Alcohol and benzos

[robbie178]

I stopped drinking alcohol nine months ago. I haven't felt right since. I have severe fatigue cannot concentrate, I'm agitated and irritable all day long. Also my back is always stiff and aches. I was diagnosed when I stopped drinking with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. When I drank I was on clonapine. I would awake take 1.5 mgs and in the late afternoon start drinking. I would do this everyday. I also took seroquel 100 mgs to sleep. I would never take the Klonapine at night. And I would take the seroquel in the early morning while the alcohol wore off. A real healthy way of existing. Now, I am off the booze but due to my GAD I am told that I should take 4 mgs of xanax and possibly an anti depressant. I am currently taking 2 mgs of xanax a day. .05 4x daily. I do not know what to do. I am in such psycological pain because I am sober, feel like hell and the Dr.s are making me more anxious pushing the xanax on me. I am at the point where I might relapse any minute if I do not get any relief. Can someone out there give me some advice. I am really scared.  Has anyone experienced anything like this. You stop doing your drug of chioce and feel worse off for it nine months later. What a payoff. And I do not want to hear that aa is the cure all. I have been up that road and I do not buy it.

[flmagi]

Sorry you're haveing such problems but sometimes we all need alittle help, so give the xanax a try. Take it for a month and see how you feel. It may help. Keep posting.

[lostmarbles]

my doc was xanax... I can tell you what I know from my own experience. As someone that took it for 3 years, i became more anxious being on it than I did before I took it and soon I self medicated because i was getting more and more anxious and it became a whole other cycle of nightmare for me..... i can't help you with the alcohol/benzos as I was never a heavy drinker and I applaud you for your 9 months. I'm sorry you are feeling bad right now... if you look at my journal there are a few helpful web addys for benzos...

[Firefaery1023]

I just wanted to boost your post up.  Alcohol is not my drug of choice.  I also have GAD.  I am taking 60mgs of Prozac for it, ti helps.  But I tried a lot of medications before I found out that the Prozac works for me.  If I were you you, I would try taking and SSRI or so other antidepressant.  There are a lot of options out there and they are no addictive.  You should only be taking the xanax short term another antidepressant should help stabilize your anxiety.  I have Klonopin as needed but I don't take it everday because like I said the Prozac stabilizes me.  Anyway you most likely felt better before because you were treating your anxiety with alcohol and that isn't a healthy habit.

[jeremy3]

I have been drinking for 15 years. It had been getting progressively worse. I started drinking daily like you, about 9 years ago. Now, the last 3 years, it has turned into severe downing straight from the bottle of hard liqour. I also get through most days until evening, and so am a functioning alcoholic. I have discovered also that when I have tried to quit, I had trouble with depression severely, and anxiety. I am on Zoloft 150mg, and Klonopine as needed. I am going cold turkey starting today from the liqour. I am not trying to quit completely though ( I know everyone would think I should). I enjoy drimking alcohol, when I drink it moderately. I have just not been doing that. I think if I can quit at all, then I could just as well moderate. But I know I have to be in complete controll first. To me, it is acceptable to drink IF you can stick to your limitations. I have set myself personal limitations, and am planning to stick to them. You scare me that it gets worse, because I have a fear that if the dpression or anxiety get bad enough it might drive me back to abusing the alcohol. I have got to where I take percs to recover from the hangovers, and it's a roller coster!

[toxictome]

Welcome to the forum.........this is a great pplace to get help and support.

I remember when I got sober from alcohol...it took me about 1 yr. or a little more to finally "feel" happy and not anxious  anymore....I did do a lot of therapy and attended AA mtgs..I had to learn how to live life on lifes terms. Just because you stoppped drinking, does not mean you have to be miserable...
.I'm wondering if the xanax isn't adding to your problems...after i stopppeD drinking for 15+ yrs., then i started doing vics and xanax..i'm clean from everything now almost 8 weeks......LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

KEEP POSTING!!!

[jeremy3]

what made you star doing the vic's? where you just wanting the high/feel good or were you in pain?

[worried878]

I look back and see where at one time after my divorce, alcohol and running the streets at night was a problem...i took care of it ...was able to curb that and drink in moderation or even minimally...My problem is that I get awful hangovers/not really a problem because it makes me not drink too much...but then I found lortab prescribed for back pain/legitimate...it cured hangovers and I found that i would not drink a drop on the weekends unless i had the lortabs...then the problem started with the lortabs...couldnt fix that one...couldnt just do a few every now and then "socially"   no hangover associated with them and I felt great..geez...maybe I was self medicating a deeper problem and that is what I am trying to work on now...keep posting

[toxictome]

I tooK them for emotional pain...i knew i couldn't/wouldn't drink (actually, never even crossed my mind)

but i know what happened...got into an unhealthy relationship...and instead of getting rid of the thing that caused me pain..i thought ...oh. i'll just medicate it...anyway...it wsa a high price to pay for some fun....BUT i learned a valuable lesson and now know another trigger point.......i knew beore i started the pills...i think i was just tired of being sober...but i will never drink again..i hit a bottom with alcohol and because of my aa background..i got off the pills before i had any consequences (except spending tons of $$$$)...my DOC was vics 7.5/10's...4-10 day for about 2 1/2 yrs.