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Alcohol and Anxiety
I was wondering if anyone else goes through this or can help me. I'm in college and have a horrible fear of HIV. I drink and some nights I unfortnately drink too much and will not remember parts of the night or even most of it. The days after this are horrible because I start to worry about things I might have done or things that happened during the parts I don't remember and will worry and stress out over it, especially if the parts I do remember I don't like. I will usually convince myself that during a part of the night I don't remember that I did something with a girl or that something bad happened to me and I freak out and constantly will try and piece the night together or remember what happened. Around Halloween I had one of these bad nights and ended up convincing myself that I have HIV and have been going through hell worrying and even got tested. And then of course last night I didnt plan on drinking much but ended up drinking a little too much and don't remember some parts and am freaking out again. I get extreme anxiety over this and have been working on cutting back on drinking because of the anxiety. I know HIV is hard to catch and in college I'm way more likely to catch an std then HIV but I still worry about it to the point where I get depressed thinking I have HIV and that something bad happened to me. I know I need to obviously stop drinking but it's hard in college. Everyone else I know, if they drink too much one night and don't remember everything don't even worry about it at all but yet I freak out and stress to the point where it affects my life greatly and I hate it.
If anyone can help me get through this or help in any way I would greatly appreciate it, please help I don't know how i'm going to get through this. Thank you in advance to everyone that can help!
If anyone can help me get through this or help in any way I would greatly appreciate it, please help I don't know how i'm going to get through this. Thank you in advance to everyone that can help!
Hey thanks for your advice, my dad has told me the same kind of advice since he knows I worry about a lot of things. It's very good advice and most of the time I try and think and live my life that way but we all have our bad days and weak moments. I take it day by day and do pretty well. I know i'll soon be out in the real world with more daunting decisions to make so i'm working on these problems and gonna get them out of the way and move on into the real world. Thank you so much for your help and encouragement, you've been a great help. Good luck to you in the future friend.
Hey man, I wish you luck. Sounds like you got a plan. Too bad the economy is so lousy right now.; school is a good place to be until things turn around.
Anyway, as far as anxiety goes, there is one piece of advice my dad gave me and I will pass it on to you. It pertains to worry and anxiety. My old man was a very successful corporate lawyer and dealt with cases that tallied into the millions of dollars. Sometimes he would be gone for days and weeks at at time on a big case. The pressure was immense and I once asked him up how he handled all the pressure and yet always seemed to stay so cool. He said this. "I only worry about the things I can control, I never worry about the things I can't" In other words, if it was something he could do something about he would seize control and fight like hell to win. If it was something he couldn't control he wouldn't waste needless time and energy worrying about it. I have heeded his advice and it has worked out pretty well in the business world. My personal life may be pretty screwed up, but so far I have kept anxiety and alcohol from getting the best of me. Think about it, you will be out in the real world very soon. Many pressures and many decisions will need to be made. Use "constructive worry" to make you make the right decisions, don't let "destructive worry" tear you apart. Use this HIV thing as your springboard, put it behind you and move on. You don't have HIV, you ain't gunna get HIV cuz you're smart, and you have many more important things to worry about that will make a difference in your life. Stay strong and find your path my friend.
Anyway, as far as anxiety goes, there is one piece of advice my dad gave me and I will pass it on to you. It pertains to worry and anxiety. My old man was a very successful corporate lawyer and dealt with cases that tallied into the millions of dollars. Sometimes he would be gone for days and weeks at at time on a big case. The pressure was immense and I once asked him up how he handled all the pressure and yet always seemed to stay so cool. He said this. "I only worry about the things I can control, I never worry about the things I can't" In other words, if it was something he could do something about he would seize control and fight like hell to win. If it was something he couldn't control he wouldn't waste needless time and energy worrying about it. I have heeded his advice and it has worked out pretty well in the business world. My personal life may be pretty screwed up, but so far I have kept anxiety and alcohol from getting the best of me. Think about it, you will be out in the real world very soon. Many pressures and many decisions will need to be made. Use "constructive worry" to make you make the right decisions, don't let "destructive worry" tear you apart. Use this HIV thing as your springboard, put it behind you and move on. You don't have HIV, you ain't gunna get HIV cuz you're smart, and you have many more important things to worry about that will make a difference in your life. Stay strong and find your path my friend.
Wow, I didn't think i'd get all these comments but thank you for all your guys help and point of views. I wouldn't say i'm an alcoholic per say, and I know a lot of people say that people that say there not one are in denial I know that. I know I have a problem with alcohol in the case that every once in a great while I will have a little too much and not remember everything. Thankfully when I do have a alcohol blackout I can remember parts of the night at least. I know having a blackout of anykind is bad and this is why I have cut back to really drinking one night a week, usually being one of the nights on the weekends in stead of the usual thursday, friday and saturday night drinking that I used to do as well as the majority of other college kids.
I unfortnately suffer from anxiety, fear of HIV and enjoy a drink or two with fellow college students. This doesn't always make for a good mix. Horenyboy (like the name btw haha) anyway I know where your coming from about going to AA at my student health services, they do infact have an AA since drinking is a huge problem with college kids. I've thought of looking into it before but with this week being finals week and then I go home, my plan was to work on cutting back on my drinking over winter break so I can come back for my last semester and graduate! I've also planned on finding activities to do next semester on weekends to keep me from possibly drinking as well. Of course if I find myself still having problems with alcohol I will look for help. I also just wanted to mention I have been seeing a counselor about my anxiety and it has helped very much. Just wanted to add that so people don't think i'm just complaining about my problems and not doing anything about them.
aardvarkadmirer, thanks alot for your posts they were quite helpful. And thank you for trying to understand my situation. I don't think i'm a massive alcoholic but do have issues with alcohol obviously but thanks for stating that being in college and around this lifestyle can be a battle of it's own.
I'm not sure why I posted this in the HIV forum really, i meant to post it in the anxiety or alcoholism forum but oh well, you guys were very helpful. Again thank you for your help please continue to comment if you have more to add, thanks!
I unfortnately suffer from anxiety, fear of HIV and enjoy a drink or two with fellow college students. This doesn't always make for a good mix. Horenyboy (like the name btw haha) anyway I know where your coming from about going to AA at my student health services, they do infact have an AA since drinking is a huge problem with college kids. I've thought of looking into it before but with this week being finals week and then I go home, my plan was to work on cutting back on my drinking over winter break so I can come back for my last semester and graduate! I've also planned on finding activities to do next semester on weekends to keep me from possibly drinking as well. Of course if I find myself still having problems with alcohol I will look for help. I also just wanted to mention I have been seeing a counselor about my anxiety and it has helped very much. Just wanted to add that so people don't think i'm just complaining about my problems and not doing anything about them.
aardvarkadmirer, thanks alot for your posts they were quite helpful. And thank you for trying to understand my situation. I don't think i'm a massive alcoholic but do have issues with alcohol obviously but thanks for stating that being in college and around this lifestyle can be a battle of it's own.
I'm not sure why I posted this in the HIV forum really, i meant to post it in the anxiety or alcoholism forum but oh well, you guys were very helpful. Again thank you for your help please continue to comment if you have more to add, thanks!
Collegedummy, get some help for both your anxiety and your drinking. It is a very competitive world out there and drinking yourself out of college will not help you make your way. I have had and still do have a drinking problem myself. I tend to drink more in times of stress but fortunately I got the help I needed before I fried my liver. I have to watch myself very carefully and will the rest of my life or I will drink myself to death. Fortunately I love sex more than drinking and find that I can't perform well when I am drunk. Save sex is far less dangerous than alcohol. With alcohol you can kill yourself in a motor vehicle, kill somebody else with a motor vehicle and spend time in prison, damage your body beyond repair and wreck your job and your family life. With safe sex you are not likely to kill yourself or anybody else, you could wreck you job or your family life but if you're careful you probably won't and if you always practice safety you are not likely to wreck your body. So there you have it sex is better than alcohol. Give up the juice and go have some safe sex with those pretty little college coed's and feel good about it. Good gawd I envy you, I wish I was 21 again!
Apologies, Teak. I looked up the definition of alcoholism and it seems you're right - I was more thinking of alcohol DEPENDENCE.
Anyway, my advice to the OP is to tone it down a notch. No need to go to AA or anything yet, just watch yourself when you drink. I know what college parties are like - people drinking for the sole purpose of getting drunk. And I also know that it's oh so easy to have that extra shot or do that extra kegstand which inevitably takes you over the edge.
For the sake of your liver and your brain, please just watch your drinking.
Anyway, my advice to the OP is to tone it down a notch. No need to go to AA or anything yet, just watch yourself when you drink. I know what college parties are like - people drinking for the sole purpose of getting drunk. And I also know that it's oh so easy to have that extra shot or do that extra kegstand which inevitably takes you over the edge.
For the sake of your liver and your brain, please just watch your drinking.
That is not correct. You don't have to be one that drinks everyday to be an alcoholic. All that is required is not being able to control your drinking when you do drink and the first sign of alcoholism is blackouts.
Okay guys, the OP is not an alcoholic by any stretch of the imagination. He's in college. In college, people drink. Admittedly he drank a little TOO much at one point, but these things happen.
This is not alcoholism. Alcoholism is when you can't go a day without drinking. Quit railing on him for going to the occasional college party.
This is not alcoholism. Alcoholism is when you can't go a day without drinking. Quit railing on him for going to the occasional college party.
You have a drinking problem and you realize it. That is the first step. Second step is to get help. Go to your student health center and get enrolled in an alcohol recovery program. Almost every school has this problem and you will find you are not alone. Schools have a vested interest in keeping their students healthy and alcohol has been the demise of many a student at many a university. The problem is being dealt with much more openly on campuses now than ever before. Tomorrow is Monday, your student health center should be open for appointments. Make an appointment, state your problem openly and honestly and start getting the help you need. You don't have HIV and likely never will. You are in the wrong forum. You are an alcoholic and you need help. Now go and get help and start your life back on track.
I do this a lot, too. Two things help me through it.
1) Scientific fact: there are two types of alcohol blackout: en bloc and fragmentary. En bloc is the one where you wake up in your bed with no idea how you got there. Fragmentary are ones where you're just a little hazy on some of the events of the night before. Now, en bloc blackouts almost always end in sleep, so if you remember coming home, or leaving at the end of the party, chances are you didn't have one of them. One can always recall events during fragmentary blackouts with cues. So, if you're worrying about having sex with a girl while drunk, and no particular memory springs to mind, chances are it didn't happen.
2) Most people can't sustain an erection after imbibing a good deal of alcohol
3) Even when one is drunk, a lot of their anxieties still remain. You sound pretty paranoid about HIV, you're probably not going to have unprotected sex.
Still, try to at least drink responsibly. I had an en block blackout a few weeks ago (thankfully I was with a group of good friends) and it sucked.
1) Scientific fact: there are two types of alcohol blackout: en bloc and fragmentary. En bloc is the one where you wake up in your bed with no idea how you got there. Fragmentary are ones where you're just a little hazy on some of the events of the night before. Now, en bloc blackouts almost always end in sleep, so if you remember coming home, or leaving at the end of the party, chances are you didn't have one of them. One can always recall events during fragmentary blackouts with cues. So, if you're worrying about having sex with a girl while drunk, and no particular memory springs to mind, chances are it didn't happen.
2) Most people can't sustain an erection after imbibing a good deal of alcohol
3) Even when one is drunk, a lot of their anxieties still remain. You sound pretty paranoid about HIV, you're probably not going to have unprotected sex.
Still, try to at least drink responsibly. I had an en block blackout a few weeks ago (thankfully I was with a group of good friends) and it sucked.
Thanks for the comments and the help, I know alcohol is not helping with my anxiety. I've been doing pretty good with staying away from drinking or making sure I don't drink too much but unfortnately everyone once in a while I mess up. When i woke up the next day i regretted drinking that much because I couldn't remember everything and I knew I would start to worry and think the worst stuff happened. I mainly worry because I have only one more semester of school left until I graduate and I'm so afraid that one night that I do drink too much I'll do something really stupid or something bad will happen to me and I'll get HIV or something bad, which would be horrible because I'm so close to finishing school and the affect it would have on my family and how dissapointed they would be.
I'm going to work much hard though so I never drink to much again and cause myself so much worry.Thank you for both of your comments they were very helpful, and MIthewriter I looked at the link you left and that forum I think could give me some help , thanks!
I'm going to work much hard though so I never drink to much again and cause myself so much worry.Thank you for both of your comments they were very helpful, and MIthewriter I looked at the link you left and that forum I think could give me some help , thanks!
Have you tried looking in this forum?
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/158
I'm not saying you are one, but you can read the posts there and ask the members. They can help you with getting a handle on the drinking problem.
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/158
I'm not saying you are one, but you can read the posts there and ask the members. They can help you with getting a handle on the drinking problem.
There is really only one way you can help yourself and that is by controlling your drinking. There is no other miracle way to help. The problem with alcohol is that it exacerbates anxiety, that's why anxiety sufferers are always strongly advised to steer clear of caffeine and limit alcohol.
You really have to know when you must stop drinking, at what point you loose control and stop before that. If you find this impossible, then try not drinking for a while and doing more exercise to get it out of your system.
You should avoid situations and people that encourage you to drink and loose control, these are friends that are not helping you, try and mix with a crowd that don't loose it for a while and you will start feeling better.
Hope this help a little, good luck you can do it!
You really have to know when you must stop drinking, at what point you loose control and stop before that. If you find this impossible, then try not drinking for a while and doing more exercise to get it out of your system.
You should avoid situations and people that encourage you to drink and loose control, these are friends that are not helping you, try and mix with a crowd that don't loose it for a while and you will start feeling better.
Hope this help a little, good luck you can do it!
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