self medicating with alcohol

[kallie0509]

did anyone else self medicate? i did for a loooong time. my anxiety was so bad and eventually social drinking turned into drinking by myself, which turned into drinking a 12 pack a night by myself. it helped for a while but then the depression really set in and being hungover everyday for years turned into being hungover everyday with a constant panic attack for years. i had really let myself go and didn't care about anything but drinking. spent all my money, got behind on bills and sobbed everynight, drunk off my ass praying for the courage to end it all. then the love of my life left me because he just couldn't do it anymore and i don't blame him, but it plunged me deeper into depression, drinking, and severe panic attacks.


i would like to hear your self medication stories...

[Phill2]

Been there - done exactly that.
It took the love of a good woman to bring me back
Phill :shades:

[shotokansho]

Hi Kallie i have also been there. I have been detoxed twice and even set my house on fire because i was so chomatosed with drink.
Recently i got so ill and depressed, with OCD and anxiety i drank every day as a coping mechanism. I ended up being hospitalised. During my time in hospital i started to recover with the help of medication, nurses, my support worker and the support from family and friends.
I didnt touch a drop for three weeks and i felt so much better for it. Now i just drink two or three times a week and i limit myself to 4 beers and never go over it. I am hoping i can eventually get this less.
Good luck with your recovery i know what your going through.

Kez xx

[capenwray]

Hi Kallie

I've been self medicating with alcohol for over 18 years! It's awful ! I have not been hospitalised yet, but I spend most nights drinking alone, at home. I have medication for anxiety, panic attacks and Bi-polar, but once I have eaten them, I cannot get any more and turn to alcohol just to get through a day. I would love to hear more stories - especially those that got through their ordeal .. good luck all

[ditzygirl]

I too have used alcohol as a prop to cover anxiety and depression, a bottle of wine a night was my coping method but I was deeply unhappy.

I was also kidding myself that I was fine and didn't need medication. I was also lying to myself, sending myself to an early grave and stuck in a big big rut.

I went to GP - got antidepressants and have stopped drinking and taken up exercise instead.

4 weeks ago I didn't want to leave the house and kidded myself I was happy being a couch potatoe with a glass of wine on hand.

I won't lie and say I don't miss wine on a saturday evening while watching tv or on a sunday when I am cooking the roast. However, I am losing weight, my skin has improved, I am going out alone and driving and I don't miss the bad heads in the morning!!!!! The benfits of not drinking are much better than relying on drink.

My exercise routine is easy too - I just go out walking and you would be amazed at how easy it is to pass the time of day with other walkers hence building my confidence!!!!!!

I have to be honest and say I didn't think I was strong enough to fight back but I am and I have. And there is no way I am going back to alcohol like that ever again. I feel so much better, more alert, achieving more in my life.

I am taking 50mg of Sertraline and the depression has lifted, I feel emotionally much stronger already. Don't get me wrong everytime I get in the car it would be easy to not fight the anxiety but the anxiety is improving slowly.

Oh and I can't stop smiling - I feel like the girl I was a very long time ago and I am not letting that go for anyone or anything.

I honestly think alcohol just makes anxiety and depression worse - you can feel better and improve your life. If I can anyone can - HONEST!!!!!

[Heaven_Scent]

Its a slippery slope and one i know all too well. You think the alcohol is helping but in fact its making things 1000 times worse!! Its a very hard crutch to kick and im still struggling with not drinking, a glass of wine always makes things better for an hour or two but its not worth it in the long run. Just been put back on citalopram after stopping meds a few months ago (was on them for 7 years prior) Thing is the meds dont work if your brain is swimming in wine. Lol. We can do it!!Xx

[capenwray]

I am certainly not alone it would seem, and it was good to read more posts.

I concur with Paul - we are on this planet together, I just wish we were all on a level playing field, without anxiety or panic or alcohol :)

Using alcohol as a crutch has over the past 18 years seemed to be helpful, although I know it isn't. I can wake at 5.30 in the morning and start drinking within half an hour, usually cider these days. I will drink at the same rate until well after midnight!

I am more sensible with my meds of late, but, they prescribe only one week at a time now, and I usually run out after 5 days. Watching my meds get low makes me anxious ... this leaves me 2 days where initially my body craves the meds I now don't have, then anxiety, sometimes panic - you guys know the signs. I am now unable to leave the house - shortness of breath, sweating ...hang on, I have cider, that'll help me feel better. Within another 15 minutes I am calming down.

I have talked with professionals and they assure me that I don't need the alcohol, that I will get through it. I'm obviously too weak for that. But, I'll keep on trying, and hopefully, I can stop using it as a crutch.