Anxiety and depression for days after binge drinking

holy fuck Im 23 I have been drinking since I was 14, but in the last 2 years my binge drinking have been getting out of control, I can not longer just drink for one day, I go on this binges for 4-5 days. My last one just ended 5 non stop blacking out. Stopped drinking on sunday, and yesterday and today has been horrible, i dont even get hangovers, but the depression and anxiety i can not handle it. It has been getting worst and worst. I thought I was crazy until i did this google search. I cried this morning just idk I felt depressed and cried, its so weird. and the feeling of something being wrong, and some what guilty is crazy.I hope to feel normal by tomorrow or Im gonna go insane. and I am going to try to stay sober for at least 1 month.

I too have had this problem, but for years.  In my younger years (now 39) I would just write it off as a "bad night".  I really didn't think to much of the things I did because people just would say I got really drunk and acted a little different.....But now IT IS BAD!!!  I too don't drink daily and my binges are further apart but one is too many now.....I too can moderate for a while but then I am not sure what the trigger is and it doesn't really matter if it is stress, not eating, low blood sugar, etc.  I can not afford to try to keep moderating because my next binge my be my last or I could hurt/kill someone else.  I to am a highly functioning sober person.  I try to be polite, generous, over achieving house-wife.  Today I have a job interview at the local junior college.  I turn into a totally different person that I DO NOT LIKE. WOULD NOT LIKE TO HANG OUT WITH! TOTALLY DIGUSTING!!!  You would think I would stop.....I have come to the conclusion that I must stop if I want to be the person I know I am.....I totally love my son and husband.....I know this is all hard for people without this problem to understand....People say way don't you just have a few (sometimes I can) but sometimes I just want to keep drinking and I blackout.  I scare myself to death.  I become agressive, ugly, rude, etc. and the next week is hell.  I am scared to leave the house.  I don't want to talk to people.  I am scared for my husband to go to work because I don't think he will come back.....It really doesn't matter what is CAUSING this...The only way for me to know it will stop isnt taking vitamins, or fish oils, or eating certain foods, it is to COMPLETELY STOP DRINKING!!! It is tooooo risky to try and moderate because non of us start the night out thinking of doing this.  We never know when it is going to happen.  We start feeling like we can handle it and then BAM we are a mess.  Sometimes I just think it is the universe telling us we are not living the life in which we were intended.  We are going against the natural flow of life.  We must change and we are resisting.  I am going to change.  I am not going to drink.  Love, Peace and Sobriety to all.

I AM A NORMAL BLOKE!I have always considered myself and been considered (i hope, lol) to be a funny, intelligent, caring, outgoing, popular man..... i am 27 now, and from 16- 24 used to binge drink every friday and saturday, it was never a problem, i would consume between 15-25 drinks each night have a great laugh and suffer a STANDARD hangover the next day (headache, thirst, tired etc).since about 25, i settled down with my girlfriend, acquired a mortgage and cut down my binges to once a week tops. i started getting heavy chests and used to worry that i was going to have a heart attack and maybe got a bit paniky, but i never spoke to anyone about it, never read up about it, i just dealt with it and assumed it was because i was getting older.im nearly 28 now and maybe binge once a month. BUT, my last hangover was F*CKING scary!...after a 12 hour session of around 20 pints... i woke up feeling the normal roughness, then after a late afternoon nap, i woke with the most DISGUSTING feeling, i felt EXTREME sadness, and very dirty emotionally. i had to run upstairs and jump into the shower in an effort to cleanse myself, but had to get out because i felt like i was going to pass out due to the exceptional gravity of this what i can only describe as what someone with severe depression must feel. i sat on the edge of my bed feeling mentally sick, and trying to rationalize what had caused this... telling myself that everything was fine and dandy yesterday and nothing had changed! this didn'twork and i felt a massive need to slump in the corner and cry. i didnt do this, as after 10 minutes it subsided. the next couple of days i felt an average amount of sadness, but last night while in bed with my girlfriend it nearly came on again which caused her to ask what the hell was going on. explaining it to her was difficult as this is the last thing she would expect to here from a mans man like me, but she was very understanding.so here i am after deciding to research it.I love to go out and drink! and although i can easily go a month without touching the stuff, when that time comes, yet another social event, i always hit it hard! i dont embarress myself or anything, but there is no way im mature enough to just have a couple... and i think i would find it difficult to stay off the drink when everyones suppin away loving life.......................................but the fear of feeling like i did the last few days is enough to get me on here typing this and to seriously re-evaluate how im going to proceed with my life.Its massively worrying, as i thought i was as mentally tough as they come, and i have never felt so vunerable and psychologically unsure as i did after my last session.Its a good/bad thing to hear there are others suffering like i did, but it makes me realize how debilitating it would be to have day to day depression.Healthy body Healthy mind has never felt more true for me right now.chin up everyone x

This past weekend I went on a binge drinking. I had approximately 48 beers. On Saturday alone I had around 24 beers. The next morning I woke with a hangover plus panic and anxiety attack. I started hyperventilating, I had to get a paper bag. I had chest pains and fast heartbeat. My feet and hands were tingling. I have done this before in the past. I never had a problem in the past it must be because I am getting older. It has been 5 days now and the doctor prescribed Zanax witch works quickly but didn't last long. Buspirone that didn't work at all. Then I was given Librium which at first made me feel good and then I became very hyper. I was than prescribed Ativan. I took my first pill and don't know what is going to happen. I am glad that other people are having the same problems. At least I know I am not the only one. Does anyone else have any suggestions that might help. I will not drink again because it isn't worth it. _________________

This past weekend I went on a binge drinking. I had approximately 48 beers. On Saturday alone I had around 24 beers. The next morning I woke with a hangover plus panic and anxiety attack. I started hyperventilating, I had to get a paper bag. I had chest pains and fast heartbeat. My feet and hands were tingling. I have done this before in the past. I never had a problem in the past it must be because I am getting older. It has been 5 days now and the doctor prescribed Zanax witch works quickly but didn't last long. Buspirone that didn't work at all. Then I was given Librium which at first made me feel good and then I became very hyper. I was than prescribed Ativan. I took my first pill and don't know what is going to happen. I am glad that other people are having the same problems. At least I know I am not the only one. Does anyone else have any suggestions that might help. I will not drink again because it isn't worth it. _________________

Xanax is wonderful for getting you past the initial stuff, but GET OFF IT after a couple of days.  You have to learn how to do this naturally.  Xanax effects you similarly to Alcohol.  Read up on benzodiazepines.  If you get too in to it the Anxiety gets worse.  All of this is a horrible game that only gets worse and LONG TERM the best way is to create an awesome SOBER life.  I'm 44 and was drinking most of my adult life.  I had anxiety issues on and off over it....What I did...Healthy food (raw vegetables, lean meat) work out every day.  Work on spirituality every day (what I call my relationship with God) Sing and laugh a LOT!  Go THROUGH the difficult times and allow yourself to grow and change and enjoy AUTHENTIC SOBER life.   Don't be one of the sheeple!  Create your own life from the inside.  There are so many wonderful blessings sober (family, friendships, love, music, kissing, healthy sex, working out, the sunshine, inspirational movies, reaching your goals, financial stablity) - Alcohol only leads to anxiety, depression, DUIs, alcoholism, and troubled relationships.  TRY OUT THE GOOD LIFE, you won't regret it...Well you may at first for a few months, but it gets MUCH better!!!!!!!  

hey everyone, ive been up for hours skimming through this thread and let me tell you in all my research on my problems this has been very enlightening.im nineteen years old and have been losing my mind for almost two years now. ill never forget the first panic attack.i was a junior in high school and my gf dumped me and im a musician so i got into ties with some shady dudes. i messed around with heavy drugs, but more of an experimental expierience. but i fell in love with cocaine. drinking is a normal thing with the people i assosciate with so being in high school id spend most of my weekends binge drinking, chainsmoking cigarettes, taking bong rips and of course, sniffing a few bumps in the bathroom...but anywayone night after drinking like a mad man, me and my band mates headed back to my place to blow some and blaze. i remember doing all the stash we had and after the first couple of bong rips, reality punched me in the face, or in the chest rather. my heart began to race and i felt like someone was squeezing my ribcage and i could sit still. id pace around with the feeling if i stopped moving id drop dead, kinda like a shark. my friends just stared at me and it made me feel worse. i probly chugged about  five bottles of water trying to "sober" myself up. i eventually passed out and felt fine the next day...until i smoked again. panic attack part two.i vowed to quit everything because i figured that was what caused it. times goes by and im starting senoir year of highschool and BOOM panic attacks begin even when im SOBER. i begin complaining of breathing problems....it must be my smoking habit. gave up smoking cigarettes for almost a year, lungs cleaned out and everything.  i sso basically ive stripped myself of any substance abuse or use....except alcohol because its the only thing i use that doesnt freak me out.time progresses and  i find myself graduated from high school, finished my first year of college and damn i still have thesr attacks and thoughts.ive been to two phychologists and two doctors. i had chest x rays and they come up negative for anything, there isnt even any sign of my pastt smoking.im now seeing a phychiatrist and he put me on some shit called symbyax. i just finished my first week of a two week trial. very low dosage but taking drugs still freaks me out. i never thought to blame alcohol for my problems because it was my buddy this whole time. but thinking i havnt gone a weekend (or even during vacations weeks..) without binging since i was fourteen. the longest i think ive gone is like two weeks because drinking has become such a ritual. i havnt been drinking not to interfere with my medication. i feel inspired to push myself to not drink for awhile after reading alot of these posts...i plan to not drink for a few months, or even severely cut back at social gatherings, like sip one beer the whole night kind of thing. i want to feel natural again, like i did before i altered my brain chemistry. i dont want to depend on anything else to feel good. im gonna give this a try and hopefully im not crazy after all... thank you.

Hey I doubt I will get a reply but this is kinda what's happening to me right now. I'm really really young and have only drank a couple of times but last night I drank alot and I was having fun for awhile but then I started crying for no reason and today I woke up feeling severly depressed. I used to get depressed alot but then it seemed to stop. Maybe cause things got better. I don't know but all I know is I woke up today feeling like I havent felt in forever.

I am so glad I found this thread. This is exactly how I'm feeling today.Sick to my stomach, self-loathing, disgusted. And I didn't even do anything too majorly embarrassing. I feel like crawling in a hole forever. Don't want to talk to anyone or see anyone. My friends posting pictures of the night on facebook makes me want to vomit all over again.I honestly thought I was the only one who felt like this, thanks to everyone for posting your stories you are helping me get through today.Heres to trying to stay sober... Yeah.

It's comforting to read all of these stories. To know that none of us are alone.I'm 25 and about a year ago I was on a two month binge after moving into a new place.I was working a crappy job and was drinking on average 4-6 pints of beer on a quiet evening or 10-15 pints on a proper night out. After a while I noticed I wasn't sleeping well at all and  my friends were commenting how awful I looked! So I decided to go off the booze for a while. The following month was the most terrifying period in my life. I was constantly anxious and paniked. My hands were visibly shaking. Some nights I'd hardly sleep at all. I'd watch movies to distract myself from the anxiety. One night in particular I woke up having a seizure. My neck was spasming uncontrollably. I'd pray to see the light of morning.I didn't fully realize it at the time but I was going through pretty bad withdrawal symptoms. Every day I was convinced that I was going to die. I was sure I'd have a stroke or a heart attack. I found myself having anxiety attacks in public places. Sweaty palms, racing heartbeat. I thought I was loosing my mind. Thankfully in the following months the symptoms began to fade and I was able to resume a normal lifestyle.Slowly, I also began to re-introduce alcohol into my social life.Occasionally I still drink too much on a night out and I have 'the fear' the next day. For me, It's a horrible reminder of how things can get and that I never want to be that way again.In conclusion I've come to the somewhat depressing realization that I have a drinking problem. For me, in order to live a normal and happy life I will probably need to quit drinking entirely.Don't let the fear conquer you. Good luck.

i really feel for you guys ... i was a heavy binge drinker for 17 years. i had anxiety, depression, panic attacks, insomnia. I'd been convicted with drink driving twice by the age of 21, i'd regulary urinate the bed. in the end, i admitted i had a problem and went to AA. i do not suffer from any of the above now. okay, my social life took a massive u turn and i'm lucky i have a wife and children who support me, but for me the biggest lesson was that my drinking buddies were just that: drinking buddies. They dont want to know me unless i'm drinking.I wish you all luck in finding answers to your problems. the answer to my own problem was simple: alcohol ruins lives!!!!

With all of the hell that goes along with drinking, why don't we just stop?  I took me compromising many years of my life and then getting closer than I could have ever imagined to death.   The anxiety, panicking, bad choices, bad health, insomnia, fear, missed workouts, missed work, urinating in the bed overnight all wasn't enough.  There are a thousand reasons we keep drinking and they're all horrible.  The fact is our only chance for a productive healthy life is to quit drinking.  For most of us it takes a spiritual change along with complete abstainence from drinking for 3-12 Months. I workout and eat super healthy.  After 3 months all that horrible stuff was gone.  Now just REALLY working well on building a good life and loving my new found awesome connection with something higher and more beautiful.  Drinking keeps you connected to the sludge of the Earth.  Sobriety gives you a chance to find the real authentic you.   Now I feel like anything is possible because another relapse is not lurking somewhere in my future.   It took Rehab, AA, the love of my friends and family, many relapses, and a knowing inside all along that I could be something better.   You don't need to drink to be a part of this society.  You have everything you need inside you and around you already.  Life is a blessing.  Why ruin it with alcohol, anxiety, depression, DUIs, failed relationships.  No drink is worth it.  There is a better life out there, I promise!

It's tough to get reassurance on these topics as most people who come on here are experiencing the trouble right now. I can honestly say if you are feeling the post booze sketch now then give it a week or two and you will be ok again. That is unless you have anxieties in your life anyway. I went out 4 weeks ago and had a skinful. It was a wedding and the bar was free. The wedding started at 2pm and ended at 2am. I was completely wasted. it hit me the next day and i really thought i was gonna need a one way ticket to the psych ward. Paranoia, anxiety, floods of tears, it was really bad. i decided to stop dinking there and then. it was about 2 weeks before i started to feel ok. now i am fine. I have moments where I feel stressed but it's under control and there is no panic. It's the booze. You may think "how can it be? All my friends seem ok". It really is, it makes you feel terrible. Hang in there and if you are reading this don't worry you are not alone and it will subside. xx  

I to binge drink reguarly inorder to escape life and have come dependant on it for social events. I suffer high anxiety levels and depression for.... well i dont know how long it lasts for as i have never gorn longer than a few days occasionaly a week without binge drinking for the past 33months. I have experienced major depressive episodes as well as suicidal ideations. It has effected my personal and family relationships which i worked so hard to re build stoped me from engaging in activities i once enjoyed. Stop me from gaining , maintaining and completing work and edicational endevours. I belive i should never dink again. Although it has been all i have known for a long time.

I have started to recently encounter these feelings of depression after a heavy night of drinking. I'm 25 and have sufferred from stress on/off since I was 16. I had been OK for the past 2 years or so but recently I've started to get panick attacks again - including one bad enough to make me go to A&E as I was convinced I was going to have a heart attack. The last severe panick attacks have always occurred after a night of heavy drinking. Moreso, heavy drinking but still having to work the next day (i.e. not enough sleep). These last two severe incidents were after drinking with co-workers on Thursday night.I have found myself over reliant on drink generally for the last 3-4 years. There can be months at a time where I simply don't stop drinking - very low level drinking during the week (5-6 bottles of beer Sun-Thurs evenings), heavier at weekends (Friday + Saturday binge). Putting it on the computer screen has made me realize how unhealthy it really is.There's definitely a correlation between stress/anxiety and drinking resulting in depression. It's a vicious circle - there's enough pressures in life and for me, a few drinks takes the edge off it. However, long-term I'm probably walking in to a black hole.It's reassuring to see others who have this problem. I think collectively we realize how bad alcohol can be. If you take acid whilst in a bad frame of mind, you can have the worst trip of your life. Alcohol must be similar - if you're stressed/depressed, alcohol can be a nice solution but you're just confusing your subconscious by drowning the emotions and banking them all up to deal with the next day, hence the horrible feeling of dread, worry and pessimism. I have a friend who was mature enough to recognize that his drinking was getting out of hand. He went completely cold turkey for almost 2 years. He was always a positive, happy guy, but I do remember times when he would suddenly be very low and depressed. I haven't seen him in any of those low moods at all since he cut down his drinking. It would've been very easy to diagnose him with manic depression but removing alcohol stopped those dark days. He didn't drink for over a year but has just recently started again in moderation and says he feels much more in control now. He has a much better frame of mind than most people I know and there's no secret as to why that is. I don't think chucking drink out completely is the solution, but I think everyone could benefit from trying a month or two of no drinking once in a while. I'm seriously considering it myself as I'm fed up feeling like crap emotionally and physically. No doubt it'll be tough initially, but it's a neccessity if drinking is making you feel this way. Put yourself back in charge of alcohol rather than it being in charge of you.