Alcohol and Anxiety.
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Originally Posted by Canuck76 
No money for rehab. No insurance. I would check in for in-patient but I don't have 10 grand. I am pretty much detoxed already. Just need to hit up meetings etc.
And of course there are people here on SR pretty much 24/7 so stick around. But don't get caught up in the rabbit hole of the internet either...face to face support can be very helpful.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,464
Canuck, anxiety is part of my life, too, always has been. One thing I know for sure is that alcohol made it so much worse. Now, it's manageable most of the time. If you remove alcohol from your life, things will improve and your life will be better.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,027
Day four Canuck??
I’m not an AA person, but I thank heaven for the people who gave me empty chairs to sit, open arms and listening ears in those early frightened days.
I didn’t stick with AA because I knew I was done drinking forever. But I used those meetings for comfort and company with other alcoholics and it helped. Consider it, especially in these early months.
I also came here several times a day. Stay here at SR and post as much as you can.
I’m not an AA person, but I thank heaven for the people who gave me empty chairs to sit, open arms and listening ears in those early frightened days.
I didn’t stick with AA because I knew I was done drinking forever. But I used those meetings for comfort and company with other alcoholics and it helped. Consider it, especially in these early months.
I also came here several times a day. Stay here at SR and post as much as you can.
saoutchik
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: London
Posts: 16,183
In my layman's opinion you really ought to see a doctor or mental health professional Canuck. In a way it doen't matter if the anxiety is feeding the alcohol problem or the booze is feeding the anxiety, both issues need addressing if you are to successfully overcome them.
If you are on Day 4 today then that is a good start. Perhaps try and get some help next week? I don't think it would do any harm.
If you are on Day 4 today then that is a good start. Perhaps try and get some help next week? I don't think it would do any harm.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 524
Yeah to echo everyone else, I thought I had a major anxiety problem. Panic attacks, the main feeling was I was too scared to leave my house. The thought of living a functional life like a normal person scared me to death. I was a prisoner in my own home. Too scared to drive anywhere, or travel anywhere. If I did have to go, it was only ever when I had drink inside me.
It turns out, all this anxiety I felt, which I was using alcohol to cope with, was actually caused by the alcohol. That's the big scam about drinking.
It's a cycle of feeling anxious, drinking to stop feeling anxious, drink wears off, feel even more anxious, drink to stop feeling anxious. Rinse, repeat. Once you see the light and work it all out, it's really quite simple. Looking back, I can't quite believe I suffered for so many years when the solution was right there all along, I just had to stop drinking.
Once I did stop drinking, I had a few days of intense anxiety where I would be anxious about wanting to drink, but that wears off. I can say that my anxiety is now next to zero, and I am generally quite an anxious person anyway, as in I am prone to it. My anxiety levels now are at about 1%, when I was drinking I had 110% anxiety.
Will I suffer bad anxiety again in the future even without alcohol? Yes, it is unavoidable I am sure if a stressful event happens. What I do know now though is that alcohol makes any existing anxiety far worse, and creates it's own horrible brand of anxiety on top.
It turns out, all this anxiety I felt, which I was using alcohol to cope with, was actually caused by the alcohol. That's the big scam about drinking.
It's a cycle of feeling anxious, drinking to stop feeling anxious, drink wears off, feel even more anxious, drink to stop feeling anxious. Rinse, repeat. Once you see the light and work it all out, it's really quite simple. Looking back, I can't quite believe I suffered for so many years when the solution was right there all along, I just had to stop drinking.
Once I did stop drinking, I had a few days of intense anxiety where I would be anxious about wanting to drink, but that wears off. I can say that my anxiety is now next to zero, and I am generally quite an anxious person anyway, as in I am prone to it. My anxiety levels now are at about 1%, when I was drinking I had 110% anxiety.
Will I suffer bad anxiety again in the future even without alcohol? Yes, it is unavoidable I am sure if a stressful event happens. What I do know now though is that alcohol makes any existing anxiety far worse, and creates it's own horrible brand of anxiety on top.
Reality...what a concept!
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CT, USA
Posts: 1,232
Hey Canuck - welcome!
I could have wrote this same thing 3 years ago...I had been drinking to relieve stress and anxiety for so long and was in that vicious cycle of drinking to relieve anxiety, but the more I drank, the worse my general anxiety became. Of course the clear way to troubleshoot that was to completely abstain from drinking to see if it improved, which proved very difficult to do for even 24 hours, and that’s when I realized I had more of a drinking problem than I originally thought.
Since quitting drinking entirely, seeing a dr and going on a low dose SSRI, anxiety has been reduced exponentially g
I could have wrote this same thing 3 years ago...I had been drinking to relieve stress and anxiety for so long and was in that vicious cycle of drinking to relieve anxiety, but the more I drank, the worse my general anxiety became. Of course the clear way to troubleshoot that was to completely abstain from drinking to see if it improved, which proved very difficult to do for even 24 hours, and that’s when I realized I had more of a drinking problem than I originally thought.
Since quitting drinking entirely, seeing a dr and going on a low dose SSRI, anxiety has been reduced exponentially g
Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 10
Cannuck...I’m only on day 18 here...but it is my second longest non drinking streak I have had in 8 years (had 60 days last summer before a 6 month long relapse of near daily blackouts). I drank to self medicate anxiety as well. I would get about 20 or 30 minutes of an enjoyable buzz everyday but the rest of it was just empty calories, negative thoughts, not remembering anything, shakes, sweats, headaches, being a crap husband and father, throwing money down the toilet, damaging my organs, etc.
I was prescribed and have been on an antidepressant for anxiety since 2015 when I was on the tail end of a 7 month deployment to Central Asia. The deployment wasn’t the reason for the anxiety, mine is basically social anxiety due to my own self confidence. I had been on much more stressful deployments in the past with no issues but my anxiety had gotten worse through my later 20s and early and mid 30s. I also started seeing a therapist early last year (it was nerve racking having to talk one on one with a stranger so I would only go after slamming some booze). I did take some decent notes and picked up some really good tips that I have put to good use lately.
In my experience daily drinking, or drinking at all for that matter, made my anxiety a hell of a lot worse. I also think it basically negated the meds I am on. My anxiety was manageable during that 60 days of sobriety last summer but for some reason I decided I needed a good buzz worse than I wanted to live with a manageable amount of anxiety and that threw me into six months of drinking and the misery that follows with having to drink more to relieve the additional anxiety that drinking causes.
Basically I second everyone else in that drinking will only make your anxiety worse and worse. After a few days of withdrawals I can function like a mostly normal human again and I am working on using healthier ways to deal with anxiety. I hope you manage to stop drinking and find some much needed relief!
I was prescribed and have been on an antidepressant for anxiety since 2015 when I was on the tail end of a 7 month deployment to Central Asia. The deployment wasn’t the reason for the anxiety, mine is basically social anxiety due to my own self confidence. I had been on much more stressful deployments in the past with no issues but my anxiety had gotten worse through my later 20s and early and mid 30s. I also started seeing a therapist early last year (it was nerve racking having to talk one on one with a stranger so I would only go after slamming some booze). I did take some decent notes and picked up some really good tips that I have put to good use lately.
In my experience daily drinking, or drinking at all for that matter, made my anxiety a hell of a lot worse. I also think it basically negated the meds I am on. My anxiety was manageable during that 60 days of sobriety last summer but for some reason I decided I needed a good buzz worse than I wanted to live with a manageable amount of anxiety and that threw me into six months of drinking and the misery that follows with having to drink more to relieve the additional anxiety that drinking causes.
Basically I second everyone else in that drinking will only make your anxiety worse and worse. After a few days of withdrawals I can function like a mostly normal human again and I am working on using healthier ways to deal with anxiety. I hope you manage to stop drinking and find some much needed relief!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 957
"I am ruined financially, completely isolated, unemployed and single. Alcohol got me here but I can't handle the hopelessness. "
Canuck74: It is great that you are reaching out on SR. I am in the same position that you describe in the above quote. I started to panic when I lost my job in December and was dealt a blow to my lifelong career possibilities.
I suffer from GAD and chronic depression. I quit 34 days ago and now do everything I can daily to make sure that I don't drink. I got a therapist too but I know the counseling will only work slowly and if I'm not drinking.
I still feel sad and anxious but it is far, far less. Sometimes I also feel happy because my emotions are beginning to balance out.
I have to look for a new job but I also know that no one is going to hire someone who looks and feels like they are hungover all the time. I knew that I couldn't change the past and the consequences of my drinking. But I could stop drinking and try to rebuild one day at a time.
If I can do this, anyone can. Just post and do whatever it takes to get through each day without drinking. There are lots of free resources.
I've made sobriety my temporary job.
Canuck74: It is great that you are reaching out on SR. I am in the same position that you describe in the above quote. I started to panic when I lost my job in December and was dealt a blow to my lifelong career possibilities.
I suffer from GAD and chronic depression. I quit 34 days ago and now do everything I can daily to make sure that I don't drink. I got a therapist too but I know the counseling will only work slowly and if I'm not drinking.
I still feel sad and anxious but it is far, far less. Sometimes I also feel happy because my emotions are beginning to balance out.
I have to look for a new job but I also know that no one is going to hire someone who looks and feels like they are hungover all the time. I knew that I couldn't change the past and the consequences of my drinking. But I could stop drinking and try to rebuild one day at a time.
If I can do this, anyone can. Just post and do whatever it takes to get through each day without drinking. There are lots of free resources.
I've made sobriety my temporary job.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 8,615
Originally Posted by Canuck76
No money for rehab. No insurance. I would check in for in-patient but I don't have 10 grand. I am pretty much detoxed already. Just need to hit up meetings etc.
While rehab is not paid for there are many public programs available at little to no cost, contact your local Canadian Mental Health office, I'm sure they will be able to refer you to local programs.
https://cmha.ca/find-your-cmha
You need help, don't be afraid to ask for it.
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