what they are.
I hope that this is of use and in line with other posts.
Alcoholics diet invariably poor.
Alcohol inhibits the body's ability to absorb vitamins and necessary minerals.
Alcohol affects/damages the brain in many ways from cognition to the balance of chemicals that it requires for normal function.
Alcohol affects/ damages a multitude of bodily organs that try relentlessly to convert and clear this alcohol/ethanol poison from the body.
Skin liver kidneys gut just a few.
Invariably we have been drinking many years before realisation that there is a problem (damage done) which focuses our attention.
As well as trying to rid ourselves of addiction our body's and brains are effectively in toxic shock/ panick mode releasing all sorts of hormones into the mix.
Our body's being as marvellous as they are start to work towards putting things in order but this will not be a quick fix, it will take much time and effort and it will be unique for every single person.
Tension anxiety stress are just some of the symptoms our body's will no doubt experience during the detoxifying healing of brain and body.
I personally have experienced debilitating levels of the above through early sobriety.
This has eased off In line with length of sobriety between month three and four I have noticed the constant tension abating which is a welcome release. I do still get anxiety/stress spikes occasionally but at a much more acceptable level.
These are natural hormonal reactions to fight/ flight/panick so we will always have them it's just getting them Back to their natural baseline levels and getting used to them for what they are.
I hope that this is of use and in line with other posts.
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 322
Originally Posted by Dustitoffman 
My take on this is
Alcoholics diet invariably poor.
Alcohol inhibits the body's ability to absorb vitamins and necessary minerals.
Alcoholics diet invariably poor.
Alcohol inhibits the body's ability to absorb vitamins and necessary minerals.
Just no appetite what so ever.
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 524
Originally Posted by Renvate
Speaking of that, i better eat at least once in the last 48 hours.
Just no appetite what so ever.
Just no appetite what so ever.
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Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
Originally Posted by Renvate
why can't we do the work in our minds to be happy individuals?
I learned how.
It takes a long time for the healthy eating, exercise, meditation, and mind retraining to pay off. A looooong time.
I didn't like that. I don't have much patience. I wanted a magic pill. I wanted immediate relief. Instant gratification.
It doesn't work like that. I've come to believe it shouldn't work like that.
Nothing ever caused me more discomfort than the expectation that I should never feel discomfort.
Best of Luck on Your Journey.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: US
Posts: 5,095
It has been my experience, both personally and through listening to lots of alcoholics over the last 15 yrs, that alcohol addiction causes anxiety. Yes, many of us have anxiety issues, at times quite serious ones, but until I stopped I didn't truly know where my anxiety ended and my addiction began.
I also had anxiety because I simply didn't know how to cope....with anything. After quitting, in order to stay quit, I had to develop coping strategies...which in turn lessened my more 'innate' anxiety.
It take a few months of continued abstinence to really get to the 'root' of issues. Exercise helps me tremendously.
I also had anxiety because I simply didn't know how to cope....with anything. After quitting, in order to stay quit, I had to develop coping strategies...which in turn lessened my more 'innate' anxiety.
It take a few months of continued abstinence to really get to the 'root' of issues. Exercise helps me tremendously.
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Originally Posted by Renvate
...why do people with sobriety still feel anxiety and battle with it?
If alcoholics (sober or not) battle with it, it's because we battle again all feelings and emotions.
Anxiety disorder is a different matter. Not everyone has debilitating anxiety, not even every alcoholic. But the line between "normal" anxiety and where it becoming a mental health concern isn't always clear. And as alcoholics--who battle our emotions anyway--I think it is less clear, and we become anxious about our anxiety.
We can learn to deal with anxiety. In fact, it is crucial that we do.
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our ancestors survived due to flight or fight, so the most anxious survived back then and breeded. so its ingrained in our DNA to always be looking out for threats. except in the modern world there's not a big survival advantage to it and its usually over trivial matters, not a lion chasing us.
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Originally Posted by Stride34
our ancestors survived due to flight or fight, so the most anxious survived back then and breeded. so its ingrained in our DNA to always be looking out for threats. except in the modern world there's not a big survival advantage to it and its usually over trivial matters, not a lion chasing us.
I say we are the products of tens of thousands of years of Successful genetic selection.
We are the 1%, survival-wise. This is our SuperPower. We just have to channel it correctly.
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 322
@Blue and stride
I think you both have a point actually.
Strides comment on it being on trivial matters is correct, just look at the anxiety cases in the younger generations as opposed to older. The older have better things to get on with.
I think you both have a point actually.
Strides comment on it being on trivial matters is correct, just look at the anxiety cases in the younger generations as opposed to older. The older have better things to get on with.
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I first experienced anxiety in elementary school. I didn't even know what it was, though it continued to plague me through high school and university. It was years and years later than I resorted to alcohol to self-medicate.
I think anxiety is part of my DNA. My father also had difficulties with anxiety. And, I think it's also part of my upbringing where I was abused.
I think anxiety is part of my DNA. My father also had difficulties with anxiety. And, I think it's also part of my upbringing where I was abused.
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Big City
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Originally Posted by biminiblue
Every post in this thread is gold, but ^^THIS!
I say we are the products of tens of thousands of years of Successful genetic selection.
We are the 1%, survival-wise. This is our SuperPower. We just have to channel it correctly.
I say we are the products of tens of thousands of years of Successful genetic selection.
We are the 1%, survival-wise. This is our SuperPower. We just have to channel it correctly.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 322
Originally Posted by Anna
I first experienced anxiety in elementary school. I didn't even know what it was, though it continued to plague me through high school and university. It was years and years later than I resorted to alcohol to self-medicate.
I think anxiety is part of my DNA. My father also had difficulties with anxiety. And, I think it's also part of my upbringing where I was abused.
I think anxiety is part of my DNA. My father also had difficulties with anxiety. And, I think it's also part of my upbringing where I was abused.
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