Hmm an unhelpful revelation - anxiety and alcohol... Anyone able to give any advice?

[ImSoNotTelling]

Going to cut a long story short

Was a pretty heavy drinker from about 16, after 20 years decided to call it a day as although it wasn't affecting anyone yet, i realised that it could in the future, and was a total waste of time, money and brain cells. I packed it in last August and haven't had a drink since.

Separate to that.
When I was pregnant with DC1 I went a bit peculiar - although I didn't think anything of it until I was pregnant with DC2, and developed terrible anxiety to the point I coudn't leave the house. Looking back I then realised I hadn't been quite right when pg with DC1.

With DC2 I received support from perinatal team etc and was referred for CBT. We all agreed that it was a "pregnancy hormones not agreeing with me" thing and sure enough when I had DC2 last June the symptons all but vanished.

However they have been recurring and getting worse over the last few months and I suddenly realised. That the anxiety has been occurring at times when I have not been drinking.

Has anyone heard or had experience of this?

I'm not about to start drinking again and am mightily pissed off that the side effect of the super-positive move to a sober life has been that I spend half my time in a state of abject terror.

I have been for a CBT assessment and the work will start properly soon so that is positive I guess.

I suppose I just wanted a bit of a moan and to ask if this was common/am I imagining the link maybe/if it is this WTF do I do?

TIA

I found smoking the tough one - booze was a walk in the park by comparison. Funny isn't it.

I'm So Not - hope you don't mind my barging into your thread. I've seen you on your giving up drinking threads and just wanted to sympathise.

I gave up booze two years ago and promptly took up smoking again ... I've now finally kicked the fags and my anxiety levels are through the roof. So I think it could all be connected, and probably it's your demons having one last shot now that you've been off the sauce for a good while - well done on that, by the way!

I've also been recommended CBT by the NHS counsellor but my GP said I didn't need it 'as much as some people do' so I'd be way down the list. Have tried some of the online things - Mood Gym etc - but give up on them because I feel so fucking depressed! Doh.

One thing I have been recommended is Omega3 oil - I know a lot of people with depression/anxiety who swear by it. Am trying not to let expense be an excuse not to take it.

Sorry, didn't mean to make this all about me, but your post really struck a chord and I think we could be going through similar phases of withdrawal/return to sanity.

I will keep checking in to see how you are, and am thinking of you.

Hey no probs CJ all welcome!

It's interesting isn't it - I really have been thinking about smoking more than I used to - I'm not going to - but it's as if I want/need something.

The waiting list for CBT took about a year - which was pretty quick I thought all things considered, I don't know how long the lists are in other areas. I've only had the initial assessment so far, she asked loads of questions and I told her all about everything, next they're going to write and tell me what the actual treatment will be. So hopefully that will be soon.

i will certainly take a look at omega3 although i'm normally pretty sceptical about "fish oils" but anything's worth a try.

Oh yes and the other thing llareggub said - I know I'm not pg as I had a mirena fitted a few months ago - and I have heard that that can cause problems with mental health - but I have never had problems with hormonal contraception before - so I'm going to set that aside for now as a potential cause. there are too many more likely things I think.

I'm off to bed in a moment but thank you all so much for talking, it always gives me a lift to chat to such nice people who know what I'm on about And if anyone wants to talk about anything else that;s fine there's room for everyone!

I hope you all have good evenings and sleep well tonight

Not a plug for AA but nevertheless there is an AA saying which may be revealing here - it says,

If you want to find out exactly why you drank - stop drinking!

Hello MIFLAW!

Yes I wonder...

This was not the original plan

I was supposed to rise from my alcohoic stupor like a phoenix from the flames and suddenly have piles of energy, be irrepressibly cheerful, enjoy nothing better than playing with the kids for hours and hours and hours and hours and most of all be sane...

ImSoNotTelling I think anxiety is a weird one myself. Have had depression on and off for about half my life (am 34 now). Have been on and off ADs as well from about 25 onwards and finally had CBT a couple of years ago.

When the CBT person suggested I had anxiety I didn't believe her but started to realise that I have a generally anxious personality so to speak and that the depression started to show when the anxiety got all too much for me. Or something like that .

I had CBT for a couple of months and I really still find it hard to believe how much it has helped me. I slowly cut down on the ADs and haven't had any since November. And although I sometimes have feelings of anxiety I am able to control them now.

By the way, I have a (virtually) unread copy of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Dummies if anyone is interested in having it . Would ask for small payment though

Well, at least you can see things more clearly now and are not adding to the madness ...

Maybe worth reconsidering AA?

If not - or even alongside that - CBT is well worth considering too.

Anything that allows you to talk openly to trustworthy but disinterested (as opposed to uninterested) people, really.

Well they rang today and I am going to have my first CBT appt in the nect couple of weeks. The course is 3 sessions and going through a workbook, I hope that it is helpful.

Also got my book from amazon on the way

Will see how I get on with that lot I think!

noah it sounds like you are making loads of progress that's really great. Hope I can do it too!

Hi, ISNT - just checking in to see how you're doing. I'm still feeling fairly crazy but at least life full of ups and downs feels like a life, rather than an anaesthetised existence!

Hope you're ok. Do you have a date for the CBT to start yet?

Well today I have been mostly feeling stroppy and irritable!

I did however manage to go up the road to my mums without freaking out, so that's a bonus.

There is another thread where someone else has said this thing about nicotine being an excellent anti-anxiety medication, and loads of people agreeing. the idea that mental health problems have gone through the roof in our society as eveyone has given up smoking. it's an interesting point and I think there could really be something in it.

I wonder if I smoked and drank because actually I'm a terribly uptight person. I spent most of today feeling as if I was about to explode with rage. Mind you maybe that's just the effect of having a baby who's ill and a terrible twos toddler. My mum says it's normal to go off your head when your children are this age

I'mSoNot, hope you're ok. Sorry I haven't checked in, have had a manic few days.

I really agree with what you said about society going mad due to giving up smoking (my paraphrasing!). I definitely smoked and drank to bury feelings. It's weird now, nearly four weeks off the fags, having to look at emotions and moods and 'just deal' with them. I'm still quite up and down, and the anxiety levels are erratic too. Haven't started taking anything helpful yet, so I'm not exactly doing myself any favours!

Anyway, just wanted to see how you are, not ramble on for hours.

Hello thanks for checking back!

I am fine actually, I think the weather is helping. Also have my first proper CBT session next week (the first appt was an assessment) so looking forward to that.

How are you? Sounds like things are quite hard at the moment.

NoahAndTheWhale - ooh I would love to buy it, do you have paypal?

ImSoNotTelling - not a personal question at all, I am doing it on my own. Part of it is that I am ashamed, so ashamed I haven't told my husband about about the medication I am taking, and I feel that I can tell him pretty much anything, but not this.

I worry that the doctor would just put me on something like valium and I will enjoy it far too much become addicted. I have been taking the stuff for well over a year now, that's certainly longer than the doctor would have me on any of the good stuff. I know that it's time to stop.

I am starting to do all the stuff that the hippy dippy books say I should, and for me it's starting to work. I appreciate that this isn't for everyone though.

Im suffering very badly with panic attacks and anxiety, i want to end it

I want to feel like myself

Well done for not drinking and realising it was detrimental to your overall health. Alcohol, drugs and cigarettes are stress releavers and in affect you were self medicating with alcohol.

What you're experiencing now is just the same underlying anxiety that has always been there but covered up by alcohol. Counselling, CBT and possibly a short course of medication may help, but you need to see a doctor to get help.

It sounds as if alcohol has been your go to when you are anxious or under stress etc and has been your coping method. You now no longer use that as a coping method hence your anxiety and you now need to learn new healthy coping strategies.

There’s lots of free resources out there. For me part of dealing with my anxiety was understanding why my body reacted in the way it does- the sweaty palms, increased heart rate etc and I also use gym to let go of the days stress.

Well done on quitting drinking btw

This will get better! You have absolutely got this!!