drinking and anxiety

[philmarcus]

couple months ago i was having girlfriend problems. so as usual i would just drink with my friends, and just forget about it. but one night of drinking i got a anxiety attack, it wasnt really a panic attack, i just felt really depressed and weird. i felt something horrible happen but i didnt know what. i was afraid of drinking after that. but couple days after that i got talked into drinking again (its kind of hard to say no when theres free beer). and everything was fine, i did feel a little weird at first but i just got drunk and i was fine then.
    a week later, i decided to drink again, i was fine, i had a good drunk. then out of the blue, i felt really tired so i decided to go to bed.the soonest i got to bed and i realize i was having a panic attack.
since then ive been dealing with anxiety. and i havent dranked since that night. lately ive been feeling preety good. not anxious all the time anymore. i feel a bit closer to my old self.
    anyways ive talked to a couple people and they all told me drinking is BAD for anxiety, especialy with the hangover.

now my question is would ever be able to drink again??
im not an alcoholic or anything. BUT HEY! DRINKING IS FUN!
and im always  arround people that are drinking. and my friends are always going to partys and i dont go because its not fun to watch people drink.
is it savee to just drink a beer or two?

thank you for reading

[SaraMercury]

I recently quit drinking about a month and a half ago (right after Michael Jackson died), and now also suffer from severe anxiety.  My doctor consulted a nutritionalist (as I refuse to put any type of chemicals into my body for anything because of my excessive worry about side effects), and he suggested I take L-Theanine, 200 mg twice daily.  Since I have been taking it, the 6 hours per night I used to spend in perpetual panic have subsided completely.

[Emma82]

Agreed, just because a person drinks does not mean they don't suffer from REAL anxiety.  I think its presumptious to decide that one person's anxiety is trivial compared to your own.  And even if it was, if a person is posting here, they are looking for help, not to be told that their problems don't matter as much.  I for one find that drinking helps alleviate my anxiety at times, not getting wasted or anything, just a couple of drinks to help keep my mind off things.  I'm at my calmest after a glass of wine or two, and whether thats healthy or not, it works for me.

Philmarcus, everyone's anxiety is triggered by different things.  Maybe drinking is increasing your anxiety, I don't know, everyone is different.   Perhaps its not the actual alcohol causing your anxiety, but the social situations you're in when you drink?  Either way, I'd suggest seeing a doctor or therapist for treatment options if you feel your anxiety is interfering with your day to day life.  

[kristine9190]

I think it is interesting that you feel that people with Anxiety, that drink, can not be compared to those with "real" anxiety. I don't think it matters what the level of your Anxiety is, everyone is different, and I don't think it is necessary to judge someone because they drink. I don't think it is fair to say that if we have Anxiety and talk about having a few drinks, that our Anxiety isn't real. It is very real, and when people come to this site for help, the last thing anyone needs is to be judged or told that our anxiety can't be as bad as yours otherwise we wouldn't drink, I think that is a tough statement.

I struggle with Anxiety EVERYDAY, I may not have full blown panic attacks, but I struggle everyday, if you are telling me that because I have a few glasses of wine on a weekend, that I must not be suffering as bad as someone who "really" has Anxiety, I think you are wrong.

There are all levels of people on here, lets help each other, rather than criticize each other.

Kristine

[silverberg]

1) legel age to drink is 20 in MA correct?
2) if your sick (anxiety/panic fall under this unbrella) why would you drink?
3) if you can't have fun without a drink (ya I know your 19) does not matter, PROBLEM!

Not to be harsh, and yes I was the first to have a drink when I was under the legal age, but not like you state and I did NOT have anxiety or panic at this time.

I find when people post anything about anxiety / panic and say they drink, I can only conclude, the anxiety/panic they feel is NOTHING to people who really have Panic/anxiety, because if it was YOU WOULD NOT DRINK UNTIL YOU WORKED ON YOUR ILLNESS.

[kristine9190]

I know exactly what you are talking about, and you are right, drinking does make anxiety worse, remember that alcohol is a stimulant, but at the same time a depressant, weird I know, but it has so many affects on the body. I too love to drink with my friends, and I still do. What you need to realize, is that this is going to happen, so accepts, expect that you are going to feel yucky the next day. I do find that a few drinks, is OK with me, I don't get anxious with just a couple, it is more when I get DRUNK. I may have a few symptoms when drinking a few, but no different than they are everyday. I am an everyday sufferer, not full blown, but nervousness all day most days. It gets really frustrating and annoying.

Good Luck to you! You know your body, test things out and see how many drinks you can handle before you experience anxiety.

Kristine