Reaction times and the effects of drinking with anxiety

[FixMe]

Ok, Hi :) I'm new here and in desperate need of a little advice!

The thing is, as much as consuming alcohol can relax me and decrease my anxiety, this is only so if nothing is going wrong. I'll give you a couple of examples.

I was on a night out, didn't have much to drink at all. I was a little anxious but still relatively happy until i realised that my bag had been stolen. So i went outside the club where there was a police care sitting outside and asked for there help. They said they were busy (they weren't) so my anxiety increased. Long story short, I flipped. I don't know how it happened so quickly and i ended up head butting a police officer and being arrested. Now I'd like to point out that I am not a crazy psycho, I'm not a violent person, I'm actually pretty nice. But at that point, my reaction was automatic without any time to think or calm down and I don't know to fix that so any suggestions would be more than appreciated.

The other example of this was last weekend, same thing. On a night out, had a bit to drink, not anxious at all and i was having an amazing night. Then at leaving time, I realised someone had stolen my jacket with my phone in the pocket (my luck) so again, i freaked out. I blamed my boyfriend for everything, called all his mates thieves, punched him and he dumped me. I don't blame him, i mean i went weird, like the anxiety taking over makes me a different person.

I'm lost here, I mean I got good at managing my anxiety but that's only as long as nothing is going wrong. Any hint of negativity to a certain level and i can't overcome it. I can't seem to stop and think before i react and to be honest, it's not only ruining my life, but also the people around me.

FixMe?

[Stormsky]

hi,
blimey you dont have much luck with things being stolen when your out ... im really sorry to hear of that...have you seen a gp ref your anxiety? are you on meds? You probably already know alcohol heightens things, and if you know you suffer anxiety, its understandable that when something happens, your anxiety will be off scale. But the violence thing isnt good, you really need to see your GP for a chat, (if you havent already)..

[FixMe]

Yes I've seen my GP and prior to that weekend I had my medication put up. I'm also waiting for counselling but it will take a few months as there's a waiting list and I guess I'm just in fear of something like this happening again

[Stormsky]

Ok, now you mention meds, then its probably the reaction of them with alcohol thats pushes you off scale, and doing things out of character..and if youd just had meds increased prior to going out, then makes alot of sense... the only thing for sure to stop fear of happening again is not to drink at all...You dont want to risk losing friends,etc and getting into trouble with police... Do you think you would have reacted that way if youd not had a drink ? Good to hear youve seen GP and got some counselling on the way.x

[FixMe]

I have been seriously considering stopping all drinking, as rare as it is for me to do so. The thing is, the incident with the police occurred after about 2 drinks or so. I was still completely sober so if i stop drinking, It could still be very likely that something like this could happen again. I just don't know how to stop and think when the anxiety takes over and it happens really quickly :s x

[Carys]

....but is that anxiety taking over, or is is anger/frustration/aggression taking over ?

[Stormsky]

Even 2 drinks mixed with meds isnt good..even though you didnt feel drunk or anything, doesnt mean the effects hadnt started of the drugs/drink- Hopefully when you see a counsellor they will give you coping techniques for those high anxiety states. But they will defo advise no drink im sure.x

[FixMe]

Carys, I'm not an angry person, I'm quite quiet most of the time and don't like confrontation so I don't involve myself in arguments. I know what my anxiety feels like and as much as it brings out some kind of aggression because my head is so mixed up by the anxiety, it wouldn't happen if I was a "normal" person without a mental health problem

---------- Post added at 17:51 ---------- Previous post was at 17:50 ----------

Thanks stormsky :) I'm really counting on the help of the counsellor when it finally happens so i hope it's sooner rather than later!x

[Stormsky]

Im sure you will be OK, ive done CBT myself and its good to talk and we always feel better when professionals tell us we will be OK.. they will give you coping mechanisms . just try no drinks for now.:)xx

[Carys]

No, sorry, I'm not saying you usually are an angry person, of that you would usually hit someone....I guess what I was leading to was similar to Stormsky; even a few drinks for someone who is taking meds may not be a good idea. It can lead to behaviours that are out of character. However you view it, the drinks and meds made you act violently. Most people who are really anxious don't hit people when things go wrong, so to say that it is the anxiety making you violent is misleading. Anyway, probably best you don't have any drinkies for the time being :winks:

[FixMe]

I completely agree with staying off the drink. As for the violence, in the situations i was in i felt trapped, wanted to leave somewhere etc. and was being restricted from doing so. Due to this, the panic of being restricted led me to lash out. Therefore the way I see it, the anxiety led to the panic and the panic plus restriction led to the violence. Does that make sense?

[Carys]

Yes, I see what you mean, now you have mentioned being restricted it makes more sense.