Anxiety/panic attacks the day after drinking

[bvjens31]

This isn't really a question, it's more or less a walkthrough of what I am going through with anxiety problems and alcoholism in hopes that it might help someone out there. Had I read online about how common anxiety attacks after a night of drinking are, maybe I could have started my road to recovery sooner, and maybe some of you can.

Anyways, I am a 25-year old college student (receiving my 2nd BA tomorrow actually :D) who had never experienced anything related to anxiety or panic attacks ever in my life. I've always been a laid back, easy-going individual. Last May, after a weekend of beer pong and partying, I woke up on the following Monday and instantly felt dizzy and out of breath, like I was going to pass out or fall over. I didn't know what it was. I thought maybe I had hit my head during the previous weekend's festivities. A couple days later I still had a dizzy feeling so I had my ladyfriend drive me to the ER for fear of having post-concussion syndrome or something. They gave me something for my nerves (Loreazapam maybe?) and did a catscan and everything was A-OK. I had no idea why I was feeling like this, but I finally told my mom about it and she googled it and thought maybe I was having some panic attacks. Over the next couple of months during the Summer, my roommates and I's drinking continued, and so did my anxiety issues (always the day after going out). At first I tried blaming them on stress or my girl or anything else besides drinking. I didn't want to think for ONE SECOND that my favorite past-time (drinking and being social with the wonderful people in my life) was actually the crux of my least favorite past-time (anxiety attacks.)  

Before I had my first one last May, I had heard of people having anxiety problems (my ex-girlfriends mom took meds for them) but just scoffed at people actually having to take medications to control their thoughts. What pish-posh I thought to myself. Well, after 1 year of having these #$%^$@ panic attacks, it's not pish-posh anymore. I have finally come to terms with the fact that it IS my drinking that is causing these (and smoking a pack of marlboro lights on the weekends in the bars does not help!!!!)  I don't even really get typical hangovers anymore like I used to, well maybe I do, but they are being over-shadowed by the PURE AGONY of the anxiety attacks. Sometimes they go on for the whole day. There are several different reasons about why people have panic attacks, hypoglycemia is one, but I have finally realized that it is my drinking style. Thank God I'm getting out of college so I won't feel the need to go out and get belligerent drunk with my buddies anymore. I know that being in college is no excuse, but hey, it's fun!!!

All this being said, I am working on curing myself. I have always been a type of person who needs to be in control of my own life/mind/health and this anxiety **** has got to stop!!!! I am going to start taking daily doses of St. John's Wort and B complex, to see if that helps. I am also going to get back into my workout routine once my job starts in a couple of weeks. I know that an active lifestyle will help me on the road to recovery, as well as those supplements. But I am starting to realize the #1 thing that will cure these attacks is to stop drinking. Every time I have one of these day-long attacks, I swear to myself that I'm done drinking. But the truth of the matter, is that after a few days, I feel my equilibrium has returned to a pretty awesome level, and I forget about how the major anxiety attack I just had a few days ago made my life complete hell. That's how **** works. Out of sight, out of mind. If I don't have one for a few days, I start thinking I'm invincible again, and we go party. I need to grow up and realize that there is a cure to feeling this PURE AGONY! And it's in the form of alcohol abstinence. It's going to suck and I'm sure I'm gonna miss the bars. But I will not miss these anxiety attacks.

I will keep my progress updated on this forum, because I now know that there are TONS of people out there who are suffering through the same problems that I am currently faced with. We all know the cure, deep down, we just don't want to accept it. To those reading this, hopefully I have calmed you down a little. I know it's hard. It sucks. It's hell on earth, in your brain, and it feels like there is no way out. There is. I think. So I'm going to try the B complex and the SJW and try to keep the drinking and smoking under extreme control.

Peace and love and freedom of YOUR MIND.
Take care,
C

[NickFil]

Wow crazy how I finally found someone with the same problem . The first day after drinking ***** and u never feel 100 percent until like 3-4 days later.i use to take lorazepam the day after was ok at first but it's  still a drug and bad side effects took them for a year about 60 pills split in 2 so I took about 100 half pills in a year and I realized I'm just ruining my body even more .. But if u really need to take a med to control them stick with Ativan it's much more responsive and u don't feel brain dead lol .ive said to myself a thousand times I will never drink again and I never seem to stop after countless rushes to the emergency at the hospital and missing work. I stopped drinking for 6 month then I started again and noticed they were gone so stupid me I start partying all over again and boom 3 months later boom there it is again.   That crappy feeling I hate the most that fear that scares the **** out of u . That squeeze. In ur chest. That loss of breath that loss of feeling in ur arms the dizziness the jumping up in ur sleep the scared to fall asleep that Pail look in ur face . Damn I feel like an idiot. Today I  write this inspired by the 25 year old who started this man do I feel u . I'm 27 I quit drugs 7 years ago bcuz of this and now I've lost my social buzzing booze I just feel so boring without it . BUT After many years of suffering and xperimenting. I wanna help whoever has this cuz I wish it on no one
WAYS TO PREVENT AND COPE WITH THE DAY AFTER ATTACKS !!!!!

Best thing vitamins help in long run
Drink lots of water
Drink milk b4 drinking
Drink warm milk the day after to soothe ur mind and help fall asleep.  
Drink non caffeine tea chamomile is good or if u can find a sedative tea that says soothes and calms nerves or  to help insomnia or sleep aid tea .....THIS HAS DONE ME WONDERS TEAS ARE THE BESTTT TRY IT TRUST Me!!!
Excersise helps  even the day after u will sweat out all the toxins
Ativans are last resort for me it's a narcotic and addictive but it does help :)
Stay calm relaxed get someone to rub ur head.
I avoid showers I just feel I can't breathe in that heat and I get all parenoid the day after in the shower.
Stay around people I'll feel safer
Eat  eat eat it makes u feel worse at first but u have to I find salmon is good salad light chicken eat healthy but not heavy small portion best .
Always check my blood pressure and do I notice a difference wen I'm hung over . U will be shocked try it it helps wanna improve wat we are doing to areselves
If u are Gunna drink light beer slooooowwwwly ANd max 3 and make sure ur on a full stomach b4 and after
But best not to drink

[Ryan19841010]

so unbelievably helpful!

[Ryan19841010]

i am so happy i found this forum i thought i was going mad and having a breakdown. I have partied growing up for about 10 years but only at weekends. I have recently been struggling from major panic attacks the day after, i get really bad acid/ indigestion on my chest and spend that much time thinking about it i think i am going to have a heart attack. I have gone to a&e twice in the the past 3 months. I thought because i have done what i have done growing up i was going to die young even though all results came back fine. I got signed off work for a week from the attacks. I have recently gone out twice and only drank beer but not a lot of it and have been completely fine. I get the impression that when i drink jaeger and redbull this makes me extremely anxious, or if i go out on a complete bender all day and night then it happens. I think the key is moderation and stopping smoking completely. I am just going to try and drink but drink to enjoy myself not drink to get really hammered as i normally do and see if it works. I can't live the way i am doing currently as my mind set isn't right and i feel like im losing my marbles, reading everyones comments its so good to know that its not just me, but at the same time i am sorry to hear other people are suffering. I only smoke at the weekends when i drink and i am going to try just having the 5-6 beers when i do go out from now on rather than getting that hammered i don't know where i am or how i got home. I wonder to myself because i have hit it so hard growing up i have ruined my body, at the end of the day man or woman we are all clearly sensitive people and the extra curricular activites the majority of us will have done has more than likely made things worse. The thing i always say to myself is to try to calm down look at people who have taken drugs all there life and live in to there 70's. Look at Alice Cooper last night on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, none of us would think he would be alive today after the way he has grown up. I think its about time at the age of 27 i started to grow up a lot and stop drinking the way i do and this will all go away. I can only hope but binge drinking needs to stop. Please do let me know if anyone gets any other ideas.

[dameindstress]

I am on here because going to the doc doesnt seem to help me because I am too ashamed to be honest about my problems.I am tired of the repitition and I was doing sooo good and in doing good no anxiety-so obviously the drinking is the common denominator here.I feel like I have ruined my life but for you to understand me a little more since I have stopped working I have no friends anymore with them not having children yet or working so I feel like I have no contact with the outside world most of the time and I get anxiety about even leaving the house to go get milk so the reason I would reach for a drink( after my child was staying with my family for the night)to get that escape and I am trying to figure out why I lash out at people when I drink I never used to do that but I guess i am so lonely and want attention that I will do it even in a negative way and the lasing out never happened until I was a stay at home mom for a few months and I feel like I have lost my identity along the way.I DONT like me right now and want to change but how?How can I promise that this wont happen again when it always happens again ?I feel like I have wasted so many years of my life and when am I going to learn I feel like have have learned but thats what I thought last time.I really need some moral support right now-I am not crazy-I just feel very lost and alone right now -and still wondering what you all think about my thanksgiving situation

[dameindstress]

I am in my 30s and I read your story and I soooo get what you say about the whole after you feel better you just do it again and again.I used to work a fulltime demanding job and would go out with the girls after work and drink almost everynight...to try and help with the anxiety I went to the doc and got put on zoloft(ofcourse telling him that I didnt drink)soon come to find out you are more likely to black out while on this and drink.I have been taking the meds for YEARS now and over time had a baby and stopped working to stay at home with my child.My husband travels and is gone 5 out of 7 days of the week and I watch another child throughout the week along with mine I had stopped drinking because I was so tired of the anxiety and my life needed to change in that aspect.But I recently had a relapse where I drank and via internet accused my sister in law of things that I shouldnt have and I am now mortified and I am done with the drinking...I forwarded an appology the very next early morning but the whole family had already heard of what I had done.I am mortified ,embarrassed,ashamed and all I want to do is stay in my house and go NO WHERE because I am so embarrassed(spell?)And all of this because of what?I thought I wanted to have just a couple of drinks.The anxiety from this last episode is really starting to affect my health and on top of EVERYTHING ELSE Thanksgiving is next week and I DO NOT want to go to the inlaws because I am so embarrassed and the whole extended family is going to be there.And yes the MAJOR reason I do not want to go is because I am so ashamed,but 2nd is because I am still trying to wrap my mind around everything that I have done and how I can fix myself .He thinks that I just need to face it but I truly feel like I need to fix myself before I am able to fix anything else.Am I wrong not want to go?The incident is still so fresh and you can imagine the anxiety I have because of what I did and it is almost paralyzing.Help me please

[j180681]

I'm 31 and male.

Never been a heavy drinker, too much of a lightweight. Used Marajuana for a few years, but over the past 18-24 months have been dealing with anxiety/panic.

More recenently, like many of you guys, I have identified the link between having a few beers and feeling awful the next day.

Some days it is unbearable.  Some friends do not realise what or how the anxiety effects people, and think it is the same as a hangover.  Its not.  Hangovers are bearable, anxiety totally wipes you out!

I do not want to stop social drinking either.  I only drink on weekends and not a masaaive amount

It it nice to know that there are loads of people feeling the same.

If anyone finds anything that helps, please let us all know.