Anxaiety after drinking alcohol

[pfidelus]

Hi, my name is Peter. I have been been sufferig from panic-attacks over a year now. To be truthfull they have almost disappeared thanks to herbal medication from Herbal Inn (UK) and quite a few secions of acupuncture. I cannot drink any alcohol - after one pint of beer or few glasses of wine I would feel very tense and sad - therefore I became very sensitive to these. Is this normal for person suffering from anxaiety to be so sensitive to alcohol substances? Even after one glass of wine I might feel tense and sad. Do you know if this will ever change and will I be able to have few glasses of wine without getting these feelings? I used to be able to drink lots of alcohol before but now not even one pint.

[Meg]

Hi Peter

This is very common whilst acute but tends to fade as you recover

alcohol and panic-do they mix? (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2409)
Alcohol (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4783)
Anxiety and alcohol (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5142)
Alcohol (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5347)
hangovers (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5825)
Panic attacks and alcohol (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6371)
horrible cycle (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6359)



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[trac67]

Hi Peter,

Welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice here and make some new friends.

Take care

Trac XX

'Live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten'

[jos]

hi peter

alcohol has given me some really scary mood changes and experiences particularly as i was heading into an nasty period of anxiety associated with slipping into a deep depression. Then the fear of the effect of alcohol made me very tense when i tried some - in the end i went on full abstenance for quite a few months and minimal alcohol for a year. Halfway through, i had a good day for my birthday and had at least a bottle of wine with no ill effects - so a lot is down to situation

I think that you become very sensitive to the natural changes that you get with alcohol which is ultimately a depressant - i will never drink again at my previous moderate to heavy level - in fact it is clear that i used alcohol as an anti anxiety self medication and a mood supressor as well as the social fun side - now, a year later, i just enjoy the flavour and mild effect of very modest amounts but i needed to feel secure in handling moods and anxieties to experiment again.

I am careful only to drink when i feel in the right mood and save it for nice meals or special occaisions and never without food - socially i am the one who often has a cup of tea at a party or in a pub - usually joined by others who think that is a good idea. Also my friends are amazed how i can party and dance without alcohol when they are all pissed - it has gained me a lot of respect whereas before i was the pisshead who usually overdid it.

definately one to avoid, along with caffiene, when learning to handle anxiety problems - and one to experiment with carefully again - i have stuck to wine so far and used it as an excuse to treat myself to good ones.

good luck

jos

[Piglet]

Like everything in life the key here is moderation [Sigh...]

A big welcome to the site to you :D

Love Piglet x

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.

[henri]

hey peter,
i hope you read all the threads that meg posted and that they helped you.
i didn't drink at all in 2005, because of my panic attacks and of how i felt when i had even a few sips of alcohol. it upset me hugely because i couldn't even have a glass of wine with my dinner, which i have always enjoyed.
anyway, it has been a year since my panic started and i am now at the stage where, on a good day, i can have a couple of glasses of wine and be fine. i really enjoy it, even though i can't go on huge benders like i used to. i guess there's more than a grain of truth in what piglet said about everything in moderation!
welcome to the site,
henri x

[FRANKIEISBACK]

I very rarely drink alcohol, its something to be used occasionally In MY OPINION

[bluesparkle]

hi peter...
i hope you found the links that meg posted helpful
i have struggled with the connection of alcohol and my panic/anxiety being worse...
i used to like to go out twice a week too a friends a drink but then i realised the next day was awful... my mood was very low and panicky (let alone the hangover bit!)
i too am now well on the way to recovery and have found that i can now go out for a drink again as long as im sensible about it... like piglet says as with everything in moderation is fine...
take care
rach

[Ma Larkin]

Hi Peter, I brought this up with my doctor because I was worried about how much alcohol I could drink in one session. He said I was bound to be more anxious because alcohol is a depressant. It might make you feel good for the first few drinks, also dependant on your mood, but when you come down from alcohol you feel much worse. It became a vicious circle for me because although alcohol did calm me down, when the effects wore off, I was even worse! This made me drink again, then depressed, panicky and anxious again, then drink again!! It became a daily ritual. Now I just go out once a week, probably still drink more than I should in one session, but put the effects down to a hangover and tell myself it is not anxiety and I am not going to have a panic attack, find something to do and it seems to sort itself out. You will find lots of useful information on here and do check Meg's links out; they are ever so helpful. Take care, Les, x

[southernstar66]

I have found over December when my anxiety levels were growing that I was using alcohol more and more and didnt connect the two until it finally dawned on me that whilst the alcohol helped at night to make me feel calm and dull the edges of anxiety in the morning the effects were to make my anxiety miles worse. I do agree with what other people have written that when I am in a good place with the anxiety I can enjoy some drinks with no ill effects but at a time when things are difficult it just makes matters worse.

[sal]

Hi Peter

Alcohol does make you very sensitive. I tend to use it to calm me down but i just feel worse the next day.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[simms]

I have never been heavy drinker but tend to drink a lot at celebrations like b'days, xmas. I never saw the connection also, until I realised the day after, or even for a few days after heavy drinking my anxiety/panic settles in. My problem is when you feel good you forget how bad things can get and I end up drinking more than I should and get carried away.

[EmmaJane]

Hi Peter, I tend to find with alcohol, im usually, very down the next day or so after having a drink.

Feel free to PM me, if you want to talk.

Emma xx

Keep focused, keep positive.