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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if alcohol makes you feel low for days after

88 replies

littleblackdress04 · 14/04/2020 11:09

I had a few drinks over Easter weekend after a period of not drinking & feel so low today. Nothing feels ‘right’ & everything feels out of sync. I know it’s a strange time at time at the moment with everyone in isolation but since my couple of days of boozing, I find myself questioning my life & the people in it.

Anyone else get this from booze? I was actually ok before & coping with the current situation- aibu to think it would have such an immediate effect on me? I feel really low today & just not ‘right’

OP posts:
Yerroblemom1923 · 14/04/2020 11:29

Burger, where is this?! How can they ban it for ten days? I'm just thinking of people with serious addictions and to stop suddenly would make them v I'll.

Linguaphile · 14/04/2020 11:38

Yes! It’s such a shame but it completely ruins sleep for me and I find I just feel a bit sick the day after.

Original poster
littleblackdress04 · 14/04/2020 11:41

@DileenODoubts am going to re-read Unexpected not actually- well reminded- I found it so helpful

OP posts:
Original poster
littleblackdress04 · 14/04/2020 11:41

*unexpected joy

OP posts:
maa1992 · 14/04/2020 11:42

This happens to me every time I drink more than a couple, I've had to stop drinking for the sake of my mental health

Original poster
littleblackdress04 · 14/04/2020 11:42

I feel like a better human when I am sober- which is a shame as have always loved drinking- but have reached a point in my life where it makes me feel so dark that it’s not worth it anymore for me!

OP posts:
Superduper13 · 14/04/2020 12:04

I’ve definitely found this the older I get. Even a few drinks affects my mood the next day. I prefer not to drink now unless it’s a special occasion.

bobstersmum · 14/04/2020 12:06

Too much alcohol always did that to me. Hardly drink at all now, but if I do I have a brandy. It warms me, settles me and makes me sleep like a log!

DearLiza · 14/04/2020 12:12

Yup. A really heavy night of drinking can you make you feel like a total mess for DAYS. Not just one or two glasses, mind.

Lipz · 14/04/2020 12:14

Yes absolutely. When I hit my 40s I just couldn't drink anymore. I was getting awful hangovers no matter what I drank and very bad mood the next day. Some days I would also be sick or feel sick the next day. I do like a drink, I enjoy it, I like the taste and at the time of drinking I would feel fabulous but the next day I was the antichrist. I tried changing drinks but that didn't work. I haven't drank in over a year. I don't really miss it but sometimes while at parties etc I do but it's just not worth the horrible feelings and moods the next day.

Bluebooby · 14/04/2020 12:16

Yes I definitely get this. It's one reason that I rarely drink anymore. I consider it part of a hangover.

starsinyourpies · 14/04/2020 12:18

Same here and with the disruption to my sleep is why I stopped drinking. Opened some wine over Easter though and felt very depressed the next day. The low usually correlated to amount consumed as well. I need to accept that I need to stop altogether really as it isn't worth it for me.

Gwynfluff · 14/04/2020 12:18

It’s a depressant that stops you sleeping properly (some people are insistent it helps them sleep but all sleep studies show it significantly shortens the deep, restorative periods of sleep) so if you overindulge over a few days you end up sleep deprived as well. Still drink but not in week and careful over holiday periods to have days off.

littlepeas · 14/04/2020 12:26

I think stopping drinking for an extended period of time will make most people realise that alcohol has a negative effect on them. It affected my sleep, my mood, my skin, my energy levels...just not worth it at all and I no longer drink at all. I wasn't a big drinker - I only drank on Friday and Saturday and just a few beers (definitely under 14 units a week) - when I stopped I realised that my weekend drinking affected me for the whole week and I was always under a cloud of booze.

AftonGlen · 14/04/2020 12:36

Like others I don't drink much these days because of this. If I drink I tend to feel like things aren't ever going to be normal again and I find it quite scary. These feelings can last for days as well. I get jumpy when someone comes to the door or if my phone rings because I am paranoid I have done something wrong or something bad has happened.
For the sake of my mental health I tend to forego alcohol because it doesn't seem worth it to feel so low.

TuscanGreen · 14/04/2020 12:41

Yes, this is the reason I have given up alcohol while we are in lockdown. Also, it messes up my sleep and can affect immunity

Frozenfan2019 · 14/04/2020 12:46

@littleblackdress04

Another good book is this naked mind. Same idea.

I have totally had this today and yesterday after drinking over the weekend. I gave a couple of chapters a reread as I think lockdown has recalibrated my mind once again to think alcohol will help relax me when it really doesn't do that at all.

DesiDiva2020 · 14/04/2020 12:54

I suffer terribly with this!!! Less so now I'm drinking less and generally up to less silly antics when drunk... (big extrovert which is ramped up when drunk so I have lots to cringe about the next morning after a big night out)
The anxiety has been heart pounding after a quiet night with nothing to tangibly regret.
I drink much much less because of this and will now tend to limit at one small glass. One small glass is enough to help me unwind at a large event and I do this every few months maximum

Oilyoilyoilgob · 14/04/2020 12:56

Yes definitely! I get down, tired and have bad mood swings, feels a bit like pmt for me. I’ve had two beers during lockdown up to now, my husband is making up my share 😏

I’m prone to depression and anxiety so I’m trying to live as well as possible during this!

Original poster
littleblackdress04 · 14/04/2020 13:01

It’s reassuring to know it’s not just me- feeling so negative today & the only thing that is different is drinking over weekend! Am going to give it a miss for rest of lockdown i think and maybe generally in my life as it’s not positive for me!

OP posts:
LastTrainEast · 14/04/2020 13:02

I use to get this effect too and a few times when I've had a lot to drink it really has lasted days. I think when people groan "oh god what did i do/say last night" it's not just that they may have acted a bit foolishly it's the alcohol induced paranoia kicking in.

That is one of the main reasons I gave up drinking. I sometimes miss it, but it just wasn't worth it.

ShrimpSymphony · 14/04/2020 13:13

Yes terrible anxiety afterwards

BurgerOnTheOrientExpress · 15/04/2020 03:22

@Yerroblemom1923
Thailand , it's ok we can still get Yabba, magic paper, mushrooms etc. Just joking. Not a great plan as everyone just went to the supermarket and stocked up the night before.

DrManhattan · 15/04/2020 07:29

The horrors! And the anxiety. No ta. I quit a couple of years ago and feel so much better for it. People quiz me about it now and again but they are usually people who should think about their own levels of alcohol intake. It's a highly addictive substance and the come down is just not worth it.

Vinosaurus · 15/04/2020 07:33

Funny you should mention this. After 5 days drinking in a row I told DH to pack it in. Yesterday was the first alcohol free day for him and he has been incredibly down, he's usually optimism personified.