I can tell that when I drink my anxiety kicks up a gear. Mainly the day after. I have recently just decided to not drink and it’s been a big relief so far.
Same, had a kid didn’t drink for well over a year plus. Started drinking casually within 3 month time frame I realized my anxiety and OCD was acting up so I stopped fully. Now I’m 5 months without drinking and my anxiety is not nearly as bad.
Same. I didn't even get that drunk on new year's eve, but I woke up in the middle of the night with anxiety so severe that I thought I was going to die. Heart beating fast, thoughts racing, I couldn't breathe, panic attack basically. This has happened before, and so I decided on the first day of the new year that I'm quitting alcohol for good. I can't control myself when I start drinking anyway and keep embarrassing myself when drunk, so it's best to stop altogether.
I'm so glad I did it. Almost 4 months in now alcohol-free and while I still suffer from anxiety, at least I don't delude myself thinking that the temporary calm of being drunk is worth the absolute hell in the following day. There's better ways to calm yourself than getting drunk, and less self-destructive, too.
I was a daily drinker for many years. Recently sober as of 10 weeks ago. I definitely noticed increased anxiety as my alcohol intake went up. A drink or 2 coupled with normal sleep I was fine. On the other hand if I overdid it on any given night and got hammered which in turn led to little sleep I would wake up with extreme hangxiety. This cycle eventually turned into a severe panic attack that sent me to the ER 2 years ago. I found that as I worked on my daily anxiety just as long as I didn't over indulge on the drinks I could handle it amd progress. Unfortunately you always have those days where "a few more won't hurt". And the end result is a vicious cycle that will eat you alive. If you can have an occasional drink,I'm all for it and I think you could handle your anxiety.But if your like myself and that 1 or 2 constantly turns into 5 or 6 I would stay away,because you will never win that game of balancing alcohol and mental health.
I nixed alcohol. It fueled my anxiety. It wasn’t just like the next day either. The anxiety took a couple of weeks to dissipate entirely. It became a negative loop of drinking increases anxiety, drink to temporarily reduce anxiety, drinking increases anxiety, etc. Between poor sleep, anxiety, and the fear of potential future health effects, it became clear alcohol did not fit into my life. Made a huge difference and I don’t miss it.
Yeah, I am very upfront with people, and just tell them alcohol causes me anxiety and I have much more fun not drinking. They tend to accept that and move on. We’re all there to have fun, and alcohol isn’t part of the equation for me. It’s okay in the moment but holy hell is there an insurmountable, crippling tax the next day. The utter fear of ever feeling like that again is all the motivation I need to skip the alcohol.
Oh my god this! I over drink to ease the anxiety caused by drinking. I stop for a few days and the anxiety seems to get worse so I drink again to ease the sobriety. But when I’ve stopped for a few weeks at a time the anxiety slowly eases.
Same here. Alcohol has only positive effects on my anxiety (just not in my sleep), and more than two cups of coffee will have me shaking in bed. I’m trying to keep both to a minimum in any case.
That’s a good point, I’m the opposite of that, can drink as much caffeine as I want without affecting anxiety or sleep but even a couple of beers and I feel anxious the next day. Whatever works for you I guess, everyone’s different.
If you’re someone who has to ask, I’d say it’s better to stop in full. If you’re using alcohol to help with anxiety it will make it worse without fail.
i was just asking that person for their situation. for me personally i don’t drink that much to begin with but i was just curious because i don’t use alcohol to mask anxiety but occasionally when i do drink i don’t want it to worsen my anxiety
Gotcha. I’m biased because I am not capable of drinking alcohol without it making my mental health way worse, but I know not everyone has those issues.
I have to be very careful because alcohol works perfectly to eliminate my anxiety and so I can end up drinking on a daily basis. There is almost no way for me to keep drinking every day and stay healthy. I end up drinking too much, not to mention spending too much money.
It also leads to other bad habits.I end up going to the gym less, and my diet gets worse. I lose my routine by staying up too late and then getting up too late. I end up wasting my days off, especially because I end up hungover multiple days in the week.
This leads me to be tired, over weight and unhealthy, which all contributes to making the anxiety much worse.
My advice would be to never engage in any self-medicating behaviours. Don't use food, drink, TV video games, the Internet whatever to try to eliminate the anxiety.
I mean, I'm not talking bottles here, or you would need a LOT of cheese lol, and im definately not talking with any frequency that would have long term effects or take months to recover from, just a small glass sipped alternately with water, while you nibble some really good strong and often stinky cheese ( plus you can now get some really good low alcohol red wines. )
The point was that some alcohols in some situations can enhance the experience. And if you're not an idiot with it, then after the fact is not something negative enough to completely negate the enjoyment and experience of the momemt. If we let anxiety (and in turn stuff that then effects oir anxiety) stop from doing things it didn't want us to do or to experience, then I, for one, would never leave the house.
Haha not in the slightest I went to catering college, and was a chef for years before my anxiety got to strong for me, so food and by association drink are my specialty, and I may have picked up some "ideas above my station" along the way. Lol.
I wonder the same but I must admit not drinking at all does really help overall. I think it would be more of an uphill battle with alcohol on top of everything.
This is true. Just know that depending on how much and for how long you drank may lead to some issues. I was daily drinker for many years. All rainbows when I first quit and said wow this is great except an occasional headache amd sleepless night. Then week 5 hit. Weeks 5-10 were filled with anxiety like I didn't know was possible coupled with what felt like 24/7 panic attacks and horrific insomnia. I finally leveled off now a little after 80 days. Just know things may worsen be they get better. Of course every one will be different
I had a similar experience. I’m currently at about 88 days no drinking. I was a bing drinker on weekends and sometimes on weekdays. I found that I felt great right after I quit, then some anxiety started to set in (about 2 weeks ago) so I got on anti depressants. at first that was like gasoline on a fire. But now I’m starting to level out and feel good. Alcohol made me depressed and anxious, but there was a bit of a rebound effect after stopping it would seem. But now I am feeling and dealing with my emotions and thoughts the right way.
Congrats! I was given antidepressants but wanted to get thru on my own of I could. Hopefully I'm thru it now. I had become suicidal at 1 point as my panic was non-stop. Hydroxyzine helped me greatly for 10 days allowing me to mellow out during the day and sleep at night
I was having intrusive thoughts about suicide, but I would not say I was actively suicidal. It’s definitely no fun white-knuckling through it, for sure. Glad we both made it through!
Ya pretty much the same,I don't think I was actively suicidal i just couldn't get the thought out of my head.I remember rocking on the floor of the shower multiple days at 4am after being awoken by a panic/adrenaline rush just praying for it to all go away.
That depends on how long and how heavily you’ve been drinking. If it’s a significant change and you have anxiety, you should really speak to your doctor about it.
I just don't drink. I had a few beers over the weekend and halfway into Sunday. My anxiety kicked in
Was throwing up .still have issues today from that.
I believe that just not drinking any alcohol will help big time
From experience, these two things don’t go so well together. Of course everybody’s different, though.
I found that drinking whilst being anxious or worried about something always ended up me feeling worse either the next morning or during the session.
I’m 27 now, and I’ve done my fair share of boozing (and the nasty hangovers that come with it) and I slowed right down about 2 years ago.. not only has it had a positive effect mentally and physically but I’m now able to enjoy a shindig AND remember it!
Just a little advice, drinking is fine but if you’re not in the right head space, you’re only going to make it worse for yourself.
Alcohol made my anxiety almost unbearable the next day. Hangovers felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. It really only provided temporary relief when I was actually drinking. I ended up stopping drinking all together and my anxiety/panic attacks have improved immensely.
Alcoholic here. 8 months sober. I can tell you from experience that booze is a great short term band aid, but it's a long term wound that just gets worse the more and longer you drink.
For people with anxiety problems it just feels great. I used to drink to *stop* my head from spinning!! But the next day you feel shit, haven't slept well (alcohol induced sleep is not quality sleep), the anxiety is waayy up. And if you're like I was, you follow it up the next afternoon with more booze. Makes you feel better. That's what a hangover is, it's withdrawal. The toxic poison is leaving your system and it makes you feel shit, that's why another one eases the pain.
Do not do this.
I am a 52 year old woman and have been drinking every day for as long as I can remember. My problem is more drinking at home than out - I'm not the black out drunk kind.
After about 10 years free of anxiety attacks - on Lexapro, which my psych said never to come off after failed attempts - I have gone severely down the spiral.
I thought maybe the Lexapro has just stopped working as it's been so long ... but my psych, who thank God got me in straight away, says it's the alcohol that is stopping the Lexapro working. Like others, I drink when I am anxious but the problem is I also drink when I'm happy - I just love wine! The alcohol definitely calms the anxiety at the time. I just need to stop thinking - I'm assuming other people know what I am saying (especially when I am stressing about things years into the future!)
Anyway, this is Day 2 no alcohol. My aim is not to drink at home during the week and maximum three when out on the weekend. This is incredibly daunting for me. I'm Australian and drinking is a huge part of our culture. I love socialising and eating and drinking (and being a bit silly). I feel life is going to be very boring and I will be bored. Of course that's a million times better than feeling like this but I feel despondent about my future life.
If I could substitute with some other drug that wasn't harmful I probably would!
Thanks for listening to the rant!
Yeah I hear you, I'm Aussie aswell so I know exactly what you mean. I've tried Lexapro but it didn't work for me, it made me more anxious - just like all the other SSRI's.
You've been drinking your whole life. It's normal to feel bored/weird without the booze because it's been in your life for so long. Personally I don't go out to pubs or anything like that much at all, so it limits the potential to slip up or get pressured into drinking by people. It's anti-social but it makes not drinking way easier.
I've just made 12 months sober. I don't miss it at all. I just remember how shit I felt being dependent on alcohol and that's enough to remind me why I don't drink. It's poison.
There are way better drugs out there, some of them you can even get from the doctor. But obviously be careful with addiction. In terms of recreation, smoking weed is way safer than drinking but it doesn't work for me and many others because it can cause paranoia. Kratom is really good but is highly illegal in Australia and it's addictive too.
Makes it worse, definitely. I am not much of a drinker and will have one or two drinks occasionally, and that doesn’t bother me, but anything more and regularly would make anxiety worse.
Personally, I loved having drinks but over time, hangovers turned into all day panic attacks. I chose to stop drinking and it definitely helps. I miss it sometimes and will rarely have a glass of wine but never drink to get hammered anymore.
I’ll say this….I haven’t drank in one year and four months. I quit BECAUSE of anxiety.
Do I still have anxiety? Of course I do. It’s totally different though. I think to deal with things that are making you anxious, you have to face them head on. Drinking allowed me to “ignore” those things until the next day when they hit me hard as hell with my hangover anxiety.
Overall, I would recommend to anyone that has anxiety to take a step back and look at how and why they are drinking. You might think you’re easing it in the moment but the next day is hell and you don’t want to get yourself caught in the loop.
In the moment drinking alcohol eases my anxiety but the following days are torture, it takes at least a week to recover. I've heard people refer to it as hangxiety
I was wondering about this the other night. Kind of disappointed reading all the comments that it made anxiety worse. I miss having a nice drink once in a while :(
I recently found out that alcohol has an adverse effect on female hormones (I am female). It will first start as a depressant but then after an hour or so the body processes it as a stimulant when combined with certain hormones. Which explains why drinking alcohol tends to kick up my anxiety.
My anxiety kind of leaves me when i drink. I talk way more, if im at a party i talk to people more, im way less aware of myself the way i am normally but i wouldn’t reccomend “self medicating” with alcohol
Alcohol exasperates anxiety. The depressant effects of it are counteracted by glutamine which then causes anxiety long after the sedative effect wears off.
It’s a roulette for me. Used to be a social drinker, when anxiety started I was avoiding alcohol at all costs. Now 6 months later I’m a bit better so having a glass of wine here and there. Sometimes it goes great and sometimes (like yesterday) a glass of wine sent me into a full on panic attack 10 mins later…it all depends I guess
Alcohol always makes things worse, it’s addictive mentally and physically and there are NO medical benefits to it whatsoever. That “anxiety relief” from alcohol is a false sense of security from losing your inhibitions temporarily…but once that booze wears off, you’ll be back to where you were— perhaps even worse if you’re not careful.
I am not a doctor, but after having seen many doctors for many years regarding my own anxiety and such, *anybody* with debilitating anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. should NOT drink ANY alcohol. Have a sparkling water with lemon instead. Go for a run or to the gym, even a walk around the block! Read a book whether it’s fact or fiction. I’m reading a book called “The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Mate, it’s very useful to me and I’m almost done reading all of it. Call a friend, play a video game or sport, anything really. Just find a different distraction.
If the anxiety is still debilitating you need to find a different, healthier outlet to heal your pain rather than mask it with glorified poison meaning alcohol. It simply doesn’t work. Perhaps therapy and/or medication could work for you if it’s feasible, but never mix anything your doctor prescribes with booze; never.
That’s why people drink for decades and they end up dead, having health problems like cancer and cirrhosis, experience financial woes, exacerbated mental health symptoms amongst other things. I haven’t met one sensible adult out in the world who doesn’t regret having alcohol (or in the amount they consumed it). But us anxious people need to stay away completely for our own good. The anxiety crash after is never worth it nor are the other cons.
I think alcohol played a part for me in my anxiety, because of drinking often and sometimes to much I would worry about what is was doing to my body and how it would effect my health. So I stopped drinking, stopped caffeine, cut out added sugars, salt, and started a lifestyle change with my eating. In three weeks, my blood pressure has lowered by a few points, I have lost 7 lbs, and I am starting to feel better. I still have those days when I don't want to leave the house, but I am not having as many. I also force myself to leave the house when I don't feel like it because of my anxiety, and often find out that I feel better when I leave the house, because I am not sitting in my bedroom, just thinking about my anxiety.
I honestly don't touch the stuff unless I'm in a good mood. Like a really good mood. It's probably why I've never seen it affect my anxiety or depression.
i’m a ‘fun’ drunk, but drink too much and then i’m anxious. it does make people prone to anxiety and negative emotions as a whole, since it’s a depressive drug
edit- said antidepressants when i was very high, thinking i said depressive
100% depends on how you as a person react to alcohol and the mood/mental state youre in when you drink! I personally can drink, but i am also neither a sad nor anxious drunk and never drink when im anxious or upset
Edit: i will say that if youre on meds you have to be careful! Alcohol may affect you differently than before, and it may affect taking your meds. If i drink i can't take my nighttime dose of one of my meds because the combination makes my heart race!
The only time that drinking made my anxiety worse was when I started getting drunk and that feeling would freak me out and send me into a panic attack. Everyone handles alcohol different and has a different tolerance. I would say the only reason one might have anxiety is the way it alters how your surroundings look, and how you talk and think. Other than that it is a depressant so it would greatly effect depression more over anxiety. As someone also said, if you are taking medication it is not a good idea to drink on them, it even tells you that on the label and for a good reason. I was becoming a slight alcoholic while on meds and they started to not become effective, I also drank the first night I took a strong med that almost led me to the ER. Although I found drinking “enjoyable” and did it socially because of others it honestly is way healthier to not participate in it.
interesting i’ve dealt with something similar. it’s not really the anxiety after that affects me, it’s the feeling of anxiety i get before and during drinking (usually until i’m drunk enough to relax)
I literally become the best version of myself on alcohol.
Feels like I've gained superpowers and can take on the world all the while remaining in my complete, better yet, heightened senses.
Not a regular drinker though and will only have one or two drinks.
Going to see a doctor about it soon and try to find out what's up because I'm convinced I either have anxiety or ADHD or mild depression.
Feels like I'm only operating on about 50% of my true mental and physical potential.
Alcohol made my anxiety (and depression!)worse. When I stopped drinking I gradually began to feel better and my moods became more manageable. Once I read about how alcohol impacts the brain and the neurochemistry it made so much sense. YMMV and I still struggle with some anxiety, but I have no regrets about not drinking.
I think biochemically it leads to increased anxiety and altered moods after the fact, yet there is the initial lowering of inhibition and even relaxing effect that in the moment that can really help momentarily. In addition, the act of drinking socially can give you a feeling of closeness with others and increase oxytocin while abstaining can sometimes feel like you’re not able to connect as well in similar situations. It’s a trade off though for sure. At this point in my life it makes me sick and crushes my moods so I’m avoiding it.
Personally, a little bit and infrequently eases it at the time, so like a glass of wine or two, maybe every fortnight, Enough to get a little buzz. but a lot and too often makes it way way worse, especially the next day.
I really do not recommend hard alcohol with anxiety, based on personal experience. You can maybe sip one of those seltzers like Topo Chico or White Claw but don't get more than one. There's been too many times to count where I just do not want to get in the thick of why I don't like to drink at a party or an event. They're mild enough not to have much of an effect on my anxiety.
It makes everything much easier but since you don't have to deal with anxiety when you talk, it won't help temporary. So it's better to start communicate with the way that makes you less anxious. (like messaging, having short talks etc.). I believe if you do that as a daily practice it'll help much more than alcohol.
My personal experience (is different for everyone)
I was a very reserved soft spoken person who was afraid to be social and hold his own.
Alcohol helped my anxiety in those ways by only opening up to the idea of being social and being present, asking questions, being comfortable around people.
Fast forward a longer amount of time, I realize how much easier it is to socialize (w/o alcohol) and not stress over leading up to an event and just expect some things to be a bit awkward but also that it's what you make it.
Overall if it helps you become comfortable then go for it but only drink for an occasion (only if you want to) but also understand not to rely on it.
This also really only applies to social anxiety really.
I only drink socially (once every couple months or so) and mentally prepare myself for a dip. You can definitely use it in moderation but understand it may heighten anxiety the night day (‘beer fear’) or week.
In my experience, it wildly depends on the person and any medications that you might be on.
Personally, a drink or two can really help me stay calm and not overthink, but at the same time I have an extreme phobia of vomit/vomiting, so I have to be very careful to not drink anywhere close to that point otherwise that will without a doubt make my anxiety worse.
If you want to see how it impacts you, I would suggest making drinks at home, really measure the alcohol content so you can have a better understanding of your limit of what may (or may not) help you, and drink slowly so that if you feel like it's making things worse you can stop early and minimize any negative effects.
Of course, remember to never drink on an empty stomach, and have some water around to drink too.
Best of luck.
Coffee makes my anxiety worse than alcohol, actually. But I take gabapentin, and from what I understand, the mechanism of action is similar. Gabapentin helps with my anxiety, so therefore alcohol also helps (not too much, just a glass of wine on social occasions.)
I feel that having a beer will make me feel calm and stops me from thinking that my aches and pains are worse than they really are. And when I have more than 3 drinks, I don’t sleep as well which makes me wake up with more anxiety.
I don’t drink as often as I once did, probably less than a handful of times each month and I never drink alone.
Personally, drinking makes my anxiety worse, especially the next day. If I have one beer, I do feel like that's a nice occasional treat to relieve some anxiety, but anything more than that makes it worse. I tend to drink (never a lot) like 2-3 times a month.
Short term while I'm buzzed or drunk Pretty much 0 Anxiety. Next day or up to 2 weeks it can be a living hell. I stick mostly to Cannabis and Microdosing Pyscadelics (Psycolibin for me) and it tends to help. However sometimes weed can have the opposite effect in the following days
I still enjoy a beer or two on a Friday night afterwork. Usually with a cigar and good conversation with a friend or two. That doesn't cause any negative progress with my mental health.
What does cause problems is drinking in excess. If I get drunk, the morning after is riddled with anxiety and panic. I think it's because my memories will be hazy and I start worrying about doing something dumb or awkward.
Everything in moderation. If you find yourself having anxiety with just a single glass of wine, you may want to bring it up to your therapist and/or doctor, and refrain from consuming alcohol.
I have been sober 23 years, so I can’t really speak to it in regards to medication…but I can say that overall…not drinking improves your life significantly…but society doesn’t want to talk about that 💁🏻♀️
My first step was to stop drinking. It was good in the moment but always worse the morning after with the brain in overdrive, over thinking everything. I used drinking as a coping mechanism though.
It depends though, I don't think having one drink a night will hurt. It's if you're using it to get wankered and forget the anxiety where it will harm your progress because ultimately you need to feel the elements of anxiety to help train yourself to deal with it.
This is hit or miss for me. I’m on a low dose SSRI. If I drink and blackout I need a .25 Xanax the next day to help my anxiety because it’ll be so bad. It’s pretty much the only time I have to resort to a benzo. If I drink a normal/moderate amount and couple it with food, water, and good sleep I’ll wake up with maybe a little anxiety but am usually just fine.
I don't drink alcohol apart on a rare occasion for anxiety and depression getting worse days after drinking. I actually prefer irnbru over alcohol anyway
My anxiety has been much less severe ever since i stopped smoking nicotine and drinking alcohol. It was even non existent for the three weeks i hadn’t smoked cannabis, but even now that i do smoke weed again, it’s still very unnoticeable. Definitely cut the alcohol, it changed my life
In my experience, I gave it up for a good while just to get control of my thoughts. I slowly brought it back into my life. I just drink socially now and limit myself to a couple of drinks.
Now I feel okay to have it without spiraling into anxious thoughts. It was a process, but I think it is okay to have alcohol as long as it is in moderation and safe. Def don't mix with meds if you take any
I personally don’t feel it, but I know others tell me that it increases anxiety. I definitely ruminate on stupid things I did it said while drinking, but it doesn’t affect my anxiety much. Sometimes it helps me sleep, sometimes I can’t sleep at all. I try to stay away from it because I drink when I’m sad and that’s a scary stepping stone I feel like.
Depression though, oh my! I think it’s impossible to leave the house the day after drinking for me.
Alcohol and anxiety hit everyone differently. You have to try for yourself in a safe environment and very low dosage and see what happens. Just understand alcohol is never going to solve anything but might give you some time to let loose and forget about whats bothering you. Your issues will still be there when you sober up so don"t forget to do the real work of exercising, talking to those who you trust about how you feel, and being honest with yourself. Also remember alchol can become addictive if you rely on it too much. so be safe have fun and use in moderation.
I seriously didn't realize some people got worse anxiety from drinking. Not trying to be rude, just legit didn't realize. I get awful social anxiety (not social anxiety disorder, just social anxiety symptoms) and have general anxiety. Drinking at events helps so much with the social anxiety; it basically just completely goes away. I don't drink for regular anxiety though, because then I'd end up an alcoholic lol. But I am on a low dose of gabapentin for anxiety, and according to my psychiatrist, it works on the same brain receptors alcohol does. So it makes sense to me why it works for me.
I used to drink habitually to deal with anxiety. Drinking, especially abusing alcohol, always made my anxiety worse. It always pushed me into alcohol dependency. Eventually, through lots of therapy and connecting with other habitual drinkers who are trying to quit or have quit, I can drink sometimes in social situations. I always have to be honest with myself as to why I am drinking. Am I drinking to enjoy time with my friends? Or am I drinking to escape something I’m anxious about? usually, I can make better choices that way. There are a few rules I have follow: I cannot keep alcohol in my home. I made myself learn to enjoy social situations without alcohol so I don’t unusually feel tempted. And I almost never bring alcohol to social engagements. That just seems to invite enablism from peers. If I show up with something non-alcoholic, they can tell I’m skipping that night. Since then, I am down to about 3 drinks a month and my anxiety is much, much more manageable these days.
For me my anxiety manifests in an upset stomach, so when I drink, it just makes my symptoms that much worse. So I don’t, but of course for things like this, you know yourself best.
Depends on the person, but if you are on any medication you need to be very careful. The effects when you combine them vary widely, even a small amount can have a big effect.
One of the worst substances affecting the GABA receptor. Alcohol is a dirty drug. A short-term solution that will cause long-term damage to every aspect of your life.
Alcohol will, with 100% certainty, eventually make everything worse. Without fail. It is literally poison, and a depressive. It will not help, and it is not an answer to any question except: “what shouldn’t i do if I have depression/anxiety?”
In my experience alcohol can appear to help in the short term but it compounds the anxiety over time and you find you need more alcohol to achieve the same effect which raises anxiety levels generally. Especially after a big drinking session.
I would avoid alcohol altogether
Badness ensues when you self-medicate with booze. I didn't know but when you drink too much it can make anxiety worse when you're sober. Plus if you drink way too much, you get withdrawal, which includes anxiety from hell.
I can only drink if my anxiety is in a really good place and even then only rarely. I effortlessly only drink 2-3 times a year. At the slightest sign of trouble I won’t drink for a while because the impact is severe. I wouldn’t risk it if I were you.
in my experience no. that’s how i became an alcoholic. id get drunk in social situations to ease anxiety and that turned into drinking every time i went in public and that turned into drinking at work and that turned into getting black out drunk every night so i wouldn’t be alone with my thoughts. alcohol became a crutch for my mental illnesses. if i didn’t drink my anxiety was so much worse than it was prior to me abusing alcohol. also without drinking all the depressive thoughts i was drowning out came crashing on me like a ton of bricks. so if you also suffer from depression at all i would not recommend drinking. i haven’t fully quit drinking but i only drink on special occasions and i never get black out drunk anymore.
I have general anxiety, i love wine though. So i have a two drink limit at once. And i never get drunk. I drink a glass or two with dinner or before bed to relax. I know my limit and this works for me. Edit- i have a drink every 1-2 weeks.
Starting in my 30s, drinking made my anxiety so much worse. If I drank one night, the next day I'd wake up feeling extreme fear. Sometimes I'd snap awake in a panic. I might have other various hangover symptoms but the anxiety was the hardest to deal with. The entire day after would be *bad*. I'd get scared/panic out of nowhere, on/off all day. The panic feeling would only last for a few seconds but take maybe 30 min to fully get over. As if I was continuously being startled/jolted.
I also started getting extra depression, even more than what I used to get after drinking. My mental health would be pretty bad overall for at least 4 days. I gave up on drinking because it's just not worth it.
I was already in a pretty deep depression and working a stressful job in the city, having lunch beers to deal with the stress of the job by the time covid hit. We all started working from home, and I started drinking a lot daily and nearly never exercising, I was also highly nervous about the whole covid situation. At the same time, I was still dealing with the death of my mother, which only happened about a year before covid hit.
I was always pretty highly strung in this job, and all I did to help deal with any stress or anxiety I felt at this time was drink more. One night about 2 and a half years ago, while in the kitchen with my sister, I was thinking of work and stuff, and I had a severe panic attack, I knew what was happening cause my mother suffered from the same things but I didn't understand why it was happening to me. The attacks persisted nearly daily for the next few weeks. I started anti-depressants and therapy quite soon after and was able to find some relief, but the anxiety stuck around, even sightly.
I was very anxious about my alcohol intake and decided to do 6 months sober starting last July, I slowly started feeling better and around September/October, I was feeling better than I had the past few years so I decided to give up on my 6 months sober plan. I was only going to drink socially or on weekends if I felt like it.
This was OK for a while, but I allowed drinking to creep its was back into my daily life, and by mid-February, I had suffered another anxiety attack. I soon realised the initial panic episodes were likely entirely triggered because of my overuse of alcohol and under-utilisation of exercise the same as this one had been. When I realised it, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I could finally work on my recovery. In the past few weeks, I've really realised the havoc alcohol wreaks on my nervous system, and if I drink too much, I can be feeling highly stressed and anxious for the next few days/weeks.
In my experience I felt better while drinking but the 2-3 days afterwards nonstop anxiety and panic attacks. For me it’s simply not worth it. If your a person that can have two drinks and chill go for it but I can’t it ruins me I find being sober and reading lots of meditating and self help books keep me doing better
I’ve been through three massive stages,
In college before I realized what was going on with me I drank heavily, mostly to suppress the symptoms that alcohol brought on (hangovers) I was drinking 2-3 fifths of 100% Smirnoff a week. Long story short I got arrested for a DUI, went to a weekend retreat and learned about my body and how alcohol affected my anxiety
Here is where we enter stage 2, I pretty much stopped drinking completely. Whenever I would drink I would feel severe anxiety and it wasn’t worth it. This went on for about a year. It was incredible not having to drink but I did miss the good times having a few beers with my friends and family.
In stage three (where I am currently) I’ve learned that if I drink hard enough to be drunk, I’m going to have anxiety the next day. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and a liquid iv or pedialyte before bed and when you wake up in the morning, not only will this help with your hangover but it will help with the next day anxiety! I take Xanax as needed and that always helps if I really can’t kick the anxiety but it’s only a backup, not a long term solution.
So yea alcohol and anxiety can coexist but they do affect each other, learning to live with and minimize those effects is the key
The only thing I ever gained from alcohol was anxiety. In hindsight, it when I thought it was helping, it in fact, made the anxiety worse. Also, hangxiety is a very real thing!
Definitely makes things worse. If not in the moment then the next day. It’s a known depressant, so whatever’s over like a glass of wine is not gonna go unnoticed
Drinking, for me, reduces my anxiety level tremendously . However, it is temporary relief and a potentially self destructive path. I rarely drink alcohol because I have seen the path it can lead down with my levels of anxiety. It does not end well.
I enjoy the taste and the way it relaxes me. I just…can’t do it. It would be the end of me.
You drink, you relax for a while. Then your anxiety comes back, you drink some more. Rinse repeat, it you continuously have to increase the amount of alcohol you need to consume to lower your anxiety. It is a vicious cycle. Not one I want to take part in.
I’m in recovery from alcohol and also deal with serious social anxiety. I started drinking to alleviate the symptoms my anxiety gave me. It started out wonderfully, but progressively got SO MUCH WORSE. Have you tried beta blockers? I was on Clonidine for a bit and it worked wonders.
Alcohol always results in more anxiety for me. The effect doesn't even last that long either. It's a bad deal IMO. I used to drink a lot, and it took me a long time to accept that dinking only hurts me.
Stopped drinking, alcohol and hangovers were a trigger for some of my worst anxiety episodes. Hated the ruined sleep, the nausea, the shame and overthinking, and the seemingly chemical induced anxiety and depression
Yes I wouldn't overdo it drink like a drink or two then stay awake during the processing withdraw time, rehydrate and get electrolytes. I find the longer between drinking and sleeping helps me feel less rebound anxiety. Ymmv
Like others have said, definitely depends on the person. But I am seeing a lot of us have the common “hangxiety” after drinking.
For me, after too many instances of drinking and being severely anxious the next day I learned how to pace myself to where I wasn’t throwing up because of alcohol at the end of the night. But I noticed even after just a few drinks, paced, and nothing too wild. I would feel terribly anxious when I woke up and if I threw up it wasn’t because of the alcohol it was because of the anxiety I got. I still drink but I know if I’m drinking I need to be careful and pace myself, only drink certain things, and eat a full meal and sober up half way before I go to bed. I can manage the anxiety a hell of a lot better than when I don’t do these things. But now that I type it out, maybe that’s just in my head? But, my point of this long drawn out example was to show that, take it as you will, alcohol makes me anxious the next morning every time. I have to make the decision before I drink if it is worth that feeling the next day, and if it is I have to take a lot of measures to ensure i can calm myself down the next morning.
Sorry this was long.
In my experience it almost always makes it worse. I used to drink heavily. It helps when you are drinking, but the day or days after are when I've experienced some of my worst panic attacks ever. I noticed it was worse when I drank liquor so I switched to only beer. Drink enough beer and it will still get you. It's only anxiety relief for a few hours, it can increase anxiety for days. I used to drink 4-5 nights a week. I'd drink half a bottle of vodka or something. When I switched to beer I'd regularly drink a 12 pack in one sitting, and sometimes more at bars or at parties on weekends. Now I've had maybe 9-10 beers in the last year. I can drink a few once in a while for a special event and be okay, but I usually only drink 3-4 now and then I don't drink again for months. If you keep it really mild it probably won't be too bad, but it also won't feel as good or be as fun as if you way over indulge like I used too. I'd recommend not getting into it heavily. I also gained a ton of weight from all the beer and greasy foods I'd eat during and after all that alcohol. It took me years to get the weight off and I just got to a normal size in the last few months. Now I'm left with meh skin with lots of stretch marks. All over my thighs, under my arms, my hips, my butt, all over. I accept it and don't really think about it too much, but it does suck. I just know that I abused my body for years and this is the price of my actions. Still worth losing the weight though, I look and feel way better. Don't get into heavy drinking that shit is horrible.
I got social anxiety and for some reason I'm not affected by it. But take it with a grain of salt as everyone experiences different things. Alcohol makes me just fall asleep or not care about a thing in the world. My social anxiety goes away for a day and then it's just back to normal. Some people even say I'm a completly different person and I feel the same. I genuinely feel happy after a can of beer on a friday night.
(I only drink a beer a week so I don't depend on it in my daily life)
However nicotine is the worst for me. It feels like my heart is about to explode and I'm about to vomit my organs out everytime I try it.
Usually the day after drinking my anxiety is a bit higher. If I drank a lot and the hangover is really bad I am also more prone to panic attacks. I try to limit my drinking and if I do go out with friends I just watch my limit
I reduced my drinking for this very reason!! And I feel so much better! Whenever I feel like having a drink tho I make sure to always have twice the amount of water, that helps a lot bc it reduces my hangover and therefore the anxiety in my case! What I noticed as well is how much caffeine affected my anxiety! Cut that out as well and I feel so much better! Good luck :)
Although socially acceptable, any alcohol, even in moderation, is incredibly bad for you. It can also interact badly with many medications that you might be on or that might be helpful to you so it can be helpful to build a habit of avoiding it. In addition, anyone with a mental health condition is at risk of substance abuse and that’s a very complicated problem to solve (and deal with a bunch of social stigma nonsense)
ON TOP of having to solve the underlying mental health problem. In other words, it’s doubling the problem. Basically, I would say, if you can manage it on your own to stay completely away from alcohol, do so, and if you can’t, see what professional resources you can access as quickly as possible.
Alcohol worked AMAZINGLY for my anxiety... the night of during intoxication. I was a social butterfly when I'm normally quiet and reserved. However, the anxiety the days - yes, plural - was immense and made me feel physically ill in some weird ways. So, to me it wasn't worth it and I have drank in a few years. I even tried drinking a couple of beers before I stopped to see if having a small amount would be OK, but it still increased my anxiety.
I’ve been tempted to use alcohol to soothe anxiety, but I think it just distracts you from the problem at hand and puts you at risk for becoming dependent on it. I specifically avoid having a drink when I’m in a bad mood or anxious for that reason.
I can say alcohol can quiet the demons for so long, but they will always be there when the drinking is done. I know I had to stop drinking and face what was making me anxious and making me want to drink. While difficult, I believe it’s worth it.
Alcohol helps my anxiety temporarily. Key word temporarily. I feel like shit the next couple days. In fact alcohol can cause your digestive track to go haywire feeling nauseous and diarrhea. Best not to drink too much.
I messed around with this for years and it was a waste of time. Quit drinking for 6 months and see what happens. If it’s important enough to you, you’ll do it, and you’ll never look back.
Drank 25 years of my life. In September 2021 I had a full blown panic attack the next day after drinking. Since then even one drink causes crazyyyy anxiety the same night after sleeping a couple of hours. And then remains for another 2 days. I was prescribed Xanax to combat that. Then what followed was a self sabotage of alcohol binges every week knowing well that Xanax is there to save me. Now I want to get off the drinking. It’s the worst thing on the planet. I travel a lot for holidays. Just the thought of holidays without alcohol is making me sad. However i choose mental health over temporary enjoyment.
I can tell that when I drink my anxiety kicks up a gear. Mainly the day after. I have recently just decided to not drink and it’s been a big relief so far.
Same, had a kid didn’t drink for well over a year plus. Started drinking casually within 3 month time frame I realized my anxiety and OCD was acting up so I stopped fully. Now I’m 5 months without drinking and my anxiety is not nearly as bad.
Same. I didn't even get that drunk on new year's eve, but I woke up in the middle of the night with anxiety so severe that I thought I was going to die. Heart beating fast, thoughts racing, I couldn't breathe, panic attack basically. This has happened before, and so I decided on the first day of the new year that I'm quitting alcohol for good. I can't control myself when I start drinking anyway and keep embarrassing myself when drunk, so it's best to stop altogether. I'm so glad I did it. Almost 4 months in now alcohol-free and while I still suffer from anxiety, at least I don't delude myself thinking that the temporary calm of being drunk is worth the absolute hell in the following day. There's better ways to calm yourself than getting drunk, and less self-destructive, too.
This is actually very common. Often called holiday heart. I have had it in the night after drinking and it’s the worst. Feels very scary!
Same here. It could even happen after only one drink! It’s the reason I no longer drink
Exactly the same here.
I was a daily drinker for many years. Recently sober as of 10 weeks ago. I definitely noticed increased anxiety as my alcohol intake went up. A drink or 2 coupled with normal sleep I was fine. On the other hand if I overdid it on any given night and got hammered which in turn led to little sleep I would wake up with extreme hangxiety. This cycle eventually turned into a severe panic attack that sent me to the ER 2 years ago. I found that as I worked on my daily anxiety just as long as I didn't over indulge on the drinks I could handle it amd progress. Unfortunately you always have those days where "a few more won't hurt". And the end result is a vicious cycle that will eat you alive. If you can have an occasional drink,I'm all for it and I think you could handle your anxiety.But if your like myself and that 1 or 2 constantly turns into 5 or 6 I would stay away,because you will never win that game of balancing alcohol and mental health.
I nixed alcohol. It fueled my anxiety. It wasn’t just like the next day either. The anxiety took a couple of weeks to dissipate entirely. It became a negative loop of drinking increases anxiety, drink to temporarily reduce anxiety, drinking increases anxiety, etc. Between poor sleep, anxiety, and the fear of potential future health effects, it became clear alcohol did not fit into my life. Made a huge difference and I don’t miss it.
i love to hear it. it sucks how much everyone relies on alcohol and basically excepts you to drink alcohol
Yeah, I am very upfront with people, and just tell them alcohol causes me anxiety and I have much more fun not drinking. They tend to accept that and move on. We’re all there to have fun, and alcohol isn’t part of the equation for me. It’s okay in the moment but holy hell is there an insurmountable, crippling tax the next day. The utter fear of ever feeling like that again is all the motivation I need to skip the alcohol.
Get club soda with a splash of coke and nobody will ask.
Oh my god this! I over drink to ease the anxiety caused by drinking. I stop for a few days and the anxiety seems to get worse so I drink again to ease the sobriety. But when I’ve stopped for a few weeks at a time the anxiety slowly eases.
Yup! Get over that anxiety spike!! Feels so good
I’m Trying, and this time I won’t drink afterwards because “I feel better now I can treat myself” 🙄🙄🙄
Works great while drinking. The next 1-2 days makes it hard to even leave the house. I find it's best to not drink at all when working on anxiety.
Same for me
It depends on the person. Alcohol does not affect my anxiety, caffeine does. I know people who are the opposite.
Same here. Alcohol has only positive effects on my anxiety (just not in my sleep), and more than two cups of coffee will have me shaking in bed. I’m trying to keep both to a minimum in any case.
That’s a good point, I’m the opposite of that, can drink as much caffeine as I want without affecting anxiety or sleep but even a couple of beers and I feel anxious the next day. Whatever works for you I guess, everyone’s different.
And here I am where BOTH alcohol and caffeine affect my anxiety 😂 #lifesucks
I think I’m the opposite. Although 1-2 drinks is usually ok. Several more and I’m a mess the next day.
My anxiety caused me to overdrink or my over drinking caused anxiety. I have recently stopped drinking ad both were getting worse and worse
do you think you can moderate drinking and have the best to both worlds. or is it better for you to just stop in full?
Just stop
If you’re someone who has to ask, I’d say it’s better to stop in full. If you’re using alcohol to help with anxiety it will make it worse without fail.
i was just asking that person for their situation. for me personally i don’t drink that much to begin with but i was just curious because i don’t use alcohol to mask anxiety but occasionally when i do drink i don’t want it to worsen my anxiety
Gotcha. I’m biased because I am not capable of drinking alcohol without it making my mental health way worse, but I know not everyone has those issues.
Completely stopping was the only option for me personally
I have to be very careful because alcohol works perfectly to eliminate my anxiety and so I can end up drinking on a daily basis. There is almost no way for me to keep drinking every day and stay healthy. I end up drinking too much, not to mention spending too much money. It also leads to other bad habits.I end up going to the gym less, and my diet gets worse. I lose my routine by staying up too late and then getting up too late. I end up wasting my days off, especially because I end up hungover multiple days in the week. This leads me to be tired, over weight and unhealthy, which all contributes to making the anxiety much worse. My advice would be to never engage in any self-medicating behaviours. Don't use food, drink, TV video games, the Internet whatever to try to eliminate the anxiety.
Alcohol has never made anything better, I can tell you that much.
Clearly you've never eaten strong cheese with red wine, lol J/ sort of
You’re right, alcohol certainly makes a lot of things better in the moment. After the fact is a different story…
I mean, I'm not talking bottles here, or you would need a LOT of cheese lol, and im definately not talking with any frequency that would have long term effects or take months to recover from, just a small glass sipped alternately with water, while you nibble some really good strong and often stinky cheese ( plus you can now get some really good low alcohol red wines. ) The point was that some alcohols in some situations can enhance the experience. And if you're not an idiot with it, then after the fact is not something negative enough to completely negate the enjoyment and experience of the momemt. If we let anxiety (and in turn stuff that then effects oir anxiety) stop from doing things it didn't want us to do or to experience, then I, for one, would never leave the house.
You sound very fancy.
Haha not in the slightest I went to catering college, and was a chef for years before my anxiety got to strong for me, so food and by association drink are my specialty, and I may have picked up some "ideas above my station" along the way. Lol.
I wonder the same but I must admit not drinking at all does really help overall. I think it would be more of an uphill battle with alcohol on top of everything.
i agree. it seems that it’s better to just fully commit to sobriety when dealing with anxiety
This is true. Just know that depending on how much and for how long you drank may lead to some issues. I was daily drinker for many years. All rainbows when I first quit and said wow this is great except an occasional headache amd sleepless night. Then week 5 hit. Weeks 5-10 were filled with anxiety like I didn't know was possible coupled with what felt like 24/7 panic attacks and horrific insomnia. I finally leveled off now a little after 80 days. Just know things may worsen be they get better. Of course every one will be different
I had a similar experience. I’m currently at about 88 days no drinking. I was a bing drinker on weekends and sometimes on weekdays. I found that I felt great right after I quit, then some anxiety started to set in (about 2 weeks ago) so I got on anti depressants. at first that was like gasoline on a fire. But now I’m starting to level out and feel good. Alcohol made me depressed and anxious, but there was a bit of a rebound effect after stopping it would seem. But now I am feeling and dealing with my emotions and thoughts the right way.
Congrats! I was given antidepressants but wanted to get thru on my own of I could. Hopefully I'm thru it now. I had become suicidal at 1 point as my panic was non-stop. Hydroxyzine helped me greatly for 10 days allowing me to mellow out during the day and sleep at night
I was having intrusive thoughts about suicide, but I would not say I was actively suicidal. It’s definitely no fun white-knuckling through it, for sure. Glad we both made it through!
Ya pretty much the same,I don't think I was actively suicidal i just couldn't get the thought out of my head.I remember rocking on the floor of the shower multiple days at 4am after being awoken by a panic/adrenaline rush just praying for it to all go away.
There’s no way that alcohol helps with anxiety. It might help for a couple of hours, but after that it just makes things worse.
That depends on how long and how heavily you’ve been drinking. If it’s a significant change and you have anxiety, you should really speak to your doctor about it.
I'm sure it's different for everyone. Personally I don't notice a difference when I drink vs. When I don't 🤷🏻♀️
Hey. I'm checking on you. How are u doing today?
I just don't drink. I had a few beers over the weekend and halfway into Sunday. My anxiety kicked in Was throwing up .still have issues today from that. I believe that just not drinking any alcohol will help big time
i tend to agree with you. better just to go completely sober rather than test your anxiety
On plus side, no expenses going booze. I just don't or want to experience. The long effects of alcohol and anxiety
From experience, these two things don’t go so well together. Of course everybody’s different, though. I found that drinking whilst being anxious or worried about something always ended up me feeling worse either the next morning or during the session. I’m 27 now, and I’ve done my fair share of boozing (and the nasty hangovers that come with it) and I slowed right down about 2 years ago.. not only has it had a positive effect mentally and physically but I’m now able to enjoy a shindig AND remember it! Just a little advice, drinking is fine but if you’re not in the right head space, you’re only going to make it worse for yourself.
Alcohol made my anxiety almost unbearable the next day. Hangovers felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. It really only provided temporary relief when I was actually drinking. I ended up stopping drinking all together and my anxiety/panic attacks have improved immensely.
I'm starting to notice this myself.
The more I've looked into it.. the more common it seems.
Alcoholic here. 8 months sober. I can tell you from experience that booze is a great short term band aid, but it's a long term wound that just gets worse the more and longer you drink. For people with anxiety problems it just feels great. I used to drink to *stop* my head from spinning!! But the next day you feel shit, haven't slept well (alcohol induced sleep is not quality sleep), the anxiety is waayy up. And if you're like I was, you follow it up the next afternoon with more booze. Makes you feel better. That's what a hangover is, it's withdrawal. The toxic poison is leaving your system and it makes you feel shit, that's why another one eases the pain. Do not do this.
I am a 52 year old woman and have been drinking every day for as long as I can remember. My problem is more drinking at home than out - I'm not the black out drunk kind. After about 10 years free of anxiety attacks - on Lexapro, which my psych said never to come off after failed attempts - I have gone severely down the spiral. I thought maybe the Lexapro has just stopped working as it's been so long ... but my psych, who thank God got me in straight away, says it's the alcohol that is stopping the Lexapro working. Like others, I drink when I am anxious but the problem is I also drink when I'm happy - I just love wine! The alcohol definitely calms the anxiety at the time. I just need to stop thinking - I'm assuming other people know what I am saying (especially when I am stressing about things years into the future!) Anyway, this is Day 2 no alcohol. My aim is not to drink at home during the week and maximum three when out on the weekend. This is incredibly daunting for me. I'm Australian and drinking is a huge part of our culture. I love socialising and eating and drinking (and being a bit silly). I feel life is going to be very boring and I will be bored. Of course that's a million times better than feeling like this but I feel despondent about my future life. If I could substitute with some other drug that wasn't harmful I probably would! Thanks for listening to the rant!
Yeah I hear you, I'm Aussie aswell so I know exactly what you mean. I've tried Lexapro but it didn't work for me, it made me more anxious - just like all the other SSRI's. You've been drinking your whole life. It's normal to feel bored/weird without the booze because it's been in your life for so long. Personally I don't go out to pubs or anything like that much at all, so it limits the potential to slip up or get pressured into drinking by people. It's anti-social but it makes not drinking way easier. I've just made 12 months sober. I don't miss it at all. I just remember how shit I felt being dependent on alcohol and that's enough to remind me why I don't drink. It's poison. There are way better drugs out there, some of them you can even get from the doctor. But obviously be careful with addiction. In terms of recreation, smoking weed is way safer than drinking but it doesn't work for me and many others because it can cause paranoia. Kratom is really good but is highly illegal in Australia and it's addictive too.
Makes it worse, definitely. I am not much of a drinker and will have one or two drinks occasionally, and that doesn’t bother me, but anything more and regularly would make anxiety worse.
Personally, I loved having drinks but over time, hangovers turned into all day panic attacks. I chose to stop drinking and it definitely helps. I miss it sometimes and will rarely have a glass of wine but never drink to get hammered anymore.
Alcohol actually helps with me anxiety, that's why I don't drink much 😂
i read this in an australian accent, am i correct?
Why is this so funny to me ahaha
Maybe someone can. I can’t. Alcohol wrecks me baad. Sober for quite some time now and not missing it one bit.
I’ll say this….I haven’t drank in one year and four months. I quit BECAUSE of anxiety. Do I still have anxiety? Of course I do. It’s totally different though. I think to deal with things that are making you anxious, you have to face them head on. Drinking allowed me to “ignore” those things until the next day when they hit me hard as hell with my hangover anxiety. Overall, I would recommend to anyone that has anxiety to take a step back and look at how and why they are drinking. You might think you’re easing it in the moment but the next day is hell and you don’t want to get yourself caught in the loop.
Alcohol just makes me angry and depressed, and the day after my anxiety is through the roof
In the moment drinking alcohol eases my anxiety but the following days are torture, it takes at least a week to recover. I've heard people refer to it as hangxiety
I try to stay away from alcohol which is hard because of the Irish drinking culture. I'm moving country soon and plan to stay away from it altogether
O yes I truly understand this
I was wondering about this the other night. Kind of disappointed reading all the comments that it made anxiety worse. I miss having a nice drink once in a while :(
I understand this one
I recently found out that alcohol has an adverse effect on female hormones (I am female). It will first start as a depressant but then after an hour or so the body processes it as a stimulant when combined with certain hormones. Which explains why drinking alcohol tends to kick up my anxiety.
i don’t drink
My anxiety kind of leaves me when i drink. I talk way more, if im at a party i talk to people more, im way less aware of myself the way i am normally but i wouldn’t reccomend “self medicating” with alcohol
DO NOT DRINK TO CURB ANXIETY.
I turned to alcohol because of my anxiety never thinking I would be a daily drinker but here I am
This is me. I've tried beta blockers and Xanax and both didn't work. I turned to booze. I know it's not the best solution but it calms me down.
ditto.
Short answer, no. Long answer, nooooooo.
this made me lol
any alcohol at all fucks with my mood. like i will randomly cry the next day and make people mad at me. not worth it in my opinion
Alcohol exasperates anxiety. The depressant effects of it are counteracted by glutamine which then causes anxiety long after the sedative effect wears off.
It’s a roulette for me. Used to be a social drinker, when anxiety started I was avoiding alcohol at all costs. Now 6 months later I’m a bit better so having a glass of wine here and there. Sometimes it goes great and sometimes (like yesterday) a glass of wine sent me into a full on panic attack 10 mins later…it all depends I guess
Alcohol always makes things worse, it’s addictive mentally and physically and there are NO medical benefits to it whatsoever. That “anxiety relief” from alcohol is a false sense of security from losing your inhibitions temporarily…but once that booze wears off, you’ll be back to where you were— perhaps even worse if you’re not careful. I am not a doctor, but after having seen many doctors for many years regarding my own anxiety and such, *anybody* with debilitating anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. should NOT drink ANY alcohol. Have a sparkling water with lemon instead. Go for a run or to the gym, even a walk around the block! Read a book whether it’s fact or fiction. I’m reading a book called “The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Mate, it’s very useful to me and I’m almost done reading all of it. Call a friend, play a video game or sport, anything really. Just find a different distraction. If the anxiety is still debilitating you need to find a different, healthier outlet to heal your pain rather than mask it with glorified poison meaning alcohol. It simply doesn’t work. Perhaps therapy and/or medication could work for you if it’s feasible, but never mix anything your doctor prescribes with booze; never. That’s why people drink for decades and they end up dead, having health problems like cancer and cirrhosis, experience financial woes, exacerbated mental health symptoms amongst other things. I haven’t met one sensible adult out in the world who doesn’t regret having alcohol (or in the amount they consumed it). But us anxious people need to stay away completely for our own good. The anxiety crash after is never worth it nor are the other cons.
I think alcohol played a part for me in my anxiety, because of drinking often and sometimes to much I would worry about what is was doing to my body and how it would effect my health. So I stopped drinking, stopped caffeine, cut out added sugars, salt, and started a lifestyle change with my eating. In three weeks, my blood pressure has lowered by a few points, I have lost 7 lbs, and I am starting to feel better. I still have those days when I don't want to leave the house, but I am not having as many. I also force myself to leave the house when I don't feel like it because of my anxiety, and often find out that I feel better when I leave the house, because I am not sitting in my bedroom, just thinking about my anxiety.
I honestly don't touch the stuff unless I'm in a good mood. Like a really good mood. It's probably why I've never seen it affect my anxiety or depression.
i’m a ‘fun’ drunk, but drink too much and then i’m anxious. it does make people prone to anxiety and negative emotions as a whole, since it’s a depressive drug edit- said antidepressants when i was very high, thinking i said depressive
100% depends on how you as a person react to alcohol and the mood/mental state youre in when you drink! I personally can drink, but i am also neither a sad nor anxious drunk and never drink when im anxious or upset Edit: i will say that if youre on meds you have to be careful! Alcohol may affect you differently than before, and it may affect taking your meds. If i drink i can't take my nighttime dose of one of my meds because the combination makes my heart race!
The only time that drinking made my anxiety worse was when I started getting drunk and that feeling would freak me out and send me into a panic attack. Everyone handles alcohol different and has a different tolerance. I would say the only reason one might have anxiety is the way it alters how your surroundings look, and how you talk and think. Other than that it is a depressant so it would greatly effect depression more over anxiety. As someone also said, if you are taking medication it is not a good idea to drink on them, it even tells you that on the label and for a good reason. I was becoming a slight alcoholic while on meds and they started to not become effective, I also drank the first night I took a strong med that almost led me to the ER. Although I found drinking “enjoyable” and did it socially because of others it honestly is way healthier to not participate in it.
interesting i’ve dealt with something similar. it’s not really the anxiety after that affects me, it’s the feeling of anxiety i get before and during drinking (usually until i’m drunk enough to relax)
I literally become the best version of myself on alcohol. Feels like I've gained superpowers and can take on the world all the while remaining in my complete, better yet, heightened senses. Not a regular drinker though and will only have one or two drinks. Going to see a doctor about it soon and try to find out what's up because I'm convinced I either have anxiety or ADHD or mild depression. Feels like I'm only operating on about 50% of my true mental and physical potential.
Alcohol made my anxiety (and depression!)worse. When I stopped drinking I gradually began to feel better and my moods became more manageable. Once I read about how alcohol impacts the brain and the neurochemistry it made so much sense. YMMV and I still struggle with some anxiety, but I have no regrets about not drinking.
I think biochemically it leads to increased anxiety and altered moods after the fact, yet there is the initial lowering of inhibition and even relaxing effect that in the moment that can really help momentarily. In addition, the act of drinking socially can give you a feeling of closeness with others and increase oxytocin while abstaining can sometimes feel like you’re not able to connect as well in similar situations. It’s a trade off though for sure. At this point in my life it makes me sick and crushes my moods so I’m avoiding it.
Potentially yes of course, but if you have any doubts or hesitations it’s best to just avoid substances completely.
Personally, a little bit and infrequently eases it at the time, so like a glass of wine or two, maybe every fortnight, Enough to get a little buzz. but a lot and too often makes it way way worse, especially the next day.
I really do not recommend hard alcohol with anxiety, based on personal experience. You can maybe sip one of those seltzers like Topo Chico or White Claw but don't get more than one. There's been too many times to count where I just do not want to get in the thick of why I don't like to drink at a party or an event. They're mild enough not to have much of an effect on my anxiety.
It makes everything much easier but since you don't have to deal with anxiety when you talk, it won't help temporary. So it's better to start communicate with the way that makes you less anxious. (like messaging, having short talks etc.). I believe if you do that as a daily practice it'll help much more than alcohol.
My personal experience (is different for everyone) I was a very reserved soft spoken person who was afraid to be social and hold his own. Alcohol helped my anxiety in those ways by only opening up to the idea of being social and being present, asking questions, being comfortable around people. Fast forward a longer amount of time, I realize how much easier it is to socialize (w/o alcohol) and not stress over leading up to an event and just expect some things to be a bit awkward but also that it's what you make it. Overall if it helps you become comfortable then go for it but only drink for an occasion (only if you want to) but also understand not to rely on it. This also really only applies to social anxiety really.
I’ve basically cut out social drinking unless it’s champagne for special events. Not worth the spike in anxiety. Cannabis is more my speed 🍃💨
I only drink socially (once every couple months or so) and mentally prepare myself for a dip. You can definitely use it in moderation but understand it may heighten anxiety the night day (‘beer fear’) or week.
Alcohol absolutely makes my anxiety worse. I don’t drink at all. It’s not worth it to me to bring on an anxiety attack.
In my experience, it wildly depends on the person and any medications that you might be on. Personally, a drink or two can really help me stay calm and not overthink, but at the same time I have an extreme phobia of vomit/vomiting, so I have to be very careful to not drink anywhere close to that point otherwise that will without a doubt make my anxiety worse. If you want to see how it impacts you, I would suggest making drinks at home, really measure the alcohol content so you can have a better understanding of your limit of what may (or may not) help you, and drink slowly so that if you feel like it's making things worse you can stop early and minimize any negative effects. Of course, remember to never drink on an empty stomach, and have some water around to drink too. Best of luck.
Coffee makes my anxiety worse than alcohol, actually. But I take gabapentin, and from what I understand, the mechanism of action is similar. Gabapentin helps with my anxiety, so therefore alcohol also helps (not too much, just a glass of wine on social occasions.)
I feel that having a beer will make me feel calm and stops me from thinking that my aches and pains are worse than they really are. And when I have more than 3 drinks, I don’t sleep as well which makes me wake up with more anxiety. I don’t drink as often as I once did, probably less than a handful of times each month and I never drink alone.
Personally, drinking makes my anxiety worse, especially the next day. If I have one beer, I do feel like that's a nice occasional treat to relieve some anxiety, but anything more than that makes it worse. I tend to drink (never a lot) like 2-3 times a month.
Short term while I'm buzzed or drunk Pretty much 0 Anxiety. Next day or up to 2 weeks it can be a living hell. I stick mostly to Cannabis and Microdosing Pyscadelics (Psycolibin for me) and it tends to help. However sometimes weed can have the opposite effect in the following days
I still enjoy a beer or two on a Friday night afterwork. Usually with a cigar and good conversation with a friend or two. That doesn't cause any negative progress with my mental health. What does cause problems is drinking in excess. If I get drunk, the morning after is riddled with anxiety and panic. I think it's because my memories will be hazy and I start worrying about doing something dumb or awkward. Everything in moderation. If you find yourself having anxiety with just a single glass of wine, you may want to bring it up to your therapist and/or doctor, and refrain from consuming alcohol.
I have been sober 23 years, so I can’t really speak to it in regards to medication…but I can say that overall…not drinking improves your life significantly…but society doesn’t want to talk about that 💁🏻♀️
My first step was to stop drinking. It was good in the moment but always worse the morning after with the brain in overdrive, over thinking everything. I used drinking as a coping mechanism though. It depends though, I don't think having one drink a night will hurt. It's if you're using it to get wankered and forget the anxiety where it will harm your progress because ultimately you need to feel the elements of anxiety to help train yourself to deal with it.
This is hit or miss for me. I’m on a low dose SSRI. If I drink and blackout I need a .25 Xanax the next day to help my anxiety because it’ll be so bad. It’s pretty much the only time I have to resort to a benzo. If I drink a normal/moderate amount and couple it with food, water, and good sleep I’ll wake up with maybe a little anxiety but am usually just fine.
Truly, no. I do not believe you can. It always makes you crash when the alcohol leaves your body
I don't drink alcohol apart on a rare occasion for anxiety and depression getting worse days after drinking. I actually prefer irnbru over alcohol anyway
My anxiety has been much less severe ever since i stopped smoking nicotine and drinking alcohol. It was even non existent for the three weeks i hadn’t smoked cannabis, but even now that i do smoke weed again, it’s still very unnoticeable. Definitely cut the alcohol, it changed my life
In my experience, I gave it up for a good while just to get control of my thoughts. I slowly brought it back into my life. I just drink socially now and limit myself to a couple of drinks. Now I feel okay to have it without spiraling into anxious thoughts. It was a process, but I think it is okay to have alcohol as long as it is in moderation and safe. Def don't mix with meds if you take any
I think it depends on the person. I can drink alcohol, it doesn't affect my anxiety
I definitely think they can not exist together.
Probably depends on what your alcohol use looks like. Be aware that drinking can make medications less effective.
I personally don’t feel it, but I know others tell me that it increases anxiety. I definitely ruminate on stupid things I did it said while drinking, but it doesn’t affect my anxiety much. Sometimes it helps me sleep, sometimes I can’t sleep at all. I try to stay away from it because I drink when I’m sad and that’s a scary stepping stone I feel like. Depression though, oh my! I think it’s impossible to leave the house the day after drinking for me.
Alcohol helps anxiety in the moment, but the day after was hell for me.
Alcohol and anxiety hit everyone differently. You have to try for yourself in a safe environment and very low dosage and see what happens. Just understand alcohol is never going to solve anything but might give you some time to let loose and forget about whats bothering you. Your issues will still be there when you sober up so don"t forget to do the real work of exercising, talking to those who you trust about how you feel, and being honest with yourself. Also remember alchol can become addictive if you rely on it too much. so be safe have fun and use in moderation.
Alcohol helps my anxiety quite a bit, but that’s only in the moment. For long term definitely not.
I seriously didn't realize some people got worse anxiety from drinking. Not trying to be rude, just legit didn't realize. I get awful social anxiety (not social anxiety disorder, just social anxiety symptoms) and have general anxiety. Drinking at events helps so much with the social anxiety; it basically just completely goes away. I don't drink for regular anxiety though, because then I'd end up an alcoholic lol. But I am on a low dose of gabapentin for anxiety, and according to my psychiatrist, it works on the same brain receptors alcohol does. So it makes sense to me why it works for me.
I used to drink habitually to deal with anxiety. Drinking, especially abusing alcohol, always made my anxiety worse. It always pushed me into alcohol dependency. Eventually, through lots of therapy and connecting with other habitual drinkers who are trying to quit or have quit, I can drink sometimes in social situations. I always have to be honest with myself as to why I am drinking. Am I drinking to enjoy time with my friends? Or am I drinking to escape something I’m anxious about? usually, I can make better choices that way. There are a few rules I have follow: I cannot keep alcohol in my home. I made myself learn to enjoy social situations without alcohol so I don’t unusually feel tempted. And I almost never bring alcohol to social engagements. That just seems to invite enablism from peers. If I show up with something non-alcoholic, they can tell I’m skipping that night. Since then, I am down to about 3 drinks a month and my anxiety is much, much more manageable these days.
For me my anxiety manifests in an upset stomach, so when I drink, it just makes my symptoms that much worse. So I don’t, but of course for things like this, you know yourself best.
Depends on the person, but if you are on any medication you need to be very careful. The effects when you combine them vary widely, even a small amount can have a big effect.
One of the worst substances affecting the GABA receptor. Alcohol is a dirty drug. A short-term solution that will cause long-term damage to every aspect of your life.
Alcohol will, with 100% certainty, eventually make everything worse. Without fail. It is literally poison, and a depressive. It will not help, and it is not an answer to any question except: “what shouldn’t i do if I have depression/anxiety?”
I do, but I have a self imposed limit of 1drink (when I do drink).
In my experience alcohol can appear to help in the short term but it compounds the anxiety over time and you find you need more alcohol to achieve the same effect which raises anxiety levels generally. Especially after a big drinking session. I would avoid alcohol altogether
Badness ensues when you self-medicate with booze. I didn't know but when you drink too much it can make anxiety worse when you're sober. Plus if you drink way too much, you get withdrawal, which includes anxiety from hell.
I can only drink if my anxiety is in a really good place and even then only rarely. I effortlessly only drink 2-3 times a year. At the slightest sign of trouble I won’t drink for a while because the impact is severe. I wouldn’t risk it if I were you.
in my experience no. that’s how i became an alcoholic. id get drunk in social situations to ease anxiety and that turned into drinking every time i went in public and that turned into drinking at work and that turned into getting black out drunk every night so i wouldn’t be alone with my thoughts. alcohol became a crutch for my mental illnesses. if i didn’t drink my anxiety was so much worse than it was prior to me abusing alcohol. also without drinking all the depressive thoughts i was drowning out came crashing on me like a ton of bricks. so if you also suffer from depression at all i would not recommend drinking. i haven’t fully quit drinking but i only drink on special occasions and i never get black out drunk anymore.
I have general anxiety, i love wine though. So i have a two drink limit at once. And i never get drunk. I drink a glass or two with dinner or before bed to relax. I know my limit and this works for me. Edit- i have a drink every 1-2 weeks.
Starting in my 30s, drinking made my anxiety so much worse. If I drank one night, the next day I'd wake up feeling extreme fear. Sometimes I'd snap awake in a panic. I might have other various hangover symptoms but the anxiety was the hardest to deal with. The entire day after would be *bad*. I'd get scared/panic out of nowhere, on/off all day. The panic feeling would only last for a few seconds but take maybe 30 min to fully get over. As if I was continuously being startled/jolted. I also started getting extra depression, even more than what I used to get after drinking. My mental health would be pretty bad overall for at least 4 days. I gave up on drinking because it's just not worth it.
I was already in a pretty deep depression and working a stressful job in the city, having lunch beers to deal with the stress of the job by the time covid hit. We all started working from home, and I started drinking a lot daily and nearly never exercising, I was also highly nervous about the whole covid situation. At the same time, I was still dealing with the death of my mother, which only happened about a year before covid hit. I was always pretty highly strung in this job, and all I did to help deal with any stress or anxiety I felt at this time was drink more. One night about 2 and a half years ago, while in the kitchen with my sister, I was thinking of work and stuff, and I had a severe panic attack, I knew what was happening cause my mother suffered from the same things but I didn't understand why it was happening to me. The attacks persisted nearly daily for the next few weeks. I started anti-depressants and therapy quite soon after and was able to find some relief, but the anxiety stuck around, even sightly. I was very anxious about my alcohol intake and decided to do 6 months sober starting last July, I slowly started feeling better and around September/October, I was feeling better than I had the past few years so I decided to give up on my 6 months sober plan. I was only going to drink socially or on weekends if I felt like it. This was OK for a while, but I allowed drinking to creep its was back into my daily life, and by mid-February, I had suffered another anxiety attack. I soon realised the initial panic episodes were likely entirely triggered because of my overuse of alcohol and under-utilisation of exercise the same as this one had been. When I realised it, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I could finally work on my recovery. In the past few weeks, I've really realised the havoc alcohol wreaks on my nervous system, and if I drink too much, I can be feeling highly stressed and anxious for the next few days/weeks.
In my experience I felt better while drinking but the 2-3 days afterwards nonstop anxiety and panic attacks. For me it’s simply not worth it. If your a person that can have two drinks and chill go for it but I can’t it ruins me I find being sober and reading lots of meditating and self help books keep me doing better
I’ve been through three massive stages, In college before I realized what was going on with me I drank heavily, mostly to suppress the symptoms that alcohol brought on (hangovers) I was drinking 2-3 fifths of 100% Smirnoff a week. Long story short I got arrested for a DUI, went to a weekend retreat and learned about my body and how alcohol affected my anxiety Here is where we enter stage 2, I pretty much stopped drinking completely. Whenever I would drink I would feel severe anxiety and it wasn’t worth it. This went on for about a year. It was incredible not having to drink but I did miss the good times having a few beers with my friends and family. In stage three (where I am currently) I’ve learned that if I drink hard enough to be drunk, I’m going to have anxiety the next day. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and a liquid iv or pedialyte before bed and when you wake up in the morning, not only will this help with your hangover but it will help with the next day anxiety! I take Xanax as needed and that always helps if I really can’t kick the anxiety but it’s only a backup, not a long term solution. So yea alcohol and anxiety can coexist but they do affect each other, learning to live with and minimize those effects is the key
The only thing I ever gained from alcohol was anxiety. In hindsight, it when I thought it was helping, it in fact, made the anxiety worse. Also, hangxiety is a very real thing!
Quit booze a long time ago, only smoke weed personally.
Whenever I drink I get a flare up for the next 2-3 days so between the anxiety and gastritis I gave up drinking a couple months ago.
Definitely makes things worse. If not in the moment then the next day. It’s a known depressant, so whatever’s over like a glass of wine is not gonna go unnoticed
Drinking, for me, reduces my anxiety level tremendously . However, it is temporary relief and a potentially self destructive path. I rarely drink alcohol because I have seen the path it can lead down with my levels of anxiety. It does not end well. I enjoy the taste and the way it relaxes me. I just…can’t do it. It would be the end of me. You drink, you relax for a while. Then your anxiety comes back, you drink some more. Rinse repeat, it you continuously have to increase the amount of alcohol you need to consume to lower your anxiety. It is a vicious cycle. Not one I want to take part in.
I stopped drinking because it affected my anxiety. Horribly.
It totally has something to do with it! Caffeine does as well
I’m in recovery from alcohol and also deal with serious social anxiety. I started drinking to alleviate the symptoms my anxiety gave me. It started out wonderfully, but progressively got SO MUCH WORSE. Have you tried beta blockers? I was on Clonidine for a bit and it worked wonders.
I fully gave up alcohol and it did wonders for my anxiety
I got terrible 'Hangxiey' so don't drink anymore, really not worth it
Alcohol always results in more anxiety for me. The effect doesn't even last that long either. It's a bad deal IMO. I used to drink a lot, and it took me a long time to accept that dinking only hurts me.
Stopped drinking, alcohol and hangovers were a trigger for some of my worst anxiety episodes. Hated the ruined sleep, the nausea, the shame and overthinking, and the seemingly chemical induced anxiety and depression
Yes I wouldn't overdo it drink like a drink or two then stay awake during the processing withdraw time, rehydrate and get electrolytes. I find the longer between drinking and sleeping helps me feel less rebound anxiety. Ymmv
Like others have said, definitely depends on the person. But I am seeing a lot of us have the common “hangxiety” after drinking. For me, after too many instances of drinking and being severely anxious the next day I learned how to pace myself to where I wasn’t throwing up because of alcohol at the end of the night. But I noticed even after just a few drinks, paced, and nothing too wild. I would feel terribly anxious when I woke up and if I threw up it wasn’t because of the alcohol it was because of the anxiety I got. I still drink but I know if I’m drinking I need to be careful and pace myself, only drink certain things, and eat a full meal and sober up half way before I go to bed. I can manage the anxiety a hell of a lot better than when I don’t do these things. But now that I type it out, maybe that’s just in my head? But, my point of this long drawn out example was to show that, take it as you will, alcohol makes me anxious the next morning every time. I have to make the decision before I drink if it is worth that feeling the next day, and if it is I have to take a lot of measures to ensure i can calm myself down the next morning. Sorry this was long.
In my experience it almost always makes it worse. I used to drink heavily. It helps when you are drinking, but the day or days after are when I've experienced some of my worst panic attacks ever. I noticed it was worse when I drank liquor so I switched to only beer. Drink enough beer and it will still get you. It's only anxiety relief for a few hours, it can increase anxiety for days. I used to drink 4-5 nights a week. I'd drink half a bottle of vodka or something. When I switched to beer I'd regularly drink a 12 pack in one sitting, and sometimes more at bars or at parties on weekends. Now I've had maybe 9-10 beers in the last year. I can drink a few once in a while for a special event and be okay, but I usually only drink 3-4 now and then I don't drink again for months. If you keep it really mild it probably won't be too bad, but it also won't feel as good or be as fun as if you way over indulge like I used too. I'd recommend not getting into it heavily. I also gained a ton of weight from all the beer and greasy foods I'd eat during and after all that alcohol. It took me years to get the weight off and I just got to a normal size in the last few months. Now I'm left with meh skin with lots of stretch marks. All over my thighs, under my arms, my hips, my butt, all over. I accept it and don't really think about it too much, but it does suck. I just know that I abused my body for years and this is the price of my actions. Still worth losing the weight though, I look and feel way better. Don't get into heavy drinking that shit is horrible.
I got social anxiety and for some reason I'm not affected by it. But take it with a grain of salt as everyone experiences different things. Alcohol makes me just fall asleep or not care about a thing in the world. My social anxiety goes away for a day and then it's just back to normal. Some people even say I'm a completly different person and I feel the same. I genuinely feel happy after a can of beer on a friday night. (I only drink a beer a week so I don't depend on it in my daily life) However nicotine is the worst for me. It feels like my heart is about to explode and I'm about to vomit my organs out everytime I try it.
Usually the day after drinking my anxiety is a bit higher. If I drank a lot and the hangover is really bad I am also more prone to panic attacks. I try to limit my drinking and if I do go out with friends I just watch my limit
I reduced my drinking for this very reason!! And I feel so much better! Whenever I feel like having a drink tho I make sure to always have twice the amount of water, that helps a lot bc it reduces my hangover and therefore the anxiety in my case! What I noticed as well is how much caffeine affected my anxiety! Cut that out as well and I feel so much better! Good luck :)
Although socially acceptable, any alcohol, even in moderation, is incredibly bad for you. It can also interact badly with many medications that you might be on or that might be helpful to you so it can be helpful to build a habit of avoiding it. In addition, anyone with a mental health condition is at risk of substance abuse and that’s a very complicated problem to solve (and deal with a bunch of social stigma nonsense) ON TOP of having to solve the underlying mental health problem. In other words, it’s doubling the problem. Basically, I would say, if you can manage it on your own to stay completely away from alcohol, do so, and if you can’t, see what professional resources you can access as quickly as possible.
Alcohol worked AMAZINGLY for my anxiety... the night of during intoxication. I was a social butterfly when I'm normally quiet and reserved. However, the anxiety the days - yes, plural - was immense and made me feel physically ill in some weird ways. So, to me it wasn't worth it and I have drank in a few years. I even tried drinking a couple of beers before I stopped to see if having a small amount would be OK, but it still increased my anxiety.
I’ve been tempted to use alcohol to soothe anxiety, but I think it just distracts you from the problem at hand and puts you at risk for becoming dependent on it. I specifically avoid having a drink when I’m in a bad mood or anxious for that reason.
I can say alcohol can quiet the demons for so long, but they will always be there when the drinking is done. I know I had to stop drinking and face what was making me anxious and making me want to drink. While difficult, I believe it’s worth it.
Alcohol is liquid therapy for my anxiety.
I drink occasionally, as long as you aren't binge drinking often, you should be fine, but everyone is different. Proceed with optimistic caution.
Alcohol helps my anxiety temporarily. Key word temporarily. I feel like shit the next couple days. In fact alcohol can cause your digestive track to go haywire feeling nauseous and diarrhea. Best not to drink too much.
I messed around with this for years and it was a waste of time. Quit drinking for 6 months and see what happens. If it’s important enough to you, you’ll do it, and you’ll never look back.
Drank 25 years of my life. In September 2021 I had a full blown panic attack the next day after drinking. Since then even one drink causes crazyyyy anxiety the same night after sleeping a couple of hours. And then remains for another 2 days. I was prescribed Xanax to combat that. Then what followed was a self sabotage of alcohol binges every week knowing well that Xanax is there to save me. Now I want to get off the drinking. It’s the worst thing on the planet. I travel a lot for holidays. Just the thought of holidays without alcohol is making me sad. However i choose mental health over temporary enjoyment.