Can't drink at all

[Serenity]

Hi,

This is a question and to see if anyone else experiences similar.

I was never a big drinker, but after he left drowned my sorrows more than I normally would have done. Especially at parties: maybe so felt I needed Dutch courage ( as I had anxiety and some agoraphobia etc).

I don’t drink much at all anymore, but even when I do, it has a dreadful effect. I don’t feel physically sick or anything, but my anxiety rockets.

I’m on a health kick and diet now anyway and don’t mind not drinking, but I am worried as to why this is happening.

On the surface, I’ve got myself together much more, so why is it that alcohol has this new effect ( it didn’t before?).

Say that I went out and had one drink: my anxiety would be more apparent two hours later. And if I ever drank more than one drink, the anxiety would be much worse. If I go out to the pub and drink, I wake up in the early hours with intolerable anxiety. I need to deep breathe, etc.

So now I’ve realised I can’t drink at all. And that’s fine- the weight will probably drop off quicker!- but I’m worried about what that says about my mental state. Is it that you can feel stronger, but underneath you are in fact burying anxiety? Can you not be aware of certain fears, and they come out when you have a drink?

Sorry if I’ve rambled. I don’t mind not drinking, but it seems a bit worrying that even a little alcohol has this effect. And will this be lifelong?

[iwillbeok]

Hi hon,

My first thought was ?coz alcohol causes us to lose our inhibitions?

After a quick google I learnt that alcohol and anxiety aren’t a good mix as alcohol affects serotonin levels in the brain as well as other neurotransmitters. (The article titled “6 reasons why you can suffer from alcohol anxiety…” when Google “alcohol and anxiety” explains it quite well I think).

I drank more (barely drank at all when with my abuser as he drank a lot and someone had to be sober!!) after we split but have also gone on a health kick so very rarely now. Thankfully I didn’t notice any heightened anxiety in my case…

I’ve had a few times since freedom of being able to go out with friends and have a few – just enough to be buzzy, and coupled with the freedom of not having to account for my time and whereabouts I had a ball! I dont dare get really sozzled though as I worry what that may bring to the surface…

X

[Serenity]

Thanks for answering, I Will Be Ok,

Yes, I googled this and saw that alcohol can increase anxiety in some cases.

It would be good to know why it suddenly starts to affect someone, and affects one person and not the other.

I suppose it could signify how anxious you truly are. Or maybe it’s just that things affect people differently, or people cope with things in different ways. On Google it also says that your feelings and fears about alcohol also have a bearing on how anxious it makes you. I suppose- as someone who never drank much over the years – I have some feelings of guilt about how I coped in the divorce, in terms of I had quite a bit of wine on a few occasions when things were at their most difficult and I became tearful- and I feel really guilty about that, as it meant my kids saw me very upset.

I suppose I am judging myself and this makes for the anxiety too. And I suppose I view alcohol as something negative now.

[White Rose]

Hi Serenity
I feel the same. I was ok but as I’ve got older I find I can’t cope with more than a small light beer or a small glass of wine – any more and I’m wired and bouncing off the walls and can’t sleep!
I’ve just gone back on antidepressants again after a year off – due partly to ongoing final financial battle with my ex (yes it’s still ongoing!!!! ) and a few significant family issues outside my control that simply got me down and I know alcohol and them don’t mix for me so I’ve got 2 reasons not to drink now.
I don’t mind I’m always the driver if I go out – but I do miss a glass of red wine with my roast beef on a Sunday!

[godschild]

Hi Serenity, Im not sure what age you are but I know that many women report that in perimenopause/menopause they cannot tolerate alcohol like they used to xxxxx

[SunshineRainflower]

I am now teetotal although I was before I met him because I decided I just wasn’t a fan of alcohol and didn’t need it in my life. I’ve only vaguely missed it once in the summer when I saw people having a cold beer, otherwise I love life without it. Being teetotal gets rid of all the peer pressure others put on you when you socialise. At Christmas I make hot spiced apple juice instead of mulled wine and I love it 🙂 Saves loads of money, no hangovers, no awful alcohol induced headaches and it shuts down the types of people that imply you are boring if you don’t drink, for some reason they accept it if you say you are teetotal rather than if you say you drink but just aren’t have a drink tonight. I find life much more peaceful without it.

[teatime]

Alcohol depresses the nervous system and also raises blood sugar levels. I do not drink at all, never have. I did a bit when they made me sooo mad and upset, but I went off the taste. I have an illness and it makes it worse. Also I do not like alcoholic drinks.
I do not recommend it from the point of view of I like staying in control and making sure I am ok, hope that helps xx

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