Anxiety/panic attacks the day after drinking

[bvjens31]

This isn't really a question, it's more or less a walkthrough of what I am going through with anxiety problems and alcoholism in hopes that it might help someone out there. Had I read online about how common anxiety attacks after a night of drinking are, maybe I could have started my road to recovery sooner, and maybe some of you can.

Anyways, I am a 25-year old college student (receiving my 2nd BA tomorrow actually :D) who had never experienced anything related to anxiety or panic attacks ever in my life. I've always been a laid back, easy-going individual. Last May, after a weekend of beer pong and partying, I woke up on the following Monday and instantly felt dizzy and out of breath, like I was going to pass out or fall over. I didn't know what it was. I thought maybe I had hit my head during the previous weekend's festivities. A couple days later I still had a dizzy feeling so I had my ladyfriend drive me to the ER for fear of having post-concussion syndrome or something. They gave me something for my nerves (Loreazapam maybe?) and did a catscan and everything was A-OK. I had no idea why I was feeling like this, but I finally told my mom about it and she googled it and thought maybe I was having some panic attacks. Over the next couple of months during the Summer, my roommates and I's drinking continued, and so did my anxiety issues (always the day after going out). At first I tried blaming them on stress or my girl or anything else besides drinking. I didn't want to think for ONE SECOND that my favorite past-time (drinking and being social with the wonderful people in my life) was actually the crux of my least favorite past-time (anxiety attacks.)  

Before I had my first one last May, I had heard of people having anxiety problems (my ex-girlfriends mom took meds for them) but just scoffed at people actually having to take medications to control their thoughts. What pish-posh I thought to myself. Well, after 1 year of having these #$%^$@ panic attacks, it's not pish-posh anymore. I have finally come to terms with the fact that it IS my drinking that is causing these (and smoking a pack of marlboro lights on the weekends in the bars does not help!!!!)  I don't even really get typical hangovers anymore like I used to, well maybe I do, but they are being over-shadowed by the PURE AGONY of the anxiety attacks. Sometimes they go on for the whole day. There are several different reasons about why people have panic attacks, hypoglycemia is one, but I have finally realized that it is my drinking style. Thank God I'm getting out of college so I won't feel the need to go out and get belligerent drunk with my buddies anymore. I know that being in college is no excuse, but hey, it's fun!!!

All this being said, I am working on curing myself. I have always been a type of person who needs to be in control of my own life/mind/health and this anxiety **** has got to stop!!!! I am going to start taking daily doses of St. John's Wort and B complex, to see if that helps. I am also going to get back into my workout routine once my job starts in a couple of weeks. I know that an active lifestyle will help me on the road to recovery, as well as those supplements. But I am starting to realize the #1 thing that will cure these attacks is to stop drinking. Every time I have one of these day-long attacks, I swear to myself that I'm done drinking. But the truth of the matter, is that after a few days, I feel my equilibrium has returned to a pretty awesome level, and I forget about how the major anxiety attack I just had a few days ago made my life complete hell. That's how **** works. Out of sight, out of mind. If I don't have one for a few days, I start thinking I'm invincible again, and we go party. I need to grow up and realize that there is a cure to feeling this PURE AGONY! And it's in the form of alcohol abstinence. It's going to suck and I'm sure I'm gonna miss the bars. But I will not miss these anxiety attacks.

I will keep my progress updated on this forum, because I now know that there are TONS of people out there who are suffering through the same problems that I am currently faced with. We all know the cure, deep down, we just don't want to accept it. To those reading this, hopefully I have calmed you down a little. I know it's hard. It sucks. It's hell on earth, in your brain, and it feels like there is no way out. There is. I think. So I'm going to try the B complex and the SJW and try to keep the drinking and smoking under extreme control.

Peace and love and freedom of YOUR MIND.
Take care,
C

[rupertthebear]

there are so many posts to read on this thread that i have only read a portion of them so far but your comment sounds spot on.i have suffered with anxiety and panic attacks all my adult life and for the past 5-6 years it has gradually come on that after drinking i get insanely heightened symptoms-the day after i will be bouncing of the walls,like manic with anxiety right on the edge of a panic attack,then for 3-4 days after that i am very depressed and struggle to even exist and am more prone to panic attacks than usual.i have been in a constant cycle of having these symptoms for 5 days after drinking and telling myself not to drink at all but then i just seem to forget.its like its that intense my mind has blocked it out and then i start drinking again.

now it gets worse,i have found a drug that counteracts it (im not saying the name because i dont want anyone else to copy),i have these the day after drinking and it stops the 5 day hell that usually follows it,thing is im having to have more of the drug now as my tolerance levels are higher.

recently though i have calmed down on it a bit as i have been having job interviews and after 3 years of searching for a new job i have finally landed one and start in 2 days.im going to use this change as a starting point to stopping drinking but its gonna be hard as im a lot more confident socially and do have a good time whilst drinking.

my last day at my old job was 2 days ago and i had just 4 cans knowing that i was starting a new job in a few days and didnt wanna make my anxiety any worse,i thought that with it only being 4 cans and having my 'medication' i would be alright.naturally i was housebound the day after but have just had to leave a friends house as a panic attack came on.i dont know whether it was because of these 4 cans or whether i was just getting it for no reason like i sometimes do.i strongly suspect it was the drink though as even just a few drinks does it to me.

i agree with what youre saying about how it does something physiologically to you,its like a chemical thing in your brain and not because you feel nervous about a particular thing for example.

hell knows how im going to stop drinking,especially at events like music gigs or birthday dos,i cant do things like that sober because of the anxiety.

anyway im gonna start my new job and hope it helps trigger a change in me,im slowly gonna read through all these comments also.ive never met anyone else that gets this through drinking but i know that some drugs give 'normal' people panic attacks and after all alcohol is just a legal drug

sorry if this was a bit of a ramble but im judt typing as im thinking.good luck to everyone with any type of mental health or addiction problem.

[oracle27]

wow! I also experienced my first anxiety and panic attacks when i was 27 years by the time i quit my job cause of too much stress and all i do is to party and drink 24/7. Then after several months, i began to experience the attacks, chest pain, feel like going mad and unattached to myself, dizziness, numbness and so on... I've been also jumping on the bed too lol.. but the therapy and medication helped me somehow. I'm now 30 years and still experiencing anxiety attack relapse but this time i' am able to calm and compose myself, i totally quit drinking for 2 years now, i don't smoke and i always keep a propranolol 10mg handy in case of the fast uncontrollable heart beats.

[GMan1983]

What everyone needs to do is not drink so much. I am 30 years of age and had the all the same problums as you guys with the day after drinking attacks. All you need to do is not drink so much everytime you go out. This will stop your panic attacks. Just have 3 or 4 beers not 12-15 beers. You will find this will really help you.

[cisco2323]

I feel like I need some extreme help.... my body is shaky my heart is racing feels like my pulse is going to explode I feel like I I'm going to crawl out of my skinI feel like I'm going to pass out I definitely don't feel OK, I had a long weekend of partying. Had  a lot of friends over throughout the weekend last night got kind of  out of control did not go to bed till the morning time. I need sny advice on how I can calm down!!!!!! I feel like a horable person.  I m freaking out ??? Anyone out there that deals with this????? I feel I'm the only one that suffering well to this extreme.... I also would love some advice on stop drinking..

[sye80]

Wow, when I had my first panic attack last May I thought it was just me! This thread has really helped me as I have just suffered the worst 24 hours hangover/panic attack I have ever had - 2 days later I still feel c**p.

I am 32 and have been drinking since 14/15 but it has steadily increased, especially in the past 6 years, due to getting a decent income from my Doctorate stipend and later PostDoc job and relatively flexible hours. Unfortunately, it just allowed me to indulge my alcoholic tendencies. I would and have been on some awful benders drinking up to 10 pints of 5%-ish ciders/beers and then going home with four more cans/wines/spirits sometimes and staying up all night listening to music surfing the internet - I am a bit of a loner and I don't think this helps my situation, since I can just let go on my own.
The thing is, besides my drinking I have quite a healthy lifestyle. I run/work-out 4/5 times a week, enjoy cooking my own fresh/healthy meals and grow some of my own fruit/veg. It is just this damn drink weakness!

I realise now it is also doing consecutive benders (up to 5 days sometimes!) really does hit me hard (no s**t sherlock!). I live in Spain at the moment and my girlfriend went home to see her folks. I took advantage since there has been a long 4 day weekend with loads of street parties and I have gone a bit mental with the booze. God am I paying the price now.
Like everyone else, my panic attacks involve tingling limbs, numb face, a distinct feeling of doom, having a heart attack/stroke, about to pass out, strange feelings like I cannot lift that pint of beer off the bar as I might collapse and my hands start shaking, people watching me?! Past 5 years I also have that inability to sleep as I fear I will die in my sleep and then when I nod off my body jerks me out of sleep like a heart attack - really stressful. First one last year I was with my parents and I thought I was dying, my dad was almost taking me to the hospital - it really shook me up - I kept my drinking reasonable after that for 6 months. But lately, I have fallen back into binges again.
This is the worst attack I have had. I have sat alone awake all night because I fear I will die if I go to bed - 24 hours and counting of sheer hell. I need to get a grip of the drinking. My family are all big drinkers and my uncle died last month of liver/alcohol related problems at 64 years old. Good luck everyone, be strong

[Aemrx]

quit drinking!