sudden alcohol intolerance or anxiety?

i'm 29, am healthy with no major health problems, but i've suffered from anxiety for probably 10+ years.  i see a counselor regularly and take xanax when needed, usually after a stressful day or if i can't sleep.  i'm a regular drinker, one-two beers a night with dinner, more on weekends or if i'm feeling good.  i don't drink when i'm upset, for some reason beer doesn't 'taste good' when my anxiety is acting up, so thankfully i avoid it.

three weeks ago i went to the bar after work by myself to have a few drinks and dinner.  this was something i normally did and felt very comfortable in the bar where i frequented.  after a meal and three beers of 5-6 percent alcohol, i started to feel light headed and tingly all over, like i was stoned.  the reminded me of when i used to infrequently smoke pot, i felt disconnected, tense, shaky, and nervous. i drank water and toughed it up so i could drive home where i sat, shook, and worried until i started to feel better.  the exprience shook me up and i avoided beer and have yet to return to that bar.

i chalked the experience up to an anxiety attack because i've got a ton of stuff on my mind and i haven't seen my counselor in a while (they've been on vacation / conferences).  i've dealt with more stress before, but never experienced anything like this.  i've tried drinking a beer but i'm constantly on alert and feel tense.  i've decreased my beer consumption significantly, but want to get back to my previous lifestyle because a) i enjoy the taste of beer and b) it was all done in moderation and was safe.

i've read a lot of stuff about sudden alcohol intolerance but my symptoms seem different from those situations, however, i'm struggling to identify if what i'm dealing with is panic or something physiological?  is anxiety this powerful that it can make me no longer enjoy my occasional english ale?  any thoughts?

[Alisonj29]

Its usually a very bad idea to ever drink while taking medications especially xanax. But all that aside I completely relate to what you are saying. I use to go out and drink and enjoy myself. Then almost 6 years ago now,  I went out and didnt drink anymore than usual or do anything at all different but I felt really weird. I started to get freaked out and had a panic attack. I have no idea why or what happened. The next time I went out I started to feel anxious after one drink. It was really bad. I even talked to my doctor about it and all he said was that it can really affect anxiety and you cant determine when it will. I havent drank since. It ***** because even at Christmas or New Years I am way too scared to have anything at all.
I dont know if that helps at all, but I thought I would share

[erin626]

I have been facing a similar problem. I used to drink heavily in my early 20's and get rip roaring drunk almost nightly. I calmed down after the novelty wore off but still enjoyed a glass or two of wine with dinner or a scotch on the rocks before bed. I used to like to go to happy hour with my friends and have a couple of cocktails..then for whatever reason i just couldnt drink anymore. I try to have a drink but i'll start to get incredibly anxious and nauseous and just feel awful and i'll have only made it through about a quarter of the drink. i cant explain it and its frustrating because i really love wine and would love to be able to drink it again.