anxiety after drinking alcohol

I'm going through this right now. I blacked out, called people at two in the morning, said things that werent true, and I'm in hell. I know better, but I'm a wreck. I don't want to drink anymore, but I do on occasion. During these alcohol anxiety attacks i feel suicidal, and depressed. I hate it. I'm not suicidal and it's only after drinking I feel this way.

Well firstly you shouldn't be taking other peoples medication and secondly, alcohol is a depressant. If you drink continually for several days and then stop you will have withdrawal symptoms, shakes, your legs may feel weak, you will have sweating, nightmares and a horrible feeling of fear and dread. These are short lived but you will get them every time you drink for a long time and then stop. To avoid this, if you plan to drink for a whole week say, but need to be sober by the next week you should gradually cut down on the amount over the last few days otherwise there is a very real danger of a seizure and even death.

I think people are confusing two very different issues here. There is the feeling of anxiety one might get after a heavy night or two when you don't remember what you might have said or done, plus feeling low because alcohol is a depressant BUT there is also a different sort of anxiety you get as part of withdrawel symptoms. This is a strong feeling of fear, dread, and impending doom. It is a really horrible feeling and makes you feel edgy and scared, mostly that you might die, it is usually accompanied by nightmares, insomnia and maybe hallucinations. The best way to avoid this is to come off the alcohol gradually. If you have had a heavy weekend say, then if you can, have a few drinks to take the edge off and you will feel better, if you feel edgy again then have another but only a max of 4 (you may still feel a little shitty but definately better) then the next day have 1-2 max. The day after that you will usually be pretty much back to normal but sadly you will have this every time you have a bender. It's really not worth it but there you go. Hope this helps.

You are correct, it is a symptom of withdrawal, this "FEAR" and if you can distract yourself helps. If you are sitting at home, then keep busy or go out and do things.

Exactly, to the first paragraph!! It's a horrid feeling and I am glad I am not the only one to feel that way. I thought it was because I drank so much that I was going to die but I now know it is part of the withdrawal from alcohol, still effing scary though!

Alcohol is alcohol and it's bull all that clear spirits or mixing the grain with the grape. Drinking half a pint of water between drinks will help keep you hydrated and will also give you the feeling of 'drinking' and feeling full up. Drink plenty of water before bed and maybe a couple of paracetamol. A vitamin B compound pill and a Thiamine tablet will help too.

Hi I get this when drinking really unsure what the problem is I thought it was just me ! I used to get the same problems when I smoked I had my first cigarette of the day I have no quit smoking but can anyone help about hthe drinking symptoms.

Just read the earlier comments as they are full of good advice on the matter.

It's taken about 20 years to realise just how bad alcohol is for me. I have suffered with day after induced anxiety attacks for several years. It doesn't matter what you drink, if you drink too much the odds of these attacks rocket. I learned that and managed my drinking accordingly. Rehydrating does help, as does codeine, but sometimes you just have to sit them out. To anyone going through these for the first time I would say, ironically, don't worry. The more Times you go through them the more you will realise you will eventually be okay. Having been through lots and not died (yes, really) gives you the reassurance to calm down if symptoms occur, or reduce the chances of fears about attacks turning into attacks.. I promise they do get easier to manage. But the real problem for me has been post alcohol depression. Both short term (2-3 days post session) and long term (low level, permanent). The latter I hadn't attributed to alcohol because I hadn't made the connection before. I only made the connection in the past month. Work had become very difficult for me (in my mind I was performing poorly, was paranoid everyone thought I was c**p etc) which affected rest of my life. Came to a head over Christmas. Had 3 weeks off which should have been a great time but I spent it feeling even worse.. On the penultimate weekend I had a massive session and felt awful for a few days after.. So much so I started looking into post alcohol depression and found some stuff on acute and post acute withdrawal.. Which says that after a session it takes 2-3 weeks to get that session out of your system, but months to get all alcohol out of you. Since then I've not had a drink for 5 weeks and I feel a different person. Performance at work has improved, I can concentrate much better, I'm less worried about outcome of things, getting on better with my boss because I feel much more positive generally. I was convinced that being c**p at my job was the route of the issue and all the other feelings came from that. But actually it seems that alcohol was affecting my overall mood, my concentration levels, and as a result making me feel I couldn't cope. Now that I've been dry for a few weeks I suddenly feel very capable at my job again. I'm waffling.. My point is alcohol is bad news in the wrong people. It messes with us in ways that we don't even realise. Acute anxiety attacks are the obvious signals but if you're getting those then there is a strong chance that like me you're experiencing a lower level of anxiety / depression that you may not immediately attribute to booze.

Thank goodness I found this forum because I too go through massive anxiety after a night of drinking too much. I've had THREE massive anxiety attacks over the past couple years after drinking too much; first time I went to ER. After understanding the biology of a hangover (explanation below) I cope with some rememdies. 

Two years ago is when my first attacked occured. Too much drinking, cigarettes, lack of hydration before, hot day and intense bike ride. The day of recovery felt normal but when it wore off my heart was pounding, skipping, blood pressure was sky high 170/100, and terribly anxious - like a perpetual panic attack. I ended up going to the ER because I was freaking out that I was having a heart attack; but I'm 30. The doctors ran an EKG, liver and kidney screen and physically they said I was healthy other than my BP.

Second one occured due to same setup but the symptoms also included shaking, weakness, pain in my stomach or heart burn, and it is just overwhelming for about thirty minutes.

Third occured today, thus why I found this forum, and the symptoms included nerve tingling in hand and leg, tighness of jaw, and for about ten minutes I could't walk very far before I had to sit down and take a breath. I get these surges of anxiety. Thank God they're over now. Afterward I'm exhausted and just want to sleep and continue drinking fluids.

The biology of binge drinking entails suppression of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate and increasing of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Typically your body has these balanced, but when GABA increases rapidly due to drinking you feel more relaxed, calm, etc. You body reponds by increasing the glutamate levels. Next morning the GABA levels will drop but the glutamate will not, leaving one physicologically excited; thus the high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. And you just have to wait for them to drop.

What I do is hold on, drink as much electrolyte fluids (e.g. cocunut water) as possible, eat simple foods in small portions that are easy to digest (e.g. soup, bean burrito) because digestion is slowed while hungover as your body processes all the byproducts. Also sugar levels are lower than normal due to slow digestion so drink 6oz OJ with each meal - Vitamin C, potassium and fructose! Your body can process only so much fructose at a time. I don't exercise or stress my body in any other way.

Hope this helps everyone, as you've helped me.

Cheers

If you are not alcoholic then you have to admit that alcohol and cigarette don't suit your body. For anxiety problem you should go to any rahab center and start treatment.

My story is almost identical! I've started hypnotherapy now as I've tried everything else but didn't know what the cause of my panic was. I have experienced massive trauma in my life so blamed it on PTSD and depression. I get so angry that I can't drive anymore because when the panic strikes, I picture myself turning into oncoming traffic, or driving off the bridge with no control over my actions. Leaves me breathless and shaking on the hard shoulder. It's a thousand times worse if I've been drinking the day before (which is almost every day, because as you say, it's an instant anxiety reliever). I guess I have to try to quit drinking ...:(

I too get the breathing problems, about the second night after heavy drinking.it's worse when I try to rest. I close my eyes and as soon as I start to drift off, I'm awoken by gasping for air. It's scary, and I can't sleep!

I know I'm just of it from Monday, no energy so I'm driving lucazade?

In Scotland it is called "the fear" and commonly accepted.