Did alcohol cause this?

[Skkyee]

I'm not, nor have I ever been a heavy drinker. But last year it crept up and over Xmas I drank more than I would like. Generally I might average 3 - 4 bottles of medium strength wine per week. More than I should, but not terrible. Anyway I decided New Year's Eve to cut it out for a little while then cut back. Last night I had my first drink since new year, so just a week without. But last night, before the drink, and the preceding couple of days I have felt the very best I have felt for ages, no panic, no stress, no short patience or physical symptoms of any sort.

I drank maybe half a bottle last night.... No big deal! Today, brain fog all day and an uncharacteristic panic attack tonight (I don't do intense panic attacks, I do horrible lengthy symptoms and general daily anxiety).... At least I think it was a panic attack, I convinced myself it was a stroke as it started in my head, a bit Zappy/dizzy (no idea the symptoms of a stroke aside from numbness and there was non of that, don't tell me, it won't be helpful :wacko: that's why I don't google) .... But this is HA, we all convince ourselves of the worst right?

Anyway.... My point is, I had no idea how potent alcohol was in the grand scheme of anxiety! One drink and it springs back..... Do you think it was coincidence? Or did alcohol do this??

(Still half convinced it was something awful and not a panic attack, but trying to ignore that irrational voice)

[KeeKee]

I genuinely believe this is alcohol. Before I even had my first panic attack I used to feel really anxious when drinking alcohol to the point I could no longer get tipsy as my stomach would just churn and I couldn't drink no more. Now I can't even have a sip without feeling anxious I don't think I'll ever drink again which is a shame as I liked getting tipsy.

[Skkyee]

I'm fine with the alcohol in my system, it's a short term relief when things a rough.... It's the after tho for me. Which makes it a very dangerous cycle I guess!

[KeeKee]

Definitely. Alcohol is a known depressive and I used to feel severely depressed the following day, this was when I regularly went out drinking. I know you are mentioned anxiety and not depression but they often come hand in hand.

[Skkyee]

Needless to say I will be testing the theory again and swearing off alcohol again for a while. Anything to shake how I feel right now.

[KeeKee]

I bet it'll be hard but worth it just until you can get a little more control of your anxiety. It may not be the alcohol, but if it is then your anxiety will not settle if you continue to drink. I know it sounds pathetic, but could you not have a relaxing cuppa? My partner likes a drink at the end of a stressful work day so I know it relaxes some people, but if you can find an alternative that would be amazing. Also it will have been a panic attack, when I had my first proper one I was convinced it was a heart issue. Never had them since and I'm a whole lot more anxious than I was then. Its also amazing you don't Google as that put me in a state just before Christmas.

[Skkyee]

I have done my share of googling.... Not at all helpful!! :doh: so I stopped, but then I'm the other extreme, I darent to go to the dr either for fear they will say the word 'test' and terrify me!! So I suffer quietly where possible.

I dont think that no alcohol will be too difficult :-) a cuppa sounds lovely!! :D

[Fishmanpa]

Agreed... some people can handle it and some can't. 3-4 entire bottles of wine per week is more than average/moderate IMO. Many think they can and are in denial as to the amount and negative effects is has on them. Listen to your rational voice and do what's best for your mental and physical health. My feeling is, if you even have to ask the question then you probably shouldn't.

"When in doubt, don't!"

Benjamin Franklin

Positive thoughts

[Sam Winter]

i definitely want to say its down to the alcohol,
my dad drinks lots of it and it makes him more panicky and depressed afterwards then without it x

[MyNameIsTerry]

If you drink regularly then you would be already experiencing this effect surely? Alcohol actually causes a spike in Serotonin output and this can lead to potential depletion when the effects wear off. Anxiety and depression are thought to be connected to reduced levels of this neurotransmitter hence alcohol can further expose that problem.

So, if you can tolerate alcohol on a regular basis why has this one occasion caused this? There is a gap in consumption so is there a connection there? Did you do anything else different?

Someone who doesn't drink saying they drank once and this happened would seem an obvious case, although I know there are so many factors involved which I rarely see discussed on alcohol threads on NMP. But in someone who tolerates alcohol, its unusual as it points potentially away from the alcohol.

That being said, I don't mean to imply it's a health concern.

I have seen people on here have the odd alcohol wobble one time and be fine with it the next. So, testing this is the most sensible way. To simply argue you cant tolerate it at all in this case doesn't explain why you have been doing so up until now and without testing the hypothesis further its just going to be assumption.

What does need addressing though is the need to do it to help anxiety. Thats never a good combination and perhaps worth discussing with a GP to see how they can help. Certainly you need to be wary of alcoholism, you don't want that on top of everything else you are fighting through.

[Skkyee]

Hmm, I think I was drinking and generally having an ongoing feeling of anxiety as usual. I stopped for a few days then reintroduced it and had a minor reaction. I think it's an indication that possibly the good I was doing by not drinking had been reversed. I don't think I have an alcohol issue as I had no problems not drinking for a week, however, I'm going to continue not drinking as it seemed to make me feel so well last week!!

There's another potential reason for the anxiety spike, could be hormonal, it's one of those peak hormone points for me just now. Maybe it's that??

Who knows, feeling fine this morning again...... But that can change in a second!!

[uru]

It's not th cause but it certainly doesn't help.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Lots of women on here have said their anxiety is spiked by their periods regardless of situation so if that's what you mean then its very possible. I would expect you already have seen this happening in the past unless you have never had alcohol around that time?

From your original description it sounded like this spike was much more than anything felt when drinking before. If it's actually similar then I think that brings alcohol back into the equation. If it was just a bit worse, and you can see alcohol & hormone changes clashing in the past, it could be a bit of both?

The thing is, I know from years of having blips that cycle every 7-10 days (a med problem for me) that when you transition from feeling better to worse, it can hit you hard. This can mean some spiraling but over time you learn to manage this better. So, to me there could be an element of that too.

I didn't mean to imply a drink problem, I meant it more from the self medication against anxiety angle. I think its obvious you understand this and have a healthy attitude towards addressing things anyway, I guess we just tend to mention it just in case.

[Skkyee]

Indeed terry and I appreciate your input wholeheartedly!! I will just continue to monitor and see what happens.... And remove drink from the equation for a while :-) feeling good today so I'm just gonna enjoy it while it last..... Probably won't be long!!

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks and I'm glad you are feeling well.

Perhaps it has been a good experiment anyway as you've found you can feel better in between and that must be a real relief? It might just mean more moderation and if feeling better overall comes out of it, it's a good thing.

You can always work on substance triggers again later anyway. I couldn't tolerate caffeine or many foods in my worst stages but I could later. As you recover you can become more hardened to it, less sensitised, so its not also a matter of permanent abstinence with them all.

Besides, who doesn't like a lovely cup of tea? Maybe that someone with severe anxiety, which is obvious, but once out of that cycle it's good to have a cuppa again. The same may be true for alcohol for many of us.

I hope your day continues to be a good one. :yesyes: