Fear of iniment heart attack for 4 years.

[Mr fox]

Hi. Over the past 4 years i've developed this fear that i will have a heart attack at any moment. At the moment i smoke about 15 roll ups a day which i enjoy but it brings on the fear, which i counter act by drinking alcohol. Some days it gets so bad i have to run to the local off lincence and buy a few beers or a bottle of wine and drink it fast for a quick fix. At the weekend i wake up early and start to smoke and by the time it gets to about 10 o'clock i need alcohol to stop the panic. By 1 o'olcock i'm asleep, i wake up and the whoole process starts again. I don't drink because i enjoy it, or to get drunk, i am simply drinking to stop panicking. In the past i have taking alot of hallucenogenic drugs which i have gained alot from, but the downside is they have made me acutely aware of my health and the way my body functions, which i think is where the anxiety has come from. I have no social fears or fears of life, quite the opposite, but this problem i have often makes me feel like ending it all because in the process of trying to get over it i'm making it worse, but i have too much love in my life for that. I've been to the doc, had the tests, came out clear, ride a bike 5 miles each day, carry it up 5 floors everyday, surely if i was going to have a heart attack i would feel it, but the fear won't go away. I don't know whether to see a psychologist. Its clear i need to stop smoking which would in turn stop me drinking but i have done this for six months before and the fear still lurks at the back of my head. Anyone else on here had similar problems and could offer advise i would really appreciate that.

[samtheman]

Hi. Over the past 4 years i've developed this fear that i will have a heart attack at any moment. At the moment i smoke about 15 roll ups a day which i enjoy but it brings on the fear, which i counter act by drinking alcohol. Some days it gets so bad i have to run to the local off lincence and buy a few beers or a bottle of wine and drink it fast for a quick fix. At the weekend i wake up early and start to smoke and by the time it gets to about 10 o'clock i need alcohol to stop the panic. By 1 o'olcock i'm asleep, i wake up and the whoole process starts again. I don't drink because i enjoy it, or to get drunk, i am simply drinking to stop panicking. In the past i have taking alot of hallucenogenic drugs which i have gained alot from, but the downside is they have made me acutely aware of my health and the way my body functions, which i think is where the anxiety has come from. I have no social fears or fears of life, quite the opposite, but this problem i have often makes me feel like ending it all because in the process of trying to get over it i'm making it worse, but i have too much love in my life for that. I've been to the doc, had the tests, came out clear, ride a bike 5 miles each day, carry it up 5 floors everyday, surely if i was going to have a heart attack i would feel it, but the fear won't go away. I don't know whether to see a psychologist. Its clear i need to stop smoking which would in turn stop me drinking but i have done this for six months before and the fear still lurks at the back of my head. Anyone else on here had similar problems and could offer advise i would really appreciate that.

Alcohol is a depressant, Any relief you get from alcohol soon starts to leave your body once you stop drinking and the result is? Anxiety, Panic, Restlessness, the list goes on, so each drink you take is adding to the panic believe it or not? Here is a way of thinking of it, What miracle drug can cure the problems it creates? I smoke also (Roll Ups) but I have no problems with them, Nicoteine raises stress levels thus causing anxiety, some people can't handle it, others can, I do think you should see a psychologist as none of us on here are properly trained to dish out advice only information.

[Liverbird67]

You don't say how old you are, I am 41 and have noticed over the last two years when I have had a drink the anxiety is 10 times worse, in fact I noticed the bad hangovers well before the depression and anxiety started in Feb 2008, don't know if this is an age thing, but a few people I have spoken to state that they have stopped going out drinking a lot because they can't hack the hangovers the next day (remember the good old days when you could go out Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sunday and not have any ill effects!!!)

I think that you need to see your G.P and explain your fears about heart attacks but to be honest if you are cycling five miles a day and lugging the bike up stairs I think if you were due for one it would have happend but hey I am no doctor, go for some advice, try not to be getting too dependent on alcohol or that will be another problem for you to deal with, and will make things worse in the long term.

Your G.P will probably refer you for some counselling of some sort, and hey don't go all macho and say it ain't for men, it may make a huge difference to your life to talk things through with a professional.

Good Luck

Debbie
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