Does alchohol & ciggies make you feel awful

[junie7]

Friday evening and I thought I would treat myself to a glass of wine and a cigarette as I have not had either all week. I had a few sips of wine and a few puffs of my cigarette and immediately felt absolutely dreadful. My chest tightened up and I could hear my heart beating really loudly, this made me feel dreadful. Just started to get back to normal now.
Anyone else have symptons from alcohol and ciggies?

[nomorepanic]

well yes - both cause anxiety

[AnxiousHarry]

well ther both stimulants 4 the brain just chill and av a few more:winks:

[PoppyC]

Alcohol and cigarettes made my anxiety a lot worse and I would feel terrible within a few hours and especially the next day.
I have started having a couple of glasses of wine again at night after not touching alcohol for a very long time, apart from the odd glass of Baileys. I don't miss the cigarettes at all and have not smoked since. I have found that the wine is making my Citalopram not work so well. I can tell a difference and so I am going back to not drinking again. :weep: but will just finish the glass I have at the moment first! :winks:
Having Anxiety and depression is just so dull :lac:

[Danath]

I used to drink quite heavily and the problem with that is that its an immediate relief but then it comes and bites you in the back end the next day, not so much because of a hang over but because alcohol drains you of vitamins and minerals which can contribute to depressed feelings and is of course a depressant, not %100 on how it works but having cut down on drinking massively recently I can definately say theres been a huge difference in anxiety levels.

as for smoking, I've been quitted for over a year now, although ive had the odd one when drunk since, I don't smoke regularly, whats that I hear you say? congratulations? well thanks but don't thank me thank anxiety, I stopped smoking simply because I couldn't smoke! every time I took a drag on a ciggy I felt anxiety start welling up inside, I'm the only person I know thats happened to, but it caused so much anxiety that I ended up quitting - not a bad thing admittedly, but i'd rather not have had my hand forced by anxiety.

Dan

[Fran74]

I still smoke sadly i have roll ups, telling myself that are not as bad as cigarette ...anyway i dont get anxiety from smoking but i do from drinking actually is the next day ..when i wake up and myheart is beating fast as it would after maybe a bottle of wine and 20 rool ups the night before ..but i make it worst because of my anxiety ..So i have started my med on tuesday havent been out af all and not a drop and feel great althiugh tonight i am having some friends around to watch shopaholic the movie abd am planning to drink couple of glasses of wine not too much ..so i am not taking my propranolol ..as we have to have fun as well or life becomes too much
:hugs:

[Alvin58]

I stopped smoking simply because I couldn't smoke! every time I took a drag on a ciggy I felt anxiety start welling up inside, I'm the only person I know thats happened to

Dan

The same thing happens to me . I have been looking for triggers that set off panic attacks and smoking is definately one of them . I had my last cigarette ever last night . Now that I have given up I feel a real sense of freedom.

[junie7]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies.
I just feel so frustrated as I don't feel anxious about anything I'm just trying to get on with things like work, shopping etc and I keep getting this light headed feeling and a build up of what now seems like anxiety in my chest. I was having a very nice shopping trip up Oxford Street the other day when it happenned although I managed to control it so it did'nt get out of hand. And now I can't even enjoy a glass or two of wine and a ciggie, going on holiday in a week and can't even say I'll be teatotal as coffee and tea sets it off as well......and I have a bad cold as well........oh joy!

[jackie l]

hiya all, the alchohol and the cigs used 2 make me worse. i actually stopped smoking on march 31st 08 due 2 anxiety i had a chest pain,which i now know was stress related and havent touched a cig since, not bad after 35 years, but i do like a drink of baileys which i can cope with. hugs to all:hugs:xx jackie xxxx

[amandaj]

i still smoke but im now on a dettox not drank for 6 days and not sure if its the medication or not im taking but anxiety def dropped slightly so id say yes alcohol does make things worse the next day at the time its great

[Danath]

know where you're at there junie, ive been going through the whole thing of 'hmmm might have a few bevvies tonight' and then thinking 'oh ican't it'll screw me up'. the way I'm trying to deal with this is by reminding myself that it will allow my antidepressants to work at optimum effect and that i WILL be able to drink in the future, I just gotta get better first, the same way you would wait til you were rid of a stomach bug before you ate chocolate again.

I think the trick is to try and avoid feeling liek you're being FORCED not to drink, because noone likes t obe forced to do or not to do something,in fact its quite depressing, you ahve to tell yourself its a choice your making not to drink for your health, the same way that if your liver was getting a bit bad you would cut down whilst it repaired, the same applies to the mind.

hope this helps

Dan

[Ozpanic]

not for me ciggies relax me. id go nuts with panic..but i dont drink!!!

[nervousnikki]

I used to drink quite heavily and the problem with that is that its an immediate relief but then it comes and bites you in the back end the next day, not so much because of a hang over but because alcohol drains you of vitamins and minerals which can contribute to depressed feelings and is of course a depressant, not %100 on how it works but having cut down on drinking massively recently I can definately say theres been a huge difference in anxiety levels.

as for smoking, I've been quitted for over a year now, although ive had the odd one when drunk since, I don't smoke regularly, whats that I hear you say? congratulations? well thanks but don't thank me thank anxiety, I stopped smoking simply because I couldn't smoke! every time I took a drag on a ciggy I felt anxiety start welling up inside, I'm the only person I know thats happened to, but it caused so much anxiety that I ended up quitting - not a bad thing admittedly, but i'd rather not have had my hand forced by anxiety.

Dan



Dan

i thought it was just me. Every time i took a drag i felt anx to overwhelming level. This was 3 years ago and i every drag made me feel like i woulod get cancer and die.

This is when my HA started. Shortly after this started i lost a family friend to lung cancer. The moment i got the call i grabbed my ciggies i got half way through it and had a full panic attack. I have never touched one since. Somedays i still think " i need a cig" but i know it would just send me back to the start.

Congratulations on giving up its very hard and tell yourself you are proving you are mentally strong by doing so.

x
nikki

[Danath]

I think we're quite rare on this one, most cases a ciggy would relax someone if not by nicotine then by the familiarity and habit, donig something normal when everything else is going mad if you get my drift, but I think we're the unlucky ones who get a mental beating because of the nicotine rush!

I neever had a health anxiety with mine though, it was just general panic and a fear i mgiht vomit, but its understandable why you feared lung cancer after just losing someone from it, it makes a lot of sense, if i lost a friend in a car crash i might be a bit jumpy about getting in a car for a while!

take care :)

Dan

[nervousnikki]

Loosing my friend was the final push i think. Every time i had a drag i felt sick and dizzy but i carried on doing it cos my partner at the time was tring to make me stop. Thats just a red rag to a bull with me, tell me no and i just have to!

In the end the anx won though and my bank balance if not my waist is glad it did lol.