alcohol gets rid of symptoms

[Nico]

I was wondering if any of you guys noticed the same??
thanks

[nomorepanic]

Yes but it is short-lived and of course then we go down the slippery slope of using alcohol to cope which is not good.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Yea it helps at the time but the next day when the alcohol wears off and you wake up to a hangover your anxiety is 10 times worse. Thats how it works with me anyway.

[Gee]

Me too, it doesn't make me more anxious the next day really either I just go back to my usual ways, does this mean our symptoms are anxiety? Mine also go when I exercise x

[Speranza]

I'm with the 'slippery slope' brigade. Any time you 'use' alcohol it's a bit dangerous. For me not being able to drink is one of the benefits of Prozac, it stops me even having to think about choosing...

[jasonp]

I would have to be controversial and say that alcohol, in moderation has really helped me. I have 1 large glass of red a night ( proven to be beneficial to heart health ) it relaxes me and I don't feel the need to drink more than this, and I look forward to it as my way of ending the day.
I think it becomes a problem when you depend on it or drink a large quantity. I neither need the alcohol nor do I exceed my 1 glass a night :)

[CharlieM]

Yes, it def helps at the time. It is all about getting the quantity right though.

Jasonp has it spot on. I am also on meds, so I limit it to just one drink unless I am going out. One drink allows me to take my meds and not suffer any side effects. If I am having more than one drink I take my meds earlier and drink lots of water.

[Col]

If u know your limits what ever helps, I suppose. But what if u have a really bad phase, you might just be overcome & hit the bottle more & more to get some respite, from the only thing u say helps.

Will lead to alcoholism , if this happens :lac:

[Em.ma]

I find it helps (sometimes in moderation) at the time. Then the next day I feel terribly anxious that something bad will happen because I've consumed alchohol.
Problem is it doesn't stop me

[B-Brain]

Of course everybody is different, so the amount we feel comfortable drinking and the way we react to alcohol will vary.

For me, alcohol heightens whatever it is I'm feeling to begin with. If I'm relaxed and happy, it makes me feel amazing. But if I'm stressed and panicky it only calms me down for a short while, before it makes me feel worse than when I started.

[Seeking Freedom]

I find it makes me a bit calmer at the time. However I tend to avoid it when I'm really anxious, as the next time I feel TEN time worse! I figured out I had to stay off it for a while. Even one or two drinks made me have a bad hangover the next day, simply because it made me feel sick due to the anxiety. I've been trying to limit alcohol and caffeine and I really do think it helps!

[joelhall]

Alcohol acts essentially like a benzodiazepine. The only problem is that drinking a fair amount increases a compound called acetaldehyde after alcohol metabolism which causes a hangover and causes cellular damage.

[cattia]

I actually find a glass of wine in the evening really helps me to relax. I don't tend to have more than that as I have to be up early for kids and work and I hate to feel fuzzy headed.

[Andrea2607]

You don't say if you are on any meds that may interfere with the alcohol.

Im on Pregabalin, Venlafaxine and Olanzapine and find that having a couple of drinks in the evening is fine even though the meds say 'do not drink alcohol.

Andrea :)

[Gee]

I probably wouldn't drink if I was on meds cos I think that would make me nervous it would react or something but I'm not on any so I drink a fair bit probably more than I should but it makes me feel better n chill out so I like it - no more than anyone else in their 20's :)

[Speranza]

I've simply not dared to try with being newly on Prozac. I suspect it would just make me very tired, but I don't feel like finding out!

[NeilSimpson]

I totally agree...

Woke up this morning with lymphoma and larynx cancer tearing my brain apart, throat felt closed and pains all over...

Today was my 30th, my youngest daughters, my mums and my wifes birthday BBQ, get a couple of carlsbergs inside me and all mysterious symptoms disappear until the party ends...

Im more than sure serious illness don't give you time off to have a few...

Oh, and I wouldn't recommend drinking with HA anyway, I am a ex-alcoholic but im going down the same path again, I really don't want anybody else going through it...

[Speranza]

Hi Neil, how did you become 'ex' the last time? And how do you feel about going back there? Does it feel scary, or inevitable, or like a relief cos it's familiar?

[NeilSimpson]

erm... its a hard thing to answer honestly, its like being asked why I have HA lol,

To be fair its a number of things, my mums a heavy drinker, my dads a heavy binge drinker, I lived with my brother for a lot of my life and we used to drink heavy...

Nah nothings inevitable but it does scare me, but the more I get scared, the more I drink, like HA and google really, need a quick fix even though you know its only gonna make you worse,

Plus I had a few bad experiances when I was 8-12years old,

I know this will sound weird but im actually glad you asked... feels good just typing out my feelings so I thank you :)