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[miika]

Hi. I`ve never posted in this section before, but now I feel like it`s time.

I have a little problem. I`ve medicated my anxiety with alcohol last about 6 months. Well, sometimes just to reduse my stress, and sometimes for having some fun(just to get out of the house, and meet some friends). I`ve never thought I would have any major drinking problem, but today my girlfriend told she`s worried, so I started to think about this. I rarely have any major hangover in a next morning, of course a little....but no headache, nausea or anything. actually I think I could drink 20 beers without having any major hangover(haven`t try it in years thought).

I`ve been drinking like 4 times a week. When I drink it`s about 6-10 beers. I only drink beer. Now I`ve been sober for 3 days, and panicking. I`m panicking because I`m worried if I will have any withdrawal symptoms! I don`t know if I have any yet, but I feel more anxious (of course I do). Should I worry about that? I don`t feel like I have to get a beer or anything, thought it would be nice.

To be honest I don`t wanna stop partying, but beer as a medication gotta stop now! It wont work in a long term.

what do you think?

[itsmeesindee]

You are absolutely correct, you should not medicate with alcohol.  It acutally depletes good chemicals in the brain and makes you feel worse for a while after the acohol wears off.  I think if you were going to have alcohol withdrawal sypmtoms you would feel it by now.  Going out with friends and having a couple of drinks is okay but if you find yourself "needing" a drink to help you relax or calm down, this can be very bad.  I think that 6-10 beers will definately have a negative effect on your anxiety and health.  Normal when someone goes out for a drink with friends it would be just a couple of drinks and not 6 or 10.  I think you should just keep an eye on things like the reasons your drinking and the excessiveness.

Cin

[TreetopClimber]

Maybe you should seek an A.A. or N.A meeting. I myself would go to N.A because even though it is referred to as Narcotics Anonymous we believe that Alcohol is a drug too. And unlike A.A. we feel its not the drugs or alcohol that are the problem its how we use those things to get out of ourselves, to make us feel different, someone we are not. Its a thinking disease.

[jennBunny5]

miika,
 i know what your feeling. it's very easy to get wrapped up in drinking when the anxiety gets high. I have GAD and depression, and when an ex of mine died, i started drinking mostly because i was sad, but also because i felt it calmed me down, and the more i drank i felt better. only because i'm the type that gets emotional, then happy when i'm drunk (i also tend to talk a lot.) And i feel that i can be sociable when i drink. And like you i can drink quite a bit. But you know, it doesn't help to drink, and it took a long time to realize it, i actually do get hungover though, and everytime i'm upset now and about to reach for the bottle, i think...is this gonna hurt me tomorrow, and i say yes. so my advice to you is yeah, have a couple drinks when you go out, and Cin is right, 6-10 drinks is definitely not good, and when you feel like you need another one, ask yourself, "is this going to hurt me? how about my girlfriend?" the answer is probably yes since shes already concerned. and it is hurting you too because of your panicking. Just take it slow. And try drinking something different when you go out. i know it's lame to go out and have a soda or something like that, but that soda will be a lot better than the alcohol. Take care & good luck.

[sanderella]

Hi Miika, didn't see this post earlier.

I think Finland is maybe similar to Scotland in the drinking culture? What a lot of Americans prob don't realise is HOW MUCH we drink - 6 to 10 beers is actually fairly typical here on a night out. It's one of the things about my culture I most dislike. It just causes so much havoc. Drunken fights in the street, relationship problems, loss of self-control and regret later, vomit everywhere, entire days wiped out with hangovers... someone here recently got killed by a drunk person tossing a traffic cone off a bridge.

What I most dislike of all is the PRESSURE to drink. If you don't drink you are looked at as boring and abnormal. Everyone has to keep up with everyone else in the drinking. It seems absurd that it can be socially acceptable to push drink in this subtle way. No-one pushes anything else on their friends.

So I congratulate you for deciding to cut down as I know it must be really hard if your culture is anything like mine.

Alcohol is not the best of medications as others have said... I'm sure you will feel better for not using it. How is that going? It's not surprising that your anxiety went up to begin with as this will happen whenever we try something new or try to let go of somehting that we've been using as a crutch. Good luck with it and I hope you will see the benefits!

[samaritan]

I agree with previous posts that any withdrawal symptoms would have presented by now, however, you have noticed your relying on alcohol in certain circumstances and have posted for advice.  Like Sanderella said it also depends on what the drinking culture in Finland is like, I know Americans do tend to stop at a couple or drink just soda, but I am from England and 6 drinks is 'just a couple', 10 beers is pretty normal for a man on a night out 2- 3 times a week, but thats in pints, you didnt say what your measure was?

At the end of the day it should not be used as medicine frequently, but somebody once gave me some very good advice and said 'alcohol can be a good psychiatrist sometimes' (emphasis on sometimes)