alcohol and drug abuse

[andrewm88]

ok i need some serious advice becuase my psychologist and my MD wont give me a straight answer. this past summer (may-august) i partied alot, drank alot and began to experiment with drugs (cocaine and MDMA) now in terms of drinking i did alot....like i think i can safely say on average i was buzzed or trashed 4/7 days of the week. in terms of drugs i tried a few bumps of cocaine maybe all of 6 times over that 4 month period, and i tried mdma (not a full pill just a little of the crystals) about 4 times, all times on the MDMA i wouldnt get high and just get super anxious and trip out for hours. on the cocaine i was good, i liked it until the last time i did it i had a panic attack (last time i did it). so you all by now know me having anxiety for the past month and a half but surprise surprise this anxiety developed as i got back to school and realized that my 4 month party was over. im just really scared that i have a substance induced anxiety disorder becuase then that makes me the textbook case of the kid of screwed up his life on drugs, my psychologist seems to think there is more to it than that from my sessions with her and mentioned that my anxiety was there before my little party time, but i am unsure. my MD didnt say much all he said was it looks like i have a prolonged anxiety disorder. what do you guys think? first of all please no judgement i am not a drug addict and by no means am i wanting to touch those drugs ever again! but i was reading somewhere about alcohol induced anxiety disorder? (which i wud much rather prefer the label of that than a cocaine/mdma induced one- if i have it) i remember this summer at least twice i wud get a panic attack after drinking (never happened before- and just drinking no drugs) i spoke to some old family friends who had their days with drugs and alco and they all said i just need to 'dry out'. what do you guys think? please help

[andrewm88]

hey! thanks so much that made alot of sense, yes there is a history of depression and anxiety on both sides of my family, and before my partying i never had these outright anxiety symptoms but i was always more nervous about things than other people and always on edge, so maybe that had something to do with it. it just frustrates me that my MD and my psychologist wont give me a straight answer, maybe i should go straight to a psychiatrist and let them diagnose me on the DSM IV TR? but i have been doing my research and from what i have gathered is that these symptoms usually go away on their own in time according to each person u just need to straighten out no more drugs and in my case alcohol cuz that brings out anxiety in me. so i guess i do just need to 'dry out' but in the mean time coping with it is hell. i hope your doing ok and im glad that you broke free from your drug habit as well!!!! i still have friends who do copious amounts of cocaine on a weekly basis and i just want to tell them what it can do to them in the long run, but thats such a touchy subject. :(

[Aquarius9]

Hi andrewm88, obviously I dont know your personal situation before your partying, but it would help. Were you anxious before hand? To be onest I cant see that the partying you did will have any long term effect on you. I dont want to sound patrionising but sometimes its easy to over worry, and create a problem, this may be the case for you. On the positive side you seem to fully understand the implications of what you done, and say you wont do it again. Im just recovering from a 17year drugs habit (practically anything and everything I could get hold of) but stopped on the 28th of september. Your doctor is correct in that most people that do develop any mental issues, fall into two categories, short-term psychosis and mental issues, such as anxiety, or long term linked to a dissorder already there, or atleast triggered something already in you. Is there any history of mental problems in your family, like depression or anxiety? On the other hand I think this is just a short term issue, and you will look back on this one day and say 'I was lucky I got out of that'. I admire your attitude though, you know you did wrong, just make sure you dont do it again - trust me drugs will take your sanity and life. I wish you all the best, just give it time and continue to update your MD, they are there to help.

[livngr8ful]

I would love to help.  Anxiety can come from many different places.  We cant diagnose any medical issue you may have.  If you are not pleased with the answer's  you are getting get another opinion.  Make sure you are giving them all of your information, and use history.  they will need everything to make a good diagnosis.