Anxiety and depression for days after binge drinking

Sorry, above was a current reply to an old post, p. 6 that I really liked. Thanks 'Almost Normal' !!!

Wow I cannot believe the words that I'm seeing before me u took them right out of my mouth it feels good to know I'm not alone thank ufor the encouragement because it takes me up to 3 days to feel myself again I hate drinking I don't ever want to drink for to feel the way I do !!!!

I'm so glad I've found this forum.  Last Saturday (8th December) I binge drank which I've been doing more and more often.  Usually I'm okay, but I was mixing drinks (a 1 1/2 bottles of wine, shots of some spirits and several beers), then later whiskey.  I felt okay until the hangover which laster all day.  I didn't think any more of it until I woke up early and started feeling depressed, anxious, my mind was racing.  I live with my parents and kept on talking about things.  It didn't go away.  I felt incredably sad, I wanted to die and if someone gave me sleeping pills I would have overdosed.  I could stop crying on Thursday.  I feel Ok now, but I was worried.  Reading your comments its clear that I have developed a problem.  I need to totally stop drinking.  I've been drinking for a two years.  The problem is both my parents drink vodka but unlike me they can stop.  I can't.  I'm really scared and never want to feel so low again. 

I went on a 12hour drinking binge, had about 25-30 beers. Passed out from midnight till 7am. Was really messed up when I woke with fear, shaking, rapid heart beat and just felt like dying. I paced the room most of the day and my thoughts were racing so much and were so crazy and paranoid I felt I would be booking myself into the mental hospital. This has lasted for 4 days where I just couldn't be left alone I was so full of fear and only now am I starting to feel better. This scared the absolute shit out of me, I know for sure I will never touch alcohol again in my life. I have been on binges before and this has never happened. Not to this degree anyway, I was really messed up.. like approaching some type of full on breakdown... extreme...

Hi everyone, I just found this site last night by chance, I'm in the same position's as you all. I have been binge drinking since my early teen's I'm now 27 and still havn't learn't! The problem is I enjoy it and don't want to stop but when is it time to call it a day? I suffer from the anxiety really bad the day following a binge and it take's a couple of day's for it to stop the depression normal come's the day after the hangover and also last a couple of days, but what's the answer stop drinking, that's hard I can do it for a couple of week's then I'm bored and want to do it again it sure is a viscious circle!

I have the same problem's, I have never lost a job and do quite well but I have had the odd day off normally a monday following a big binge. I can binge Friday night all day Saturday not drink Sunday and stiil not want to go to work Monday extremly paranoid bout everything and unable to sleep Sunday night over thinking everything like your going mad, scary stuff I know how you feel

I feel exactly the same way. Just cannot think positive after drinking, feel the world is on my shoulders and hates me :( awful!!!  Everything is an effort...it's awful none of my friends feel like this and do not understand.

i also suffer from anxiety. i find it most apparent after a big night. i'm lead to believe that heavy drinking and lack of sleep is the main reason. other things can push it on too. like disrupt in a friendship group or being around a fear of yours. the more you think of it the more it effects you until sometimes the feeling of an anxiety attack can come over you. this is hard to explain to people who do not suffer from this, making it hard to be around others when you are overcome with these feelings and getting away to another room or place is all you want to do. it's like a scary trip (if ever taken drugs) or a feeling of being lost and alone as a child. i'm writing this as earler tonight i felt one coming on (had a big night two days ago) but i began counting my breathing and trying to stay calm, telling myself i was and am ok. at first meditation seems so far from reach but just try to be calm, then once calm search for an anxiety medetation clip on youtube. or sit somewhere you feel a bit safer or more peaceful in and in a calm, soft voice or thought tell yourself you are ok and you are strong. at first it seems hard but give it a go. i belive i'm a mindful person and i know how much power we have in our mind. i'm still in the process of learning but i do feel better than i did before. much love and peace :)

I am in my late 30s, was able to drink in my 20s, shake it off next day and go to work, a bit groggy, but that was it. I would be ok the next day. But now in my 30s I have begun to get awful hangovers that will last 4 days , sometimes I will not feel well for over a week after drinking to much. I've had panic attacks in the days after drinking, really bad ones. And lately after drinking I go into a deep depression , like a dead feeling in my head, like all life, motivation, energy just sucked out of me. I feel spaced out like a different person. And really tired, I mean so tired I can barely walk, it's like being exhausted where you haven't slept for a week, it's just awful. This can last 4 days after drinking, with bad breathing problems where I feel like I am gasping for air, unable to sleep, just really anxious, it's hell basically. But after a week of not drinking, I start to feel myself again, energy returns and mood picks up. But then I make the mistake of drinking again, foolish, but it's like something comes over me and I need to drink, maybe I am a alcoholic who just binge drinks once every 10 days or so. I've tried different things to try to cure this, kept myself fit, eat well, drink lots of water and sports drinks to replenish fluids and multi vitamins, nothing works, the older I get, the longer and more severe these hangovers seem to get. I cannot shake off this depression and despair, only time away from drink heals it. I want people to know they are not alone in this, you can cure yourself if you stop drinking, you can be happy. I gave up drinking and smoking once for 3 months, and I remember it as the happiest time I've had in 10 years, I just felt free, I didn't need to smoke or drink, I felt at peace, I was happy with the simple things in life like feeling well, my mind was reprogramming itself to find other things that made me happy. then something came up, I had to go out with a girl friend to a work party, I couldn't get out of it, and I knew no one there, I was very stressed out, and I had a drink to calm my nerves, just a couple, and that lead me back to my old ways of smoking and drinking a few weeks later, that's all it takes. And it's been a nightmare since then basically. The depression, and health and mental problems from drinking are getting worse, but I know there is a way out, because I done it before, and it works. If you give up drinking , in a while, you will find that you will not want to drink, you will sleep better, wake up happy, feel happy in the day, calm and your hope and motivation will return, you need to get through the first month as it's the hardest, but it will get easier, then just stick to the plan, do not drink or you will be right back in the gutter of depression and anxiety and you will be full of regret, it's a battle, you need to fight, you need strong will power for the days where you might be tempted to throw in the towel, but don't , it gets easier I promise.  If you can't handle the thought of quitting the drink for ever, set a goal of 3 months, And when you go out one day, months after you've not had a drink, and you realize that you feel happy, fit, and at peace, healthy, and you don't want to drink, you don't need it anymore, then you will feel amazing relief and happiness that this is all over. But you must never touch another drink, it only takes one to set the ball rolling and you will be back binge drinking in no time. I am giving up drinking again, it's nearly a week off the drink, do not feel like you are alone, there are a lot of people in the same position as you. Who want to stop drinking and be happy, you just need to get over the fear of it and trust that when you stop drinking, things will soon get better, have hope and do it, you have nothing to lose. Everything to gain, also if you smoke, try to stop one day soon, they can be a trigger that will lead you back to drink.  I find that smoking kills my energy, motivation and makes me depressed just like the drink. I'm not trying to come across as preachy, I have made a mess of my life with drink, I am probably worse than a lot of you as I had many chances to sort my drinking out, but didn't. I am just trying to offer people hope, if I could get myself off the drink for 3 months, and stop smoking for over a year, then anyone can do it, as I am a bag of nerves most of the time and stress out about everything, but when you quit, a strange thing happens, you learn to relax and are better able to cope with things than you ever could before, you get a great nights sleep most nights,  it's a transformation in your mind and body, you start to think more positive, stronger will power, a very good thing will happen in a few months if you stop drinking and smoking or stop doing any other drugs , the healing power of the mind and body is amazing, you just have to stop poisoning it so it can repair itself

Just a warning to people suffering from really awful hangovers and anxiety triggered from drink, it's your body letting you know it's time to stop drinking as you are doing serious damage , it may take a few years, but you will end up a total mess, mentally and physically. You might even give yourself permanent brain damage. I kept drinking after the early warning signs of awful hangovers, and it's developed into full blown panic attacks after drinking that can last for hours, hands will lock up, face goes numb can't talk, your body just seizes up, it's the most frightening thing that can happen, and drink triggers it and there is little to no warning that it's going to happen, it might only happen once a year after drinking to much, but when it hits, it's something you do not want to have to go through. It's like dying, literally. Another thing you will get is serious depression that will not go away, your thoughts will become negative, your motivation will leave you, and you will have mood swings, one day you're ok, next you are angry for no reason and feel like you are in the pits of despair, emotions all over the place and not in control anymore. Then if you keep drinking you will find your looks start to change, you will get that blank stare, that drained pale look like you're on hard drugs , drink will turn you into a old man or women if you keep doing this, before you're 40 you will feel like a 80 year old mentally and your body will be busted up. The only way to reverse this damage is to stop drinking. You are slowly poisoning yourself to death, rotting away, and it's only going to get worse until you wake up and see what's happening. You got to stop drinking or it's going to kill you one day. I have seen people destroy themselves totally and die from drinking, it's a hell of a way to go. One of the worst deaths , a slow painful slide into oblivion. Drinking is looked on as a manly thing to do in your spare time a bit of fun for the girls, it's a lie basically, it will destroy your life and kill you eventually, people need to wake up and treat this drink as the enemy , put it in the same category as heroin or crack, because it has the same effect on your body and mind and looks if you keep doing it.   Stop drinking now and save yourself a whole life of mental and physical torture.

This is my 4th day after a heavy binge and I am still suffering horrible side effects of the drink, breathing problems, anxiety, and a dead feeling in my mind, a kind of exhaustion. No energy to do anything, I feel wasted. No motivation to even get out of bed. Unable to sleep well, mental anguish and physical problems. People tell me I look awful, I feel awful. It's going to take months off of the drink to repair this damage I feel. The problem with people like us who suffer these problems after drinking is we can not be happy, in the back of our mind we know that we are going to drink again, and the same horrible things are going to happen again afterwards, so we are in a never ending cycle of suffering. This has a big impact on our confidence, and state of mind which leads to depression, anxiety, negative thoughts, as we are never in control of our own life. We are at the mercy of the drink , we are slaves to this until we make the choice one day to stop drinking. We are really no different than a heroin user or hardcore alcoholic who knows they are destroying themselves but can't stop, we suffer the same mental problems and for me, very bad physical problems also. I don't drink every day, maybe a heavy session once every 2 weeks. But it's enough to wreck my mind and body on a daily basis as I am not able to recover fully between each binge session. We need a long period off of drink to recover.  For anyone who is having serious mental and physical problems from drinking, we must stop or it's only going to get worse, it's a downward spiral, every month, year, we are only making ourselves worse. The real you, is not this person who is always anxious and depressed and sick, this is the drink doing it to you, but if you stop you can rewind this damage, recover and heal and will find the real you when your mind and body repair the damage, but the danger is you will do permanent damage to your mind and body and there is no way back after that point. You must make the choice now to stop drinking before you end up losing your mind and going insane. I have lost jobs over my drinking in the past, unable to function normally during the week after a heavy weekend of drinking, just shattered at work, a mental and physical drain that I could not shake off, it made me very depressed and negative, I quit my jobs over this. I felt disconnected from other people, they would be happy, and I would be down in the dumps unable to be happy, no interest in life. Drink took away the things that I used to enjoy, now they no longer matter, all I cared about was drinking when I felt good, and then the problems would start over again. People would say you're a alcoholic, but because I only drank once a week, I didn't think I was, but I am. Once it gets control over you like that, where you put up with serious side effects instead of stopping,you are a alcoholic. I have come to realize this time that I will never be well, happy, and always depressed and negative as long as I keep doing this. I used to be a very different person when I didn't drink , I was happy and used to enjoy life. Drink slowly changed me over the years into a zombie, I know that the things I want, a job I enjoy, a nice girlfriend, to be healthy and happy and positive, I can only get these things if I stop drinking. So I am going to do it this time, it's scary but when you're at the bottom, you got nothing to lose as they say, things can only get better. I wish you all luck if you decide to stop drinking also. 

I get severe depression and anxiety after drinking that can last for a week. It only started in my 30s, when I was younger my hangovers were mild, now they are mind blowing and last for ages. If I over do it I can have a full on panic attack after drinking in the following days. When I didn't know what it was I called a ambulance as I thought I was dying, I was unable to stand and I was breathing about 100 times a minute, and went numb all over. They told me to stop drinking as it was causing the problems. I've had these panic attacks maybe 10 times over the years, the rest of the time after drinking is just extreme anxiety and depression and lack of energy. but I used to be different when I didn't drink. I was on many sports teams I was the captain of the football team. Was on the swimming and running teams at school, I was good at most things. Drink has more or less crippled me now, I look and feel awful most of the time. I spend a lot of the time on my own doing nothing. I want people to know that it's not because you are weak or there is something wrong with you, it's just the drink destroying your life, it can effect anyone, even people like me who were very active and fit, who had lots of girls who liked me, and I was smart and done well before drink got a hold on me, it's turned me into a emotional and physical wreck, I only drink heavy maybe once a week or every two weeks. it happens over time, and you may not realize the damage it's doing until you find yourself in a very dark place one day and feel trapped in this cycle of drinking and misery. The only solution is to stop drinking, I know many people don't want to hear it, but a lot of what people here are describing is the first signs of alcoholism, you don't need to drink every day to be a alcoholic, binge drinking can destroy your mind and body in a few short years. You can get well if you stop drinking, I found that 3 months off the drink was enough to sort out my anxiety and depression, it was the only time I have felt happy in years. But if you go back to the drink, all your problems will return . I think people looking for a answer here are in denial somewhat, we know the problem and the solution already, the problem is drinking, and the solution is to stop drinking. If you do stop drinking, it does get easier with each passing month, and you will get your life back soon, I have stopped drinking for a few weeks and on the road to a better life in time. You got to remember that you still have the mind of someone who drinks, that's why it's scary to think of quitting, but when you stop drinking and fight through the temptation to drink, your mind will change the way it thinks , the routine of drinking at certain times will fade from your thoughts and it will not bother you as much, it's power over you will diminish until one day you wake up and just know you don't want to drink no more, and don't need to drink, as your mind and body heals from drink and you see progress, this builds your resolve to not drink no more, as you are getting happier with each passing month. Just do not go back to the drink when you're having a bad time, we all have good and bad days, it's life, but if you keep drinking most days will be horrible. I see myself in most of these messages posted, I am worried that you are going down the same road as me, I am in my 30s and it only gets worse, if you keep drinking. There is no cure, only to stop drinking.  Giving up the alcohol does not mean a life of misery, drink has programmed your mind to link fun to drink, but it's a lie, this is what drugs do. The truth is life is a lot better when you are a non drinker, I know people who have happy lives who never drink, they never miss work, joke a lot, have good friends and go out the same as everyone else on weekends, they just do not drink, they made the choice to not go down that road as they know where it leads, we need to sort ourselves out and take control of our own lives and stop drinking while we have that choice. Now. I have stopped drinking, I am on the road to recovery, I hope you all do the same, to save yourselves a lot of pain and misery.

I remember when I used to drink every weekend , I would wake up the next day with bloodshot eyes, sick as a dog, my mind would feel like it was not my own, anxiety, and exhaustion and just in the pits of depression for about 4-5 days after. Like my world was going to end. Other people would go out on a sunny saturday morning in the summer full of life and happiness, I would wake up , open the curtains, the sun would shine through, and I would have such a rotten hangover and look so awful and feel so depressed I would close the curtains and go back to bed for the day and suffer like in nightmare that you can't escape from. It affected my job, relationships with people, family and every part of my life in a negative way. I became a very negative and unhappy person because of drink. But I gave it up and things got a lot better. stop drinking it's the best thing you will ever do , you will get back your confidence, self respect and happiness and be a far better and happier person in time, and others will be happier to be around you also, everything gets better when you stop drinking, the depression and anxiety goes away and you start to think and act more positive, and feel better than you ever did as a drinker, it's win, win, just do it and know that things will get better, because they will. Believe in yourself, you have the power to change your life and give up the demon drink.

Going out and drinking is like a smoke screen, all you see in pubs and bars and clubs is people drinking, happy, dancing and having a good time, people who are intoxicated, masking their problems with drink. But that's just the night out, you don't see the after effects when people wake up the next day and have crippling depression and anxiety and look awful. You don't see the mood swings and arguments at home, and the misery their families have to endure dealing with the fallout of someone who has got mental and physical problems from drinking. All you are seeing is the time where people are consuming alcohol, you are not seeing the withdrawal and fallout of drinking. It's devastating. That person you know in the pub who seems like he's having a good time, he might be a totally different person at home off the drink in the pits of depression, abusive to his wife or family. A lot of people are only happy when they are drinking because they have a drink problem. The rest of the time they are suffering big time, and a lot of them will not reach 60-70 because of their drinking. I know a man who is dying because of drinking and smoking, he was always in the pub joking and laughing, now he's got months to live. People need to wake up and the real face of alcohol, it's a killer and destroys lives, not only your own but everyone around you suffers also. Society has become brain washed into thinking they need alcohol to enjoy themselves, it's a deception on a global scale. It's the enemy and needs to be treated as such. When I used to drink, I nearly lost the best girl I ever had, I used to go out drinking, lie to her as to where I was, then I wouldn't be able to see her a lot of the time as I was always sick and depressed from my nights out drinking, she never knew the hell I was going through as I hid my drinking from her, she never drank and couldn't understand why I was falling into this life of depression and negativity, I was never happy, I pretended to be happy to try and make her happy, but I was miserable all time drink was destroying my life. She left me a few times as she was miserable because of me, but I gave up drinking, became happy again and now I see her a lot and things are good. Drink will destroy your relationships and everything you try to do in life to better yourself, it's a killer of motivation and hope. Everything is a struggle when you are drinking, simple things seem impossible. Do not lose the best things in your life to drink, it will happen if you keep drinking. You will lose your girlfriend, wife, husband, job and friends. And die a lonely sick and depressed person. Not trying to be horrible or scare people, just the truth of what drink does to people. You don't read about it in the papers, but it's happening every day to millions of people.  

You are dead on with your review of this disease. I was never much of a drinker until I divorced after 20 years and met an alcoholic who has been my boyfriend for 3 years. I found that I binge drink ever other weekend (my weekends with him). Once I start drinking, I continue because I can't stand how I feel when coming down from the alcohol. I get extreme anxiety to the point that I want to crawl out of my own skin. The shaking is enough to make me want to die. I haven't always had the alcohol induced anxiety. It seems to have slowly crept up on me over the last year. I wasn't sure what was going on with me and thought I might be insane. I'm so angry with myself as I had one month of sobriety and gave in to peer pressure and started this whole terrible thing to start over again this past weekend. Luckily, I was able to stop after 24 hours of drinking. I'm disappointed in myself but know what I need to do to get back on track. It's seems so unfair that others can have a few drinks and be fine and not suffer any consequences. Not that I would wish this on anyone. This problem has made my life feel like it's out of control. Binge drinking is a horrible disease and I consider it part of alcoholism. I don't feel like I need to drink every day but when I do drink I cannot stop myself from over doing it. This forum has helped me greatly by knowing that I'm not alone in this.