Hi, I am new here and trying to be anonymous right now. I want to quit drinking and the only thing that’s stopping me are the panic attacks I get. I do not have a good support system because all of my close friends are alcoholics and I have a broken family full of alcoholics. I want to be sober more than anything but I don’t know how to start without having heart palpitations and anxiety. I am desperate for help to quit drinking.
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Welcome to this wonderful sober community Sekwl.
This place has been such a big help and key to my sobriety. I come on here every day. Have a good read around. Join in only when you’re comfortable. No pressure. There’s lots of great info and lots of great people here. I think most of us started off pretty scared, afraid to interact, and anxious.
Here are two good threads to start:
- Resources for our recovery 3
-
Frequently asked questions about sobriety for newcomers
Your in a safe place.
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Welcome! I’m glad you found us. Tons of support and experience here.
I would start by going to your doctor and being honest and I’m sure they will give you something to help withdrawals. Drinking causes anxiety so you’ll notice a huge difference once you stop drinking.
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This is a good place to start if you really want to enjoy your life without the crippling affects that alcohol has on our lives, your in a good place here. Plenty of topics to read about and people who share the experience on how we’re staying sober. Great support an always someone here if you need to talk to anyone about anything we’ll help you if we can, dont be afraid to ask.
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My anxiety was made worse by drinking, I thought it helped but it just numbed my mind so I wouldn’t worry or actively work towards solutions for the issues I could fix.
It was awful for a while, but the longer you can go without drinking the better off you’ll be. It’s gradual but the anxiety and panic I had went down to manageable levels. Stay positive and keep trying, it gets better and it’s worth it.
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Yep. Look into alcohol withdrawls and how to cope with them.
I got them so bad. I battled and battled many times and eventually got sober.
If I could do it so can you.
They are gonna continue for a bit. The worst thing you can try to do (my experience) is to try NOT to have 'em by trying NOT to think about 'em… By trying to NOT think about 'em or trying to ignore them… You’re still thinking about them and it. And for me, that made me more critical and more judgemental of myself (“I’m a failure.” “what’s wrong with me?” “I’m never gonna get this right!” etc…) All negative thoughts = not helpful with anxiety at all. Instead, I started letting myself just acknowledge them (they will still be SUPER annoying and frustrating at first!) But just acknowledging they are there, eventually you will start to see the signs, triggers and environments that this anxiety starts to elevate most and more often. FORGIVE yourself. Be PATIENT with yourself. Be KIND to yourself. It’s not easy, no matter how “simple” it might sound. And nothing worth having ever came easy.
You gotta in a sense give yourself a chance to “reset”. Start over. Start over tomorrow, today, in an hour, in a half hour, in 10 minutes and/or in a minute. It’s ok. YOU are ok. You are enough and you are worth it. Find a mantra to repeat to yourself when you find yourself getting a little “offtrack”. Let that be your reminder to take a breath, love yourself and reset.
Mine was “Next Right Thing” (I say “was” because I said it a LOT at first! Like a TON!!) it still is Next Right Thing… I just have to say it less now. And now when I say it, it’s like my safe place and reminder that I’m doing just fine. I’m gonna make mistakes (like a lot and always!) every. single. day. Multiple times a day. But I don’t have to make 'em worse or more than they are anymore. Because I am human. I am flawed. I am an alcoholic. I am not perfect, but I am better than I was and I like who I am today. I am getting things back in my life that I honestly never thought I would. It’s a process. It doesn’t happen over night. Trust it. Even when you think there’s no point or reason you should.
Don’t know if any of this helped? But hope ya maybe found something? Thanks for listening. Know you are safe here. Try to start learning you are safe wherever you are. YOU are all you need, but right now we’re not there yet… So you can have as many people as you want to help you get there! Reach out be honest and say whatever you need to whenever you need to! Take care, hope you are well!
Sincerely,
-Jeremiah
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Try ameeting it makes it simple be with like minded people who understand . wish you well
Welcome! Coming here is a great first step
Be active and be open.
Hard to see right now, but getting sober will help with the panic attacks. I had them all the time. When I quit, I had exponentially fewer. Now when I do, my sober mind can help me reason through them, and they end much quicker.
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Welcome! 
This! I also thought drinking “helped” my anxiety but really I was just avoiding dealing with it. And then years and years went by and in that time I could have been working on ways to cope with my anxiety and building a foundation to deal with what life throws at you.
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