Alcohol is the only thing that stops my panic and anxiety?
Friday, December 4th, 2009 at
9:21 pm
Im seeing 2 psychologists, have been diagnosed with panic, anxiety, and PTSD and have been on zoloft, xanax, and the only thing that stops the panic attacks is alcohol.
I abuse it and now am an alcoholic because no med can make me calm as alcohol.
Yes I am in alcohol rehab also. I’m 100% sure I will never quit it because when I do I live in hell.
ANYONE ELSE?
Filed under: Panic Attacks
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I also abused alcohol for anxiety (I also have panic episodes). I just celebrated my one year of sobriety a couple weeks ago - but I will never forget the pain of getting to where I am today.
I was in rehab many times and I can totally sympathize with your pain - it is hell without alcohol at first - but the operative words are "at first". I never thought I could live without it either. Alcoholism is a disease, not a weakness, and I’m glad you are getting the help you need to fight this because it is a killer.
Have you talked to your doctor(s) about changing your medications? If Zoloft isn’t working for you, there are so many other medications out there they may work better for you. Also, there are some new medications out there to treat alcohol cravings: Vivitrol, which is given as an injection is one that some people I know have had some success with. I take Topamax (an anti-epilepsy/anti-migraine medication), which is not FDA approved for alcohol craving suppression yet but works wonders for me.
I used to take Prozac for depression which didn’t help much at all. Topamax has changed my mood - and my life. I no longer panic/worry/stress/get angry. It’s a miracle and an added bonus since I was only taking it for the alcohol cravings. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study on the subject in Oct. 2007 so it’s promising.
One thing that is very crucial, and I am hoping your rehabilitation team has recommended it is Alcoholics Anonymous. I was hesitant at first myself about going to the meetings, kind of blew it off but it has been the best thing I ever did. It’s critical that you have the support of other people who can relate to what you are going through.
With the right recovery plan - rehab, outpatient psychologist, medication, A.A., - you can do this. I never thought I could live without alcohol. My life was completely hopeless and now I am actually back to the way I was before I started drinking. Climbing back out of my drunken state was hell, but I’m glad now that I did.
Don’t give up. You’re not alone — good luck….
My friend has this same problem, however he wont accept treatment. He is Bi-polar and schizo affective. He would like for them to give him xanax however they wont because of his alcoholism. Apparently xanax is an addiction activator. I am surprised they give it to you. Good luck, i hope you feel better.
As long as you are absolutely sure of anything, you are still running the show. You cannot recover from alcoholism unless you let go and surrender absolutely to a power greater than yourself.
Go back and review what you have been taught in rehab and this time Do What They Suggest instead of What YOU want.
Depends if your buying the first round?
Well you know what you should do
Man,
Addiction by definition is a physical dependence on a substance to reduce or achieve a feeling and the chemical pathways in the brain require more of the chemical to achieve the desired result.
unless you are alcohol free for a period of time the anxiety will always exist. It’s called addiction.
The best part of addiction is recovery. Believe me, I’ve been there been free of the sh*t for 22 years,
You truly ought to get serious about getting INTO the AA program and doing the deal. You stop drinking one day at a time and each day adds up. Eventually the anxiety leaves as you truly get honest with yourself you can’t do that all doped up on anxiolytic meds and booze. It won’t work. You will just continue the cycle of depression/anxiety and insanity.
Just for day don’t drink DO that each day.
I once said NEVER, I was proved wrong.
it’s your decision. S or get off the pot.