The "miracle" of wine?!

[MizzD]

i know its wrong, but its the only thing that ever helps me to relax and stop these terrible thoughts and feelings, a few glasses of wine in the evening or a large glass if a panic totally takes me over, im terrified to take any medication, id call the ambulance and convince myself i was dying from some reaction, does anyone else find alcohol helps? i know its not a good thing to use for anxiety but it helps for me, big time x

[Rach29]

i agree with you it does help im the same if im gripped by panic and anxiety ill have a drink to relax not too many tho coz i cant handle hangovers no more and your right its not good for you but as long as your not overdoing it thats fine and im the same as you scared to take meds : / x

[LAURA48]

Totally bad idea - very slippery road. One drink leads to two, etc, would go and see your GP before it gets out of control.

Sorry to sound negative but drink is not a good idea to help anxiety all the time.

[MizzD]

a hangover sends me into panics! x

---------- Post added at 18:18 ---------- Previous post was at 18:16 ----------

i know its no good, i am going to sort it out, i just want to feel normal, well, ish!! x

[eight days a week]

It does help, but it's easy to 'keep helping yourself' as it were!

Like my psychiatrist said (after I got into some pretty bad trouble with alcohol eventually) 'diazepam is better than alcohol'.

A shame the GP I'd seen for it hadn't thought the same way, or I would never had had those problems in the first place :doh:

[theharvestmouse]

Drinking to ease anxiety is a very bad idea. I'm speaking from experience.

[Ingenious]

Yes you are playing with fire MizzD :) Over time it tends to take more and more drink to help, or more often, it creeps up on you then you have a problem. Try and nip it in the bud while you can, if that's possible.

[Anxious_gal]

Try non alcoholic beer or wine .
There's studies that show if the person doesn't know it's non alcoholic they will feel drunk lol
It happened me once and even after I found out my beer was alcohol free I still felt tipsy !
I guess the placebo affect but it's worth a try.

My mum self medicated with alcohol n it got bad in she ended up in rehab.
You don't need to take meds but take omega 3 and vitamins . They will help a little at least x
I'm med phobic too do I get it x

[eurotrashcub]

Everybody uses a couple of glasses of alcohol to relax and there is no reason why people with anxiety should not, as long as it is done moderately and not every day.

[kg78]

I do find that a glass of wine helps me relax at the time, but I know that alcohol makes my anxiety a lot worse the next day do I try and avoid it if possible.

[Pipkin]

Hi,

I don't think there's any doubt that alcohol doesn't really help anxiety and can make it worse, particularly the following day.

Having said that, having an occasional drink because you enjoy it is something lots of us do. I really enjoy a glass or two of wine at the weekend and if I end up feeling more anxious the following morning, that's a decision I have to make. The problem comes when you drink specifically to help you through your anxiety as this starts to become self-medicating and you can find you can only manage your anxiety by drinking. I think that's where the slippery slope starts.

Everyone's different and you have to judge what's best for you. A good test would be to ask yourself if you could manage your anxiety over a couple of weeks without a drink. If you think you couldn't, or that it's heading that way, it's time to do something about it.

Pip x

[speckles69uk]

Hi Mizz,

I understand where you're coming from. I've been self medicating with alcohol as it does help me relax. I do find however, if I have had too much though I have terrible anxiety and panic attacks the next day. I would drink just to help me relax, which I know from experience really does help. However, I realised that my few glasses to relax seemed to be everyday and creep up and up. I am currently seeing someone from ADS, which I was referred to from my therapist, but I think you can have self referrals or referrals from your GP. It's not like AA or anything, more of a talk one to one and setting little goals. I still drink, but have reduced my intake considerably and also aim to have 2 alcohol free days a week. I find that if I note down what I've had (units wise) in a week, I can keep an eye on it so I don't creep up too much. As mentioned by a previous poster, if you think you're having too much, add in the odd glass of alcohol free wine/beer or, try new juices and herbal teas. I do, and it does help.

[SG]

I agree, wine brings so much calm to my body that in the last few months I've found myself reaching for it as a way of coping. That was when I decided to get help for my anxiety because I don't want to go down that route of relying on alcohol.

I do love a nice glass or two though....

[sarahblonde32]

yep i agree, if im going out with friends, which generally makes me feel anxious..then i have to neck a coupleof wines to totally help me relax...but after a few i feel anxious again and its a big circle! and the next day is even worse!

be careful just to have a couple....and drink it slowly..
sarah