Perfectly lovely work night out followed by…

[Hekii]

… 2 hours (and counting) of lying awake in bed thinking ‘I’m a twat, I’m a twat’.

Alcohol sucks and I really shouldn’t drink it.

Unless you photocopied your arse or snogged the boss, I wouldn't worry too much. Everyone is in the same boat.

Hangxiety
I only drink a few times a year now

Interesting, I get this whether I've been drinking or not! I was relating to your post until you said alcohol sucks, and all the responses, and then I was like 'Oh, ok other people only get this when drinking, not every time the socialise '.... Just me then. It's exhausting.😂

oh god, this is the worst! I get it if I have fizzy wine especially. I am sorry OP :(

I once worked with a male nurse who punched a doctor on a night out then still came to work the next day the following year a health care assistant stood on a table and threw plates.
They both unbelievably kept their jobs so I’m sure you’ll be fine.

Can totally relate! The funny thing about beer fear is it won't tolerate light, make sure you catch up with some of your colleagues today who will talk to you perfectly normally and you will move out of the anxiety spiral.

Also have a read of the thread where people relate actually terrible Christmas works nights out for context!

I do get it to an extent without the alcohol. Def exacerbated by alcohol though, and if I hadn’t been drinking I wouldn’t have woken up at 2am feeling like I’d been poisoned, with overheating and palpitations, which then allowed the overanalysing to kick in.

Yep- I have so been there with hangxiety. Done absolutely nothing whatsoever embarrassing, people even hugged me goodbye and told me lovely things and I STILL wake up at 3am worrying that everyone hates me.

I'm afraid the only thing that stopped this was giving up alcohol. It disrupts the chemicals in your brain. I have found even one or two glasses has this effect. It's really not worth the stress the next day and its also quite hard to explain to people dont get it why you arent drinking because if you havent experienced it, you dont know how bloody awful and torturous it is.

Ah yes, 2am wake ups always the worst time for overanalyzing!

The beer fear is real.

Haha I was about to post exactly this! I too get this after any socialising, although alcohol does make it worse. But at least if alcohol is involved I can tell myself the other people are unlikely to remember my social faux pas anyway 😂

If you didn't get in a fight, flash everyone, do drugs in public or shag the CEO, you're probably fine.

Hangxiety doesn't work like that- you feel awful anxiety even when you have done nothing wrong. It's your brain dumping a load of stimulants into your system to counter effect the depressant effects of the booze which causes your brain to feel fear regardless of nothing even happening.

It's not rational, which is why avoiding alcohol entirely is the only way to stop it happening. If you have any form of social anxiety at all, alcohol makes it 10000 times worse.

This usually happens when I’m on a diet but end up eating fried chicken and cream cake. After I finish eating, I feel regretful and think to myself, "I won’t eat this again next time."

Is this a good moment to say Nozecco is currently on offer on Amazon, £15.72 for six bottles? 🤷‍♀️😄

I get this whether I've been drinking or not too, but it's much worse when I've been drinking. That's why I've all but given up alcohol, and since I was about 30 even a small amount makes me feel awful the next day.

I take L-theanine and a pirton tablet when I get home, or if I wake up in the night. Helps me sleep and stops the alcohol anxiety!

Dear Lord, have you never heard of lightening the mood to help someone feel better about a situation. 🙄

But she knows she didnt photocopy her arse and it hasn't made her feel any better has it? the anxiety is or was still there- thats the entire point FGS 🙄

@velvetcoat 's post might not be cheerful but it's correct.

I thought @velvetcoat ’s post was spot on actually 🤷‍♀️

Why I stopped drinking!!!

Also agree with @velvetcoat. I am a socially anxious person and used to drink a lot to help in social situations but always ended up getting too drunk, over sharing, being a twat and then not being am to sleep for shame and anxiety. Life is much better (for me) without alcohol.

God, This though! Just realised I didn't get beer fear after our this year, and guess what - no Prosecco. It really does make a difference! (Also there was an inappropriate pass from a senior leader to a junior which led to a steward's enquiry and all sorts, there's nothing like someone else really fucking up to put your own 'hilarious exploits' and 'witty repartee' in context).

Try not to worry OP, there's a current thread about the wildest things that have happened at Christmas parties - read that and take comfort that you did nothing similar.

Alcohol can be the devil when your body doesn't agree with it