Using alcohol to help panic attacks, how do i stop

[Lorraine_sanders]

I started having panic attacks 7 years ago. I had been through a tough time. Ive tried everything to help myself but nothing seemed to work. Ive tried herbal remedies to tablets from the doctors. I stopped going out incase i had a panic attack in a shop. Especially in a supermarket. My doctor once told me not to worry if i was out as if i had my baby with me and say i fainted some-one would look after my baby, which made me worse. Then i started getting them at home which made me scared to be left on my own. Then one day during an attack a doctor told my partner to give me a glass of wine to calm me down, which i did and it worked.
I then made a stupid dicison to use alcohol every-day which i now depend on so i don't ever feel scared and i can go out and try and lead a normal life. But at the end of the day that isn't happening.
I don't get drunk as i know when to stop. The last time i was drunk was twelve years ago.
I just want a normal life back i've been told i need to really see a physcotherapist to get to the root of the problem then stop the wine. I wish so much this dream could come true but every-time i go to the doctors i hit a brick wall.
I can get treatment at 150pounds an hour which i really want but its the money. I want to know if anyone out there has been through the same thing and has over come it. If anyone has any advice it would be very much appriciated.

[Emmie]

Hiya,
just a little note to say i know exactly how you feel. Alcohol has become my self-medication to get me through and the doctor has recently put me on tablets which i can't drink on (which i start today) so this has kind of jolted me out of it for the time being. I am absolutely terrified as i'm sure you would be. Perhaps you should see a different doctor (one who doesn't prescribe alcohol! lol) and perhaps there is a different type of medication out there that will work for you? have you tried accupuncture? That really helped me-although there is the money issue with that too.

I hope you overcome this.
Em xx

[panicannie]

Hi lorraine, I just read thru your post and just felt like bursting out crying. I have had a pretty crap time over the years and have been suffering with anxiety for about 5. I was always the loner in school, never quite fitted in, I didn't know why then and I still dont know why now! I was shocked that a gp recommened that you drink wine to calm yourself down! thats just plain disgusting! obviously shows that the gp couldn't really give a s**t. Im actually quite lucky when it comes to alchohol. I did have a slight issue with it when my anxiety first began but as im not a big drinker anyway I just stopped before it got out of hand. I found that it made my syptoms much worse, and it was that reason I layed off. I only ever have 1 or 2 drinks if im out with friends but to be honest I tend to stay in these days as I find it difficult to leave the house. The only reason I keep going is for my two sons and partner.
Do you feel like life is passing you by? I know I do. I went to see my gp today, for the first time in months, didn't get me very far, i'm fed up of being pushed from pillar to post. One phsyciatrist says one thing and you feel your making progress then they leave and you have to start all over again with another dr repeating yourself, to then be fobbed of with somthing else! i swear if I took half the medication I been prescribed I would be fixed!! they dont know what the hell their on about, half the time they talk crap. I just want straight answers and help, not just to be thrown a prescription and sent on my way!!! I know what you mean about the supermarket! lol I will say no more on that topic as it speaks for itself ha ha! As for getting emotional support I am having the same problems getting therapy, and I certainly cannot afford the hrly fee. everything boils down to money. So there we have it! left in limbo once again.......another 18mth waiting list!..................... tc xx

joanne

[shiv]

Hi Lorraine,

I do exactly what you do. I very rarely get drunk and I don't drink in the day during the week but I was heavily relying on 2 or 3 glasses of wine every evening and I knew that it wasn't right.

So 3 weeks ago today I made a conscious decision to stop for a while and see a counsellor- not that I think I'm an alcoholic but because I was using drink as a crutch rather than something to be enjoyed which is what it should be. How long i stop for I don't know yet: it could be another week, 6 months, a year or even forever. But my anxiety has diminished to almost nothing and my ectopics and SVT's have ceased completely.

in your area you should have counselling available to all for free- well they do here in Kent, specifically for people who have drug problems or feel their alcohol usage is spirralling out of control. I would ask your doctor if there is anything like this available.

Shiv x

[scoobygirl2005]

Hi.

Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of help and support here. Sorry to hear about your panic attacks. Don't give up hope hunni, you have got to be strong, things will get better for you.

Scooby2005
x x

[Lorraine_sanders]

hi, thankyou for your message how are you getting on with the tablets? im too scared to try takin tablets. they say i have to try to find the root of my panic attacks. then i can address the alcohol side. as i only use the wine to stop me thinking i am always going to have a panic attack. i hate living this way. good luck emm love lorraine

[Southern_Belle]

Lorraine,

The only problem with alcohol is you can build up a resistance to it and need more. I would try to find a doctor that says you could go on tablets and then find the root of your panic attacks. I know you are scared of taking the tablets but aren't you scared to keep going on this way too? Sometimes the medication just adjusts our brains so that we can get our anxiety under control enough to obtain counseling and sort things through. I don't mean to stay on them forever. Good Luck.

Bel

"Our thoughts are our reality"

[louwilliams]

Hi,

I did this for about 10 years until my body had had enough and I was rushed into A&E...i won't bore you with my history but all I will say is that it is medically proven that alcohol turns into sugar within a few hours, so when you drink..you get a MASSIVE sugar rush. It can wake you up in the middle of the night or it may the next day. This alone make you believe you are having a panic attack...therefore you have one. you need to drink fresh orange juice as the vitamin C stabilises your blood sugar levels.

I feel so much better after cutting down my alcohol. there are about 6/7 units in a bottle of wine and i was drinking 2/3 bottle EVERY NIGHT so I was drinking on average 140-150 units a week and having huge attacks everyday. i now drink about a bottle a week-i still get small ones almost daily but they are manageable and i can deal with them. maybe its worth looking into this and see if you can do it. It was honestly the hardest thing i've ever had to do but it has been worth it as the panic attacks are so much easier to deal with...still shit...but easier!

hope this helps you xx

[Bill]

Hi all,
Another important thing to remember about alcohol is that it is a depressant so if someone is depressed it'll make them feel worse. That's how mistakes happen when pills are involved.

Whether it's alcohol, self harming or medication, they can be all forms of comfort that once we start become harder to stop and yes, I've tried all 3 until I found a way to stop.

They are right in saying that to cure anxiety you need to get to the route cause and that therapy is probably the best solution. In my case I saw a psychologist who pointed me in the right direction although I must admit it was up to me to stop the negative ways of coping.

There are positive ways such as EFT, relaxation techniques and meditation. It's really a case of proving to yourself you have nothing to fear but fear itself. If it might help, read "my story" and it'll show it is possible without spending extortionate amounts on private therapists.

I'd also push your doctor to find out what therapies their mental health team provide in the area because even a counsellor would be of help. Sometimes you have to really push for what you need.

[woofytalk]

Yikes! How will the longterm affects of treating your anxiety with a DEPRESSANT help? Honestly - and i'm sorry if that sounded abrasive, but common sense needs to come into play here. I could smoke pot all day long and feel great, but once i'd stop, my seratonin levels would drop to below sea level and my panic attacks would flare up like a bad case of somethin'

Drugs and even (dare i say) medication are never a panacea. If you're looking for that magic bullet, cureall - It doesn't exist. Therapy, natural remedies and a different lifestyle are the most reliable paths to recovery.

Seek other alternatives. I'm not trying to play mommy here, but alcohol is rarely an answer.

This was all said with love.

Warmest Regards,

-Rachel