Extended hangovers- is it withdrawal?

[sdsurfin8889]

I am a 30 yr old male. When I was younger (16-25) I would drink alcohol almost every weekend and each time I would typically consume a good quantity of alcohol. There was a lot of 'binge drinking'.  As I got older (late 20s/early 30s), hangovers got worse and worse, although I've always had worse hangovers than other people my age. I made an effort throughout my twenties to not drink during the week, and the past 2 years or so I have generally kept all drinking under around 5 drinks per one evening.  I generally have never had great control over how much i drink though, and after 2 drinks or so i definitely crave more.

Now, I've been doing my best to exercise discipline and have no more than 5 beers per week and no more than 3 on any one night.  For the most part , over the last 3 months, I've been successful.  No big binges.  Maybe 5 beers spread out over one day/night.  However, lately even 2 or 3 beers make me hungover, completely lethargic and sleepy, dull headed, and generally anxious for around 3 or 4 days.  I had three beers on friday night and only on tuesday night am i starting to feel clear headed and not lethargic. Sometimes, though not always, even one drink will make me much lazier the next day, and will kill my desire to be productive. I take 25 mgs of zoloft for anxiety , and i thought maybe it was this medicine that caused this, but i remember having these strange 3 or 4 day hangovers once in a while even before i started ever taking an SSRI. I don't ever puke or get migraines, just an intense anxiety and lethargy and also a constant munchy-type hunger all day.  

What causes this and is there anything I can do about it? I don't want to indulge in binge drinking, but I would enjoy being able to have 2-3 drinks over the course of an evening without these consequences. I really can't find any information on the internet about why this occurs.  I don't get upset stomach or bad headaches, and hangovers are not supposed to last so long. am i experiencing withdrawal from some kind of alcoholic predisposition? Gluten allergy? I ran into a forum online in the UK where a lot people had the same symptoms, and I'm curious if the doctors on here have run into the same phenomenon.  I have had my liver and blood checked and everything is normal.  This whole phenomenon makes me think there might be some weight behind AA's claim that alcoholism is an allergy, because even when i have very few drinks my body reacts as if i have been drinking for days and then stopped, i feel very hollowed out.  I know that any doctor's advice is to not drink, and i take that seriously, but more than anything i want to know WHY this happens. it is not dehydration, it is not liver damage, and I need to know if it's possible to have a built in addiction to alcohol that causes these withdrawal like symptoms from drinking sporadically. thanks so much!

[ibizan]

None of us are experts here..just recovering ppl and those seeking recovery to aid others in the same endeavor! there is a wealth of research,theory and good information out there on addiction being a disease.....i personally think it is.....that thought has helped me keep mine in remission for 30 years.I have a HUGE family history of it.....and a very healthy fear of re-activating it..if i would be FOOLISH enough to do so.And I intend not to do that today!

[eh1858]

Your theory is quite interesting to me. As a sufferer of what you describe, I came to the very same conclusion—that there may be a genetic predisposition that causes the body severe withdrawal symptoms in some people. I've had withdrawal symptoms lasting months triggered by just half a glass of beer. I've been tested for everything you can name and nothing explains this condition. Alcoholism runs my family, but I've never been addicted myself—although things may have turned out differently had my condition not seriously made me reconsider consuming it.

[sdsurfin8889]

still trying to figure out how to contact an expert on here. why is this not being answered? thanks

[Twosandbits]

Hello, I'm not an expert but have you been tested for diabetes? It might fit in with all your symptoms. Also I think if you are worried about your drinking and need to control it you might like to think about knocking it on the head for a while to see how you feel with out it. Maybe take a visit to your GP and express all your concerns.

I wish you luck :-)

[sdsurfin8889]

is this the right place to ask an expert? i haven't gotten a response and wondering if I'm doing this right.....