Anxiety and depression for days after binge drinking

Man, this one really speaks to me. I have been battling chronic alcoholism for the past 7 years, and I really starting manifesting itself heavily in the past 4 years. It got to the point where I was doing a 1.75 liter a day and blacking out, but not really even ffeling that drunk. I started withdrawing very heavily, and having terrifying DT symptoms of spiders and thinking people were trying to kill me, or my wall was going to open up and swallow me, very intense stuff. I knew it wasn't real, but it's hard to rationalize when you are in a state of DT terror, and even your home feels unsafe. I am not normally a paranoid or jumpy guy. So, I detoxed, and I stayed on the wagon for 8 months, but just recently started lightly drinking beers again, thinking I had it under control. Then, for some reason, I decided to buy a bottle of vodka on Saturday. BAD decision. I drank the entire liter through the course of about 12 hours or so, so it wasn't too intense, but I feel that my tolerance immediately jumped back up to that of a heavy boozer. I didn't understand how this was possible, as I didn't even black out. The next day, I woke up insanely depressed, and very scared. My vision was blurry, I was having very strange "electric-vision", and the walls were moving. Inside my head, it was a battle of wits. Watching even the funniest shows that I enjoy were kind of scary to me, and I felt so alien in the world, like I was completely alone. I could force myself to laugh at extremely funny stuff, but I knew I was fooling myself. Feelings of suicide were constant, and I felt like it was unavoidable. As an alcoholic, I am very farmiliar with these feelings, it's just comes with the territory; but this was something else. I felt like I couldn't NOT commit suicide. I was trying to sleep, nope, I was too scared to drink, as I thought that would completely push me over the brink of insanity. Today, which is two days later, I am still battling intense feelings of anxiety, and extreme paranoia, and I thought I might literally be losing it. I really appreciate this thread, because it shows me that I'm not alone, and that it CAN and will get better, but going back on the wagon is definitely what needs to happen. Alcohol is extremely dangerous when abused, and to paraphrase some of the other posts, it will only get much, much worse. It is definitely not normal to harbor these feelings. Still, thank you. It makes me feel somewhat of worth again.

I felt completely the same way. I too went to A&E because I thought I was on my way out due to drink the day or two before. I had never felt anything like it before. Immense anxiety, palpitations, shaking, imbalence, the feeling of couldn't settle, didn't feel like eating anything, couldn't string proper sentances together. I have to say the worse part is the anxiety. For me it can last a good 2 or 3 days before I start to feel better. I really have no idea if people like us are able to have a sensible drink or if it's best to just stop altogether. A lot of my male friends are massively into the drinking scene which makes things so much harder. :( I typically drink Fri, Sat. Sun and sometimes Mon. I should add though, that when I have had a big drink the night before, it is often that I require a drink about 4pm depending on how much I have drunk. :'(If I had to conclude this little talk, it would be that the mental problems are a worse than the physical by far if you happen to suffer from them. Most people will not get the psychological insecuritues that I and a lot of other people suffer from. Have to say, abstaining is the best.

PLEASE FOLLOW UP Lets try to gather a list 36 male Im sick of hearing the only cure is "STOP DRINKING". thats like going to the doctors with cancer, pushing on your cancer and saying "Doc, it hurts when i push here" and the doctor saying "well dont push there".. its a bandaid to avoid the underlying issue. I know there is one because i had this 7 yearsa ago, it went away, and is now back. I dont know how or why i went away. i didnt even link it to alcohol back then., . I just thought it was anxiety and id be fine. Well it came back for some reason, so its not something yopull have for life. if it went away it went away for a reason. The only thing i know about the first time and this time is I had a nasty cold. 3 weeks, it went away for a week or 2 then got the same one or another for a month! its still ingering a month later! infections should not do that. Ive also had blood , thyroid and Liver tests. all normal. its not that "my liver just stopped doing what it does". I DONT buy it.   Heres a list of things you should look into ( which i still need to as well): -SIBO- small intestin bacteria overgrowth -Candida overgrowth -Lyme disease -Adrenal Fatigue -Cileacs disease -Mononucleosis -unconfirmed viral or bacterial infection   Its widely known that all seretonin in your body begins in your gut. 90% of the seretonin in your body resides in your intestines. its perfectly obvious to start there. any kind of bacterial of fungal overgrowth in this area will cause some sort of reaction when its met with alcoholic waste. SIBO and Candida can cause reactions from alcohol in your intestines. This is why you may not get sick right away but the next day. I never got sick while drinking. I always felt great.. It was when I stopped and for 3 days after(and no I never drank that much) fear, anxiety, social withdrawal, felt like a flu, body chills, nausea etc..I did notice the more I drank the worse it was.. I had 2 drinks recently, not so much mental issues but i felt like i was knocked out by the flu for 3 days. I needed a heating pad! anyway. Lyme disease is known to mimic most all other diseases. and one common statement from lyme disease suffers? "i quit drinking. i could handle it anymore".. lyme disease seems to affect the effect of alcohol on some people. This may be the issue. lyme doesnt go away but can go dormant. It is treatable. be careful though since Lyme disease can sometimes be hard to detect since it hides in your body. not an easy test if youve been infected a long time. Adrenal fatigue- ive been reading that adrenal fatigue can cause a long list of symptoms, most of which mimic this issue. somethinig to look into. its basically "organ" exhaustion. Processing alcohol in your liver takes work. If the adrenals are involved and exhausted. it could cause issues and take three days to heal. Celiac im not to sold on since it deals with gluten..Ive had this happen with beer and wine. wine doesnt have gluten.. plus i eat plenty of bread and wheat products and have no effects from that.. If it were gluten related then all gluten would affect it, not just alcoholic drinks that contain wheat.. still an option though. Mono and any other possible infection. I mention these because I know ive been sick with something for a while and im never sick this long. its not terrible, it was the first few weeks but now its just some congestion, tender throat and nasal crap going on...mono lasts a month or two. There could also be another infectious disease out there sitting inside you just causing havoc. plus after 1 or 2 beers i get less dreadful "flu" like symptoms. its uncanny that the mild symptoms resemeble a flu.. the severe symptoms resemble the sickest youve ever been without all the phlegm. think about it.. all the depression and fear. my head sorta feels like it does when i have the flu, without having the flu.. when i DO have the flu i know it so dont mind the state my brain is in.. when i dont its scary.. possible cause of the fear.. just anxiety taking over? anyway   I suggest everyone posting there "situation" as opposed to there symptoms and stories so we can narrow this down to a solution. there has to be some connecting factor between all of us. I suggest getting testing for the above issues and see what happens and post back.  

-it might also be beneficial to list symptoms nobody has yet. for instance: -I suffer from adult acne Ive noticed -sleep schedule is off, I cant wake before 10am no matter what I do. always extra tired in the morning -I get extremely hungry late at night -I have sleeping troubles while not drinking. i wake half way through the night without fail -I excercise normally but havent in some time -junk food. i ate plenty. dont anymore as of recently -smoker, quit when i stopped drinking from this a month ago -symptoms that linger even when not drinking: lack of focus, balance issues at times(vertigo) spatial awareness. (all new symptoms since having to quit) -started 7 years ago.. lasted almost a year, left with mild anxiety until 2011 -Illness actually forced me to stop drinking first.. 3 week flu, no alcohol, had a few at Halloween, got sick again, stopped drinking for 3 more weeks, went to a wedding in Nov. got drunk and began with this all over again. anytime i drink now ends the same since November

another thing i just noticed. since this happened before and went away and came back  years later, i noticed another symptom that happens both times. the first time this happened was around the time of a bad breakup and i had these awful "broken heart" feelings. sort of in my upper stomach lower right chest area. i blamed that then on the breakup. well theres no breakup now and im feeling this again. ill wake in the middle of the night feeling a little anxious (mind you i havent drank in a while) and have this dull ache. I know it sounds weird, but it feels like the physical manifestation of a broken heart. only way to describe it.. its not so much a "pain" pain that feels like i should be concerned, more of am emotionally caused pain, but i have no heartbreak to blame it on now at all so it MUST be related to this. anyone else have this side symptom?

Just had a breakthrough on the broken heart feeling. I thought." Im not missing anyone".... but i just realized I am... my friend "drinking". I found out my credit card number was stolen today and i lost everything.. hopefully ill get it back but not till after christmas.. i havent started shopping yet though..... anyway, i was soooooooooooooooooooo stressed.. all I wanted to do was drink to unwind for a while, but knew i couldnt because it would become worse for the next 3 days. I sat here longing for the days when I could drink with no side effect. I realized i was depressed, and felt broken hearted. that solves that

Just coming off a 15 beer night.  I'm on my second day of being hungover and came across these posts.  It feels good to read others go through the same awful hangover symptoms.  I always say I'm going quit but never make it more than two weeks.  I have felt totally hopeless for the past two days but I'm finally starting to feel slightly better.  I don't want to deal with this anymore.  The hardest part is when all your friends love to drink.  Going to a sporting event, bar, or party is so much more fun if you're drinking, bottom line.  Anyway, good luck to all of you.  The person who said quiting was the only option was probably right. 

I'm sorry to be the one to burst the huge denial button developing in this thread but not only is it necessary to quit drinking (if only that is all it took!) to not experience post alcohol abuse anxiety and depression and eventually much worse, but one must deal with why there is a need to drink to get high in the first place. While it is true alcohol can be very addictive and alters the brain and body function and one must contend with the sheer addiction component of it initially when quitting like one would with quitting other toxic addictions like cigarette smoking or caffeine addiction, one must ultimately deal with life issues and coping mechanisms, level of stress etc that sends one running to the high of alcohol if they are to ultimately kill off this addiction and be happy with the decision. The person who quits drinking and then starts up again with the goal of moderating is very common in addiction recovery and almost always ends in disaster. The person usually can moderate for a bit, but then use creeps up, a first binge happens and the person is in a worse spot then ever and finds quitting again even harder.Get this - part of the reason one experiences depression and anxiety and other ill effects from drinking is because alcohol is poison. It is converted in the body to a super toxic substance and this causes all sorts of problems, some of which we feel. Even small less than moderate amounts are toxic and associated with an increase risk of many different cancers. Alcohol is a class one carcinogen according to the WHO. There is no safe amount of alcohol according to this article:http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/07/safe-level-alcohol-consumptionCall it alcohol abuse, alcohol troubles, alcoholism, whatever you want, if you are drinking and experiencing negative effects, you need to quit drinking. Not realizing that is probably at least partially due to brain damage already suffered from drinking as well as denial and the need to get high.

Anxiety and depression after drinking too much (we all have different tolerances) is common - but it tends to pass so to that extent its not necessarily a sign of what you call a mental problem. It may be helpful to examine what makes us binge in the first place: often its as a temporary escape from stress and if this is the case then what happens is that post-drinking the stress still remains (because it hasn't been dealt with) and in addition you now have the physiological problems of post-alcohol anxiety and anxiety and depression are almost as one. Try looking at the presenting Stress - get it gone - then you may then either not need a drink or if you do it may reflect your lighter mood.

Hi - Super relieved to see this is a shared experience. I think there are other factors at play besides the alcohol, but the alcohol serves as the catalyst for the panic attacks. At least in my situation---I work all day, go to law school at night, and spend all weekend studying or hanging out with my BF. I had a rager exactly 1 week ago and the next morning woke up with a panic attack, super anxious et al, which lasted all week. I couldn't sleep for about 2 days afterward due to the anxiety. Two nights ago I finally got my first real night of rest. And of course last night I went drinking, and even though I toned it down very much (maybe 4 beers all night) I still woke up today with some anxiety.I am grateful that I dealt with panic attacks when I was much younger, because if this were happening to me for the first time as a 30 year old profession I think I would completely lose it. But since I haven't really had one in 10+ years it was very surprising to experience this feeling once again. In terms of what worked for me, I was only really anxious when going to sleep, so if you have the same problem I recommend taking Melatonin (1mg is good, no more than 3mg) as this promotes relaxation and restful sleep. If it's really bad, like the first night, I took Tylenol PM just to make me drowsy. In either case, I laid in bed after and read a really boring book lol and in 20 minutes I was passed out. My sister is a physician so she recommended the above over-the-counter meds, certainly you can take other stuff but I'd check with your doctor.Hope this helps someone like it helped me. The only piece of advice I can give to someone currently experiencing a panic attack: believe it or not, it truly will go away soon!!! Sometimes you just have to wait it out.Cheers.

Hi Guys, I am 29 nd in the boat as most of u guys, I can stay of the booze for months but when I do drink I end up doing 2-4 day benders and end up in troble with ppl and police. My antics have cost me my marriage lost jobs loads ov ££££ and respect with friends. Have not drunk for 6 months now....... If its having the same effect on you knock it on the head ppl all round looser this will make u i promise you.......

i know the feeling i binge drink every 2 weeks and after this i get severe depression for a week or so. i just feel like crawling into a hole and never coming out. im there right now and im not having fun. what a horrible feeling you literally wake up and cringe because you have to go threw anouther drepressing day. just dont wana even be around anyone.

Give up the drinking because its poison and it will always always always make you depressed!!!! i once was like you and until you grow up and give up the booze and get better friends your in for a life of missery!

I would be curious to see what a doctor says about all of these instances—if we are alcoholics, have mental problems, or are just normal drinkers.  I have OCD and anxiety and my current phobia is alcoholism.  So when I drink in different atmospheres I really analyze if it was alcoholic-like or not.  Problem is when I read about alcoholism, it seems everybody has a different opinion.  My favorite symptom of alcoholism is feeling paranoid about drinking, but just knowing that is a symptom can make me even more paranoid about my own drinking habits.   I experience getting the brownout (blackout but remembering bits and pieces) after I get home from drinking.  I will usually eat and watch TV with my girlfriend, but the next day won’t really remember what we watched.  I know this adheres to the definition of blacking out, but doesn’t really exhibit the common qualities that many people do in blacking out episodes where they call random people, have sex with random people, or do drugs while blacked out, etc.  But it still freaks me out when I forgot bits and pieces from the day before and I wonder if I am an alcoholic because I drank into that state of mind.  This probably happens to me once every other month.  All other times I drink moderately and responsibly and do not depend on alcohol.  So I don’t see how I could be an alcoholic, though the blacking out episodes I experience clearly have to mean something.   Does anyone know how to diagnose and classify these things?  I seriously sit around and worry about the next time I will drink and get in this state in another 2 months.  And I worry that I will do something dumb vs. just watching TV and not remembering.  Does the fear and guilt of doing an action cause you to drink less?  Is blacking out in your late 20s a sign that you are an alcoholic or a sign that you are no longer in college and need to taper off your drinking habits?  I’m sure none of my questions have easy answers, but it doesn’t seem right to keep drinking if you’re going to feel guilty about it, but it also doesn’t make much sense that you can enjoy drinking in small quantities BUT have that one time every few months that you let loose and start the grieving process all over again.  It doesn’t feel like an alcoholic’s behavior nor does it seem normal, and hence I wonder how a doctor would classify it.

I am so pleased to see a topic board like this. I thought I was the only one.Lots of people on here are saying they are binge drinkers, but this can also happen to me after only just a few beers.Im 34 now, but I think I first got this once or twice when I was much younger but its happened a lot more since I hit my late 20'sIn normal life i'm actually extroverted, happy go lucky and one of those people always bouncing around with energy,and im certainly not an alcoholic but a day or so after a few beers (and it randomly happens - not everytime) - I get that horrible creepy feeling of impending doom. I feel like something major is going to go wrong soon or I've done something bad and now everyone is going to shun me. Its so hard to explain exactly what its like but everything just feels weird - its like the world has changed a bit for the worse, everything is really bleak and you cant do anything about it (!!!!) It normally takes about 2-3 days to completely go away and then I'm completely normal and happy again. As I say it happens to me randomly, so sometimes I can drink and be totally fine. I'm in very good health and dont take any tablets for anything.Im on this page now because a few nights ago I took an attractive work colleague to the pub for a few drinks, we had a really nice time (it wasnt a date or anything) and everything was good! Woke up next day feeling a bit groggy, but then later the 'fear' hit and I just feel so nervous and unsure about stuff. At least I know it will go.There seems to be no constant factor though so its impossible to work out what causes it.1. It doesnt matter how much I drink - it happens sometimes when I drink a lot, and sometimes when I just drink a little2. Its not related to stress - it happens just as much in the good times as the bad times.3. Its not related to type of alcohol - it can happen with wine, beer or spirits. 4. I dont take any drugs/prescription stuff so its not that causing a reaction.The only thing I can think it might be, is the speed I drink...or whether I have food in my stomach already or not. Ive never checked this out because its not the sort of thing you think about before having a few beers!