Has anybody else started suffering from anxiety since they quit drinking? I’ve been sober for 4 months and my anxiety keeps getting worse and worse. I probably just have anxiety and it took awhile to catch up but I also kinda have this small sliver of hope that it’s because I’ve stayed sober for longer than I have in 2 years and that maybe it’ll clear up along with the nightmares I have of drinking after like 6 months.
Anxiety can come from PAWS, learning to face a new lifestyle, and it could be something you always struggled with underneath the alcohol that is only now seeing the light of day. Could be lots of things really. I don’t know how to tell which of those it might be in your case, but if you do some research into how to treat anxiety, I imagine that would help reduce the impact of anxiety over time regardless of where it gives from. If it’s severe enough for an extended period, it could be worth asking a doctor about anxiety disorders.
I definitely used alcohol heavily in an attempt to self medicate, so I got hit pretty heavy with anxiety. However, I had spent years actively working on my anxiety already, and this mitigated it a lot.
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Me! Its ridiculous and to the point that I went to the ER last Fri because I’ve been having heart palpitations for almost a month now more and more often. That was scary and made me more anxious, and causes more palpitations. My GP tried to prescribe me an anxiety pill but I’m not about that. I’d like to try and manage it other ways first.
I think the alcohol was my stress relief for so long that my body doesnt know how to deal without it.
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I posted this info on another post, but thoight it would be useful for you!
One thing I learned going through rehab last year was about brain chemistry and how it’s affected by drug and alcohol use. They mess up brain function, but the brain can heal itself! Unfortunately it takes time. But it’s worth the wait! Our bodies naturally produce endorphins, seratonin, oxytocin, etc. These chemicals make us feel happy. When we take drugs/alcohol, we get these chemicals synthetically, and eventually our bodies stop producing them naturally. When we stop taking drugs/alcohol, our brains stop getting those “happy” chemicals, and we feel sad, depressed, anxious, etc. Our brains crave those chemicals, and will do almost anything to get them, including returning to drugs/alcohol. That’s addiction and dependency. If we can stay off the drugs/alcohol, our brain starts to “reboot”. Eventually, given time to heal, our brains will start naturally producing the good chemicals again! This can take different amounts of time depending on the person, but typically happens between one year, and 18 months. I know it seems like a long time to wait to feel okay again, but it is so worth it! There are things you can do in the meantime. First, go to meetings. Work a program. Also, something that helped me immensely is using the herbal supplement Valerian Root. My sponsor suggested it to me, and it’s worked miracles! Do some research on it, and try it out! It’s also a sleep aid, if you take enough, so that helps too. I take one in the morning, and one at night, and it doesn’t make me too sleepy to function. I like the Walmart brand, and it’s cheap! Good luck!
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I had anxiety before and after. You can buy one of those finger oxygen pulse monitors for yourself. That will numerically tell you what your heart really is doing. It’s helped me see that my anxiety tells me my heart is going to beat out if my body, when it’s really at normal range.
I also took up a counselor visit weekly. I started working on triggers and past damages that creep up on me at inconvenient times.
Find your peace, what ever makes your heart Happy and do that more.
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My Android phone (Samsung) has an app on it called Samsung Health, and it has a heartbeat monitor built in, which I find really helpful! Might be worth looking into if you’re interested!
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I’ll have to look that up! I got a fitness band that also reminds me when I’ve been sedentary and get moving. That’s helped with low energy and anxiety.
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Thank you for your explanation about the brain and chemicals! Now I understand how it works, I learned this in school as well, but I drunk it away. It motivates me even more to understand again!
I hope it works for a.casel as well.
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Try and be patient with yourself, your body is going through a lot of changes in early sobriety. For me, the key has always been AA meetings. Through listening to other peoples stories our mind starts to relax.
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