[jc]

i havnt drank a drop of alcohol for 2 weeks now and its tough facing the world again....my visits to the shop are becomming more and more difficult...the question is how can i get my anxiety down without drinking....

 

[bat]

hi jc

i've quit the alcohol myself a few weeks ago. i've done it because i'm convinced alcohol consumption has alot to do with my recent dp/depressed state. at present i'm scared to drink because the last morning after was unbearable even though i only had 3 pints. i've been on meds since. ads and a bit of benzo(working on cutting it out at present). basically i've used alcohol to get a bit of relief from dp states for years and i'm a bit sore that i dont seem to have that option at present. its all a bit scary. anyway the only advice i have is to try and wear yourself out physically so you sleep well. if you're not on meds try some of those herbal calms tablets you get in the chemist. also i'm hoping it'll get easier

 

[jc]

cheers pdr
im on meds and sleeping isnt really a problem but when i used to have to go to the shops or any other situation i used to have a couple of pints beforehand and it took away my anxiety,but now without alcohol the old anxiety is coming back

 

[terri*]

breathe and stick with your food/exercise regime, JC.. like with stopping smoking...there is life after alcohol. ( quitting was very hard on this old fart and i still miss 'em both!) it's just a whole new world to get accustomed to. keep going to the shops...it will get easier. going to bars/pubs will always be different. i just quit going. too much to deal with.

maybe you can come up with a different way for you and your buds to get together that works better with what you are going thru. weekly game of cards at your house? horseshoes? hell, i don't know...but you get my idea.

my husband is loving some of the high end non alcohol beers. i think i read you had problems getting a hold of any. Make them stock some for you!

as always, best wishes as you continue to do the good fight.
terri

 

[jc]

thanks terri
as always great words of wisdom and encouragement....the thing is i have to hold my hands up here and admit that its more the way alcohol makes me feel rather than the taste that i like...but i dont miss the hangovers

 

[Guest]

Just saw this jc. Two Weeks? That's huge dude! And you need to remind yourself that even a normal person - whoever that is, who has challenges with alcohol, would be having extreme difficulties doing what you are doing. If nothing else you should be giving yourself some big pats on the back for making it this long. And I think you'll just have to expect the withdrawals. Expect things will be more difficult - maybe much more difficult, now that you have taken away one of your crutches.

When I stopped, I immediately increased my exercise. Gave me something to do for one thing, and it increased my sense of mastery over things. I think I've broken my left ankle about one too many times now so I had to slow way down on basketball. I got a used set of weights and a used punching bag. Since then I have added a very nice bench (treated myself for a change). I also, still........make a note on the calendar each day how much money I DIDN'T spend on booze. I do the same with cigarettes, which I have cut way back on. It's amazing how fast it adds up, and I've been doing for a couple of years now. I put that amount in a fancy jar I bought just for that reason. When it gets up to $500 I empty it, put it in a special bank account I set up just for this reason, and start over. I am over $4,000 U.S. now, and plan to buy something just for me when I get a little more (a used LandCruiser). Doing something real specific like that seems to help me, it give me a goal, and it shows - in dollars and cents, one of the many benefits of giving up booze and cutting back on smokes.
Anyway, congratulations jc. You are doing something very difficult. Just proves to me once again that even that we're screwed up, or maybe because of it, we are a strong bunch.

 

[jc]

cheers sc
its so frustrating though,i keep asking myself where the hell this anxiety is coming from and why does a simple can of beer take it away ? i cant work it out...i go from a sober nervous wreck into a confident outgoing person without a care in the world after just one can of beer...this is why i find it so hard to stay off the sauce

 

[peacedove]

I know what you mean jc... It's Labor Day weekend. It's Saturday night and I want a drink so bad just to relax and feel normal, but I can't have one cuz I started this diet Tuesday. I can't drink again for 10 days and then only a glass of wine. It sucks. I wish they could duplicate what alcohol does for the brain except the bad stuff. Something that will make me happy and carefree minus the blackouts, the increased DP the next day, and the gut. After this diet I'm not planning on drinking like I did, but I know I can't just never drink again, at least not now. I'm counting down the days 'til I can have some wine, it's so pathetic. I admire what you're doing, good luck to you.

 

[Guest]

Two weeks...including weekends? :lol: I can so much understand! I have been a member of AA for many years and just celebrated 6 yrs of sobriety. I can remember well, craving to drink to relax. I still have a hard time relaxing but I don't crave to drink alcohol anymore. It took a while, though. As a matter of fact, I hit my first AA meeting when I was only 17!!! (That's when I first experienced dp/dr....hmmmm?) I have relapsed many, many times! Having kids has really saved my a$$. They helped give me motivation. But the worst thing about drinking was that I felt so full of anxiety in the morning, I could hardly live in my own skin! Plus, when I drank I usually did Coke, too. So, I would have the horrid hangovers the next day. And the awful anxiety! Gawd, it's just not worth it.

When I started getting these darn panic attacks followed by chronic dp/dr, I was stunned that this could happen without doing drugs or alcohol. I was really not in control. Scary. I thought that once I gave up the crap, I would never have to suffer like that again. Boy, was I wrong. More lessons to be learned, more humility to be gained...

I've turned this into a Carla's life post. I just wanted to share my experience with you. I have talked with other alcoholic drinkers and we feel that many of us drank to self medicate away our anxiety. I am SO thankful to the program of AA and how it's helped me and others. It's certainly NOT the only way to quite drinking and I'm not trying to tell you that you are alcoholic. It's just that I can so understand the desire to drink, for whatever reason!

Pat yourself on the back like the others have said. 2 weeks is a long time when you're used to it being in your life to help you cope.

Supporting you!

Carla

 

[jc]

to be honest i started not drinking for the same reasons peacedove has,ive decided i want to lose weight,but thats not a bad thing because now my obsession is food,losing weight,exercise....and i dont miss the hangovers...im not going to give up completely but i know i use it to self medicate,but ask yourself why do most people drink ? they are all out there self medicating in one way or another

 

[luke1979]

must be hard for you, like someone said before, even 'normal' people have big trouble giving up the booze.
for me personally i cant drink, it makes my dp worse, so im at the opposite end of the scale... yet i miss friday and saturday nites after work down the pub getting drunk and having a laugh, infact thats one of the biggest things that depresses me. my life used to somewhat revolve around what drinking adventures were planned for the weekend and so on. but i guess it's easy for me to stay off the booze coz i simply dont like feeling drunk at the moment, it makes my dp worse, and the hang overs are killers.
as for anxiety, it's a real pain in the ass hey, it does settle down and go away, thats probably the most important thing to remember.
without sounding like a drug pusher, valium helps me with my anxiety a lot, so much so that i can get on with life *allmost* normal.
i know the benzo's are addictive and in general dont solve any problems, but i think the biggest problem with anxiety is the fact that it is self feeding, example, you start to get the butterflies and other anxiety type symptons, so you start to worry about worrying and it starts and vicious circle, for me the valium takes a chunk out of the circle and while it doesnt fix the problem, it just gives me a chance to not worry and get on with life a bitt, which in turn gives me something else to think of and lessons the anxiety in the long run for me. having said all that, i keep the benzo's for a complete last resort and i only take 2.5mg when i do, sometimes maybe 5mg if i know ive got something difficult ahead of me, eg. flying
anyway, good luck staying off the booze, it will do you good in the long run im sure.
cheers
Luke.

 

[jc]

thanks

i think martin is right when he says for me to try and get off the benzos and take only when needed,but i feel anxiety all of the time so i guess that wouldnt really work out