Anxiety and depression for days after binge drinking

I'm not sure that's the best idea, as it encourages alcoholism.

When i was 17 had extreme panic attacks that started from weed. Smoked everyday for years until one time set me off leading to the worst few months of my life. Before getting on Zoloft. (Which personally made me not care about anything) Stayed off the weed for awhile before finally being talked back into smoking and enjoyed the high once more becoming a daily smoker agian. Parinoia sure but havent had a panic attack since. until recently. Im 26 now. And randomly the samething. Smoked one night and blam! Went to the ER that night. Have had the same feelings. Tightness in my chest, pressures in my neck, and head. And pains and soreness in my back. Wich just cause me to believe somethings really wrong with me and inevitably makes the panic attack worse. Now being a little older and wiser i can talk myself away from the ledge so to speak. But being a conspirist and know how this world is. I have a hard time taking a pill to make me feel normal. It rings false to me. But liquor opens me up and makes me feel good...untilled the next day! The beer in the morning thing works. But stopping at one is the hard part. Easily putting you in a perpetual cycle! All in all. All i know is this shit suck camels dick!

Wow I don't drink often so it's not a binge maybe every 6 mths I drink, cause for 3 days after I want to die, crawling up the walls doubting everything and everyone. I'm 46 and have had this all my life and drinking is not worth the repulsive feelings I have for myself after. Glad I'm not alone.... I'm 3rd day after a drinking session and only now able to cope.

Its comforting to know I'm not the only one who goes through this. I rarely drink anymore because i cant handle the week long severe anxiety and panic attacks. It doesn't matter what i do i can't shake the feeling Ive done something wrong or stupid.  I repeatedly replay the nights events over and over in my head and if i have any black spots i think that  Ive done the worse thing possible. I have on occasion felt so bad that Ive called people to apologize for some minor event only for them to tell me its fine and they hadn't even thought about it and that it is me being paranoid. The stupidest thing is though if i don't drink for a couple months I suddenly i feel like it wont happen again but without a doubt that feeling is there the next day. For reference I'm a 22 year old male.

I am the same way. I'll go a week or two and not even touch the stuff nor even really think about it. When I do end up drinking, I'll have 2 or three, no big deal...but once every 6 months or so I'm an idiot and overdrink to the point I am hungover the next day. This is when the anxiety/depression starts. I actually cry because I'm soooooo sensitive. The doctor said that I am one of those people that are prone to anxiety/depression and to understand that the alcohol will trigger it, just as a big stress level does it (like a financial trouble or something). I know that if I drink too much it will happen. But there's good news. STAY AWAY from alcohol until you feel better, than add another couple weeks of no drinking. The good news is it gets better and you'll be laughing at the situation you were in. The people who continue to drink to feel better are asking for becoming alcoholic. Dont do it! Like I said it gets better. Excersise. Take this opportunity to eat healthy. Completely give up caffeine for a week or two as well, it seems to help me. Write down how you feel in a journal so you can revisit it if it happens again. Tell yourself it will be okay! Just don't drink for awhile and when you find it OK to have a couple...make sure start with one to test the waters, and only have 2-3 max and never drink daily. If doing that is hard to do without drinking...you could already be on the way to alcoholism and should stop altogether. But if you're like me, you don't drink that much but for some reason you are one of those people who are prone to anxiety/depression...just know that chemicals are one of the many things that are well known to trigger it. You will be okay! It will pass! :)

Also don't be afraid to CRY! Let it out...it's your body's natural gasket...you will fee ALOT better!

Excessive alcohol intake over a extended period of time will do this to you. Heavy alcohol users are deficient in B vitamins. just take a look at the symptoms of B12 deficiency, Even after quitting drinking it can take some time for normal vitamin b absorption since alcohol damages stomach and intestinal lining. Plus, heavy alcohol use messes with GABA receptor in your brain, It makes your serotonin levels go out of whack, it also causes low blood sugar, dehydrates you. Quite a nice concoction for the following day when you wake up. Imagine a coil spring being slowly pushed down every time you take a drink. after 20 drinks the spring is all the way down. what you are experiencing is the moment when the spring is then released. Then what do we do?? we drink some more to make the awful feelings go away. I remember a time when it used to be fun to drink. and felt fine the next day aside from the slight headache or fatigued feeling. Then before you know it, 3 years have gone by and your drinking every other day searching for that feeling that one was, only to find being depressed and anxious for days after a binge.

Hi, I've been reading your post and the replies. I too had problems with heightened anxiety after binge drinking.  I had some other accompanying problems as well.  The bottom line for me was, if I'm having these problems from excessive drinking, I needed to quit drinking.  The fact that I had trouble quitting and fought and scratched to find ways to continue drinking revealed to me that I had an even bigger problem. Normal people do not drink to the extent where it causes them medical problems, and then CONTINUE drinking after the problems are identified.

Since I was 18 (freshmen year) I have been drinking heavily on the weekends. At age 33, 2 years ago, I suffered my first anxiety attack in a Starbucks parking lot on my way to work. I thought I was having a heart attack, confusion, sweats etc. Ever since, I have had anxiety attacks off and on. I'm healthy, run, Bball, lift weights, at least 5 days a week. This thread has been a huge reminder of the real problem. Every time I quit for more than a week, I feel better. Research has shown that binge drinking does psychological damage. The brain is affected tremendously by repeated withdrawals. I am trying to learn to have 1-2 drinks instead of 5-6 (I am a whiskey drinker only). I have come to realize my personality will not allow me to drink like that, it's all or nothing. My battle continues;) best wishes to all, you are not alone!

So glad I am not alone with this.   I am 50 y/o, an ER nurse and a part time druggy alchy, this post binge depression anxiety is dreadful I have to stop I go through this once a year and this time the depression is somewhere in hell.  a week after the binge I felt like myself  only to get depressed anxiety and feels like it is going to kill me dont have the balls to do it myself. xanax helps the sleep cant do the anti   d's but hope they help those who do.  brain chemistry is as mystifying as the big bang.  My main ? is does anyone else ebb and flow through the anxiety depression and normalness for a few weeks   thanks JE         

Hey ladys n gents well let me tell u a lil bit about my story,I would smoke chew at work and bindge drink for a few night's a week i would also smoke pot.have had severe anxiety and a few good panic attacks were I would shit and piss my pants...no fun,they tried me on a couple different meds.no help,actually it made things worse way worse and more panicky lost my job had adrenal burnout didn't care suicidle cpuldnt even drive anywhere anymore,its taking time u need support and strong mind I have been clean 2.5 tweaks its slowly getting better I force my self out for walks and stuff.its hell on earth literally.im straight edge now and always will be this time.the er or doctors I don't need .I'm dping this naturally.I'm feeling tid bits better day by day.love u all get support be active walk and eat lots of food also drink lots of water n liquids.god bless

I'm the same! Hit me at 26 after a holiday drinking. then got worse after every holiday and eventually after every night out. Caffeine, hunger, tiredness all don't help. Stop drinking as its a slippery slope, its called kindling and post acute withdrawal.

It gets worse as you get older - take it from me, I'm 38 and only realizing now that I've been a binge-drinking alcoholic for 20 years. I binge-drank heavily 8-15 beers twice a week for 10 years. The next day, emotional, depressed - it bleeds into everyday life and when real world comes calling, I was unable to handle it.  Thank God for friends. Not out of the woods yet - but take VERY SERIOUSLY the emotional fallout after binge drinking; it's not funny, it's your body out of whack. 

Going through this right now. It is day 4 after the binge and stomach is still in knots. Worrying about things I probably haven't said and thinking about consequences that won't happen. It is a nightmare., just can't get my head straight. Don't binge that often, last time was 3 months ago. But impacts family life when it happens, wife doesn't understand as she doesn't get hangovers, and don't have energy to play with my kid. The only way is sobriety and that is what I'm going for now even though social pressures are big to have a few beers. Hope everyone who posts gets through this.

I used to be a social drinker, one that would drink when I went out with friends every other month or so. About a year ago, I went out with co-workers for a pre-Christmas outing to a bar that had happy hour from 5pm-8pm. Anyway we began to drink as much as we could before happy hour was over, by 7pm, I had consumed approximately 10 to 15 shots of Tequila and another 4 to 6 vodka cocktails. I left the bar and made it home by subway and taxi, when I awoke the next day, I felt anxious and began to feel depressed, my depression deepened until I felt like I was lost in a fog of depression, gripped in a vice. I had negative thoughts, trouble sleeping and the depression lasted for about 2 months. I saw a doctor and he explained that alcohol depressed the brain, I gradually began to feel better like my old self and vowed to give up drinking. I did for a while then decided to drink small amounts to see how I felt. I would drink a glass of wine or two at the most every now and then and felt ok and I was happy with that because I had decided not to drink any heavy liquor or too much for fear of a repeat of the bout with depression. A couple of weeks ago, I had a Guiness and a few hours later began to feel mildly depressed and unhappy, after about three days it went away. That's when I decided to stop drinking altogether, no glass of wine, no 1 or 2 beers, absolutely nothing because I dread a repeat of the 2 months or so when I was heavily depressed and felt like I was loosing my mind.  i am 48 years old and never drank too much because until about 13 years ago I was a "pot head". I smoked several times a day since the age of 15, I don't remember not being high for about 20 years straight. I quit smoking marijuana after I almost lost my mind one day after smoking. My mind was racing in a milion directions, I had thoughts of impending doom, I lost my appetite and couldn't deal with loud noises or even being alone. I was able to hold on and a few weeks later started feeling better, I went to see a doctor who was upset that I hadn't come sooner and said that I had suffered a form of psychosis because my brain was just overwhelmed with the effects of  smoking the herb.  I have friends and relatives that stii smoke even in their sixties and they seem to be fine. I just realized that you can't compare yourself to anyone else because we are all different. Just because people we know can drink and smoke and party and seem ok doesn't mean that you can too. I know when to call it quits because I don't want to end up chronically depressed or loose my mind. If drinking makes you feel so bad afterwards then it's time to stop and live your life free of depression and anxiety. Life can be enjoyed without drinking. Good luck.