Drinking alcohol

[TomsThoughts]

So my works end of year celebration is coming up and It will be my first with anxiety and everyone will be drinking but I'm not sure if I will.

I've read in around 3 books that's drinking isn't recommended. But I work with 2 people with anxiety and they drink like anyone else would.

Really not sure but I don't want to live my life fearing alcohol. Has anyone drank alcohol and did it make you feel panicky?

[MyNameIsTerry]

You really will get mixed reviews about this, Tom. As you've already worked out from those 2 people, it's an individual thing.

I have drank a load for a week on holiday years ago but thesedays I don't drink because I know it will affect me because of where I am on my recovery. Once recovered to a certain point, I would drink ifg I wanted to. On the first occasion I ran it past my GP who agreed to moderate drinking, which I didn't stick to I had no anxiety issues at all, just the usual hangover that would be expected.

For me, you have to look at where you are. If you are being easily triggered by things, it could be a bad experience right now but that doesn't mean it will stay that way. People will tell you yhat anxiety & alcohol don't mix (I expect a post very shortly ) but you've got 2 people in your life who disagree already which proves that it's just not that simple.

Some meds are a problem with alcohol but many carry Moderate warnings, so they are not serious interacts that require abstainence.

There are many threads on here with people saying it has spiked them. There are also many posts saying it didn't. But the question I always ask myself is this - If I had a nice cup of tea and was fine, would I come on here and raise a thread? If so, I would be creating 3 a day every day. So, how many people do you think come on here and create one saying alcohol didn't affect them? None. Some will post on threads like yours, but just like good experiences of caffeine, b vitamins, certain foods, work, meds, etc you will mainly see the bad. Some of the people I have seen on here raise threads like this were not in a good position from their current posting so it was always going to end in tears for them but these get lumped into the "alcohol & anxiety don't mix" argument when they are really biased threads.

If you are unsure, I would advise going steady and seeing how it goes. Some people can drink fine but suffer the next day, some suffer on the night. So, I don't mean you feel ok after 2 so decide to get hammered because it's the next day you need to understand.

Alcohol on it's own is unlikely to make you panic as it's a CNS depressant, not a stimulant. It does block Serotonin too hence whyin people with that problem already, it can have a bad impact.

Avoiding something due to fear is a negative as you have shown you understand. If people choose to abstain, it needs to be a positive life choice when it comes to anxiety disorders or just being forced due to a medical issue. For some of us abstaining can spiral into other areas like mine did with supplements which then turned into my asthma meds which ended up with a mild asthma attack. So, you are right to look at it logically because people don't often think about the traps yet read all about how limiting your life means reinforcing disorders like these.

[sandie]

I spoke with my GP about this very subject just two nights ago. I am on Mirtazapine 30mg and the very occasional 2mg diazapam to take the edge off of a bad anxiety attack.

My GP feels that if I was drinking 2 or 3 units every evening then this would not be good; if I were to binge drink, ie, one massive drinking session once a week, then this is not good. The occasional small glass of wine a couple of evenings a week when in company cannot really hurt. Last night I enjoyed my first alcoholic drink in many weeks - taken after my meds, and watered down with soda water. I slept well and didn't feel any harmful side-effects.

You can go to your social evening and perhaps have one small glass of wine and then move on to something non alcoholic - most of the time as long as you have a glass in your hand it is irrelevant as to whether it is alcohol in the glass.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I agree with Terry that this is a very personal issue. I have a friend who's been suffering from anxiety for years who still drinks, because it relaxes him.
When I drink, I immediately feel jittery. However I still do it 'cause I'm trying to rewire my brain

A lot of people find it triggers them, others don't.
I know that at my holiday party I won't be drinking. One glass a day I can handle the jitters.
But after a full night of drinking, I always wake up in the middle of the night with a racing heart and the sweats. And with my anxiety I just can't deal with that right now.

Try to find your own balance. And whatever you do, don't feel obligated to drink 'cause others do

[gregcool]

Hi there..well i have had some weekends where iv drank two much,heavy and regreted it for a few days after,so nowdays im carefull..i drink every sat night nowadays a bottle of wine and feel fine

[Fishmanpa]

I believe you're playing with fire. While there are some that can manage, there is documented evidence and way too many posts on this forum that show otherwise. Between that, the warnings concerning mixing alcohol and meds and the propensity for anxiety sufferers (and depression which often go hand in hand) to turn to substance abuse and self medicate (3x that of non-anxiety sufferers), it can be a slippery slope. It's not a matter of "fearing" alcohol. It's a matter of doing the right thing for you. If drinking makes you feel like (&^%#, then don't do it. I ask you, is that fear/avoidance or common sense?

That being said, these are words on a screen and one will do what they will despite them.

Positive thoughts

[MyNameIsTerry]

and the propensity for anxiety sufferers (and depression which often go hand in hand) to turn to substance abuse and self medicate (3x that of non-anxiety sufferers), it can be a slippery slope.

Source?

Hopefully not the Social Anxiety one though as that made no link whatsoever and merely found that a higher % were found together. That never took out all those who had alcohol problems first. It was also only a study of Social Anxiety and how alcohol can be used to feel more relaxed at social occasions. That would not apply to all disorders, it certainly wouldn't for OCD.

If we use your method of information gathering for a second, are 30% of the people on NMP alcohol dependent? We see some, but I don't think there are hundreds.

Sandie has mentioned her GP has reviewed it. So had mine. Then we had Serenty's psychologist.

[ADW]

I find my anxiety is like a hangover. I'm less anxious with alcohol in my system but then the next day or even worse early morning i'm an anxious wreck and it amplifies any handover i would have had.

[MyNameIsTerry]

If drinking makes you feel like (&^%#, then don't do it. I ask you, is that fear/avoidance or common sense?

According to CBT therapists, avoidance out of fear of the outcome is a safety behaviour that reinforces disorders. They are the experts afterall.

I explained it in post #17 in this thread when you provided a completely irrelevent example to challenge this issue because you assumed what was said rather then click that button and read it :

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthr...=176005&page=2

[Oosh]

I gave up too. Like ADW says, the hangovers were literally unbearable. You'll read a lot of people saying it on boards like this.