Drink the problem away?

[Necole]

I will be turning 29 in a month and just last year I had my first taste of rum and coke – well, three cups to be exact. Afterward, I felt a relaxing sensation. It was as if my social anxiety issues were gone. I went to a club, cruise to Bahamas, house party, and so many other places without having anxiety – I felt alive. After that I began to have a few drinks before going anywhere, including the grocery store. It was getting out of hand, and I felts as though if I continued on that path, I would have become an alcoholic, depending on a drink to make feel unafraid. I just HATE having social anxiety and didn’t want to feel it anymore. This year I haven’t had a drink – not even wine – because I fear that I may become dependent on it. Plus, I may be pregnant – keeping fingers crossed.


Has anyone felt as though having a few shots of alcohol prevents you from having anxiety?

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

No, I don't think so. Alcohol becomes a problem instead of a solution. Yes, I have seen some people use alcohol as a prop. I have even being out with some girls who need to have a drink to lose some of their inhibitions. However, alcohol impairs our ability to make proper assessments of the situation. Like, in the case of the girls, after a few drinks they start doing things which they would regret the next morning. There are many other ways to overcome anxiety. I wouldn't recommend using alcohol as one of the ways.

 

[gracer]

I have used alcohol as an escape for my pains and problems before. That stage of my life was my loneliest and I just felt the company of alcohol to be my temporary relief from my pains. Now that I have finally gotten over it, I realized that it is not the solution and it will never give me a permanent relief from my pains and frustrations in life. I'm glad you're able to control yourself now before you become dependent on it. I too have finally stopped drinking alcohol when I learned that I was pregnant and until now, I have never gotten back to my old habit ever again.

 

[John Snort]

You never can drink any problem away. Drinking or using drugs is a bandaid solution which will only create more problems for you eventually. Once you get to be an addict, in addition to dealing with social anxiety, you'll also have to deal with the problems your addiction will cause. It's better instead to fight social anxiety by exposing yourself to your fear in "small doses."

 

[Alex]

Drinking alcohol relaxes the body, and I do drink but I am in control. It's when it gets out of hand and you reach for the bottle or can to solve problems that it becomes dangerous. It's like any other addictive substance whether it be drugs, tobacco, food, or sugary drinks. It may give a quick relief, but it's not the answer.


I don't think drinking alcohol is bad in social situations, but when people are addicted or can't control themselves they need to recognize this and stop before it gets worse. My ex partner's mother was an alcoholic and it was a nightmare as no one did anything about it. It becomes a problem for those around you too.

 

[Panic57]

I've been tipsy once and I hated the loss of control more than I liked the loss of anxiety. I don't think I got addicted to alcohol because I've heard to many stories of the day after when my friends had to deal with the consequences. Plus, while alcohol may get rid of my anxiety, it's a depressant and I don't need one more thing to fight against. I would try finding another solution than alcohol.

 

[pwarbi]

Drinking alcohol does take away anxiety, but mark my words, a few drinks every now and again is nothing to worry about but if you are using it as a form of medication to relieve symptoms then you are quickly going to fall into a trap. In the past, I myself have gone down that route and it can get to the point where you can hardly leave the house without having a drink, and that can be at any time of the day. All the alcohol does is mask the problem, not cure it.


I'm not one of these people that says DON'T drink alcohol, DON'T smoke cigarettes, DON'T eat fatty foods as I think everything in moderation isn't that bad for you, and if it's things you enjoy doing then they can actually help, but it's important to make sure that you don't rely on things like these as a crutch to lean on, and use them as a shield to hide behind.

 

[17emilyhalko]

I definitely have an experience of using drugs and alcohol as an escape, though mostly drugs. Alcoholism runs in my family, so I never have been interested in drinking a lot, though I really lost it last summer. I remember that last summer, I was angry at my boyfriend, and decided to have a party with friends in one of their backyards. There was four of us, and we had so much alcohol! We had 24 cans of this Canadian beer, and we had a bottle of grape flavored vodka and some wine coolers. We finished off most of the alcohol throughout the night, and maybe was left with two cans of beer. All anger and pain escaped from me throughout the night, and I had a blast. I slowly (or quickly) realized that I began talking a lot. I began telling stores...and the rest is a blur. I had to be told the next morning what happened to me, because I woke up with a stab wound in my knee, and I had no pants or underwear on and I smelled absolutely horrible! Well, from what I gathered, I was horribly drunk the night before! I was at the point where I could no longer walk, and I was crawling on the ground towards more alcohol. I was playing with a knife, trying to cut broccoli. I accidentally stabbed my knee. I also tried to eat a cigar. Someone had to take the knife from me and stab it into a tree. I was naked multiple points throughout the night and was kissed by one of my best friends. They all took videos of me and in the videos I would flash them and assure them that I wasn't drunk, even though I was blaringly so. My friends also thought that it would be funny to text my boyfriend from my phone, and then they said something along the lines of "Dude, your girlfriend is super drunk." He responded asking, "Where is Emily? Can I talk to her?" and they handed me the phone and everything that I typed was completely incoherent. He got so scared! He told me to go home and go to bed and that he would text me in the morning. I didn't listen, of course. Throughout the night, this one guy would poor beer all over me, squirt ketchup on me, and spit on me, which is why I smelled horrible in the morning. I also needed to pee and tried to walk away to pee in the woods, but accidentally collapsed into a thorn bush. After this, one of my more-sober friends had to drag me back to the tent. I tried to escape the tent during the night and run around, and they had to go out in the dark and find me and bring me back to the tent. Someone also accidentally stepped on my head during the night and I yelped and then went right back to bed, haha.


All in all, even though the alcohol made me feel good while I was drunk, I woke up in the morning without my pants, without my phone, and without my pride. I needed to go and find my pants and underwear, and honestly, I felt so stupid! The hangover wasn't fun, and when I found my phone and charged it, I got a text from my boyfriend, who was EXTREMELY worried, asking whether I was alright. He told me to respond back when possible. I took a shower at my friend's house and then responded. My boyfriend told me to never do anything like that to him again, because he was intensely scared. And at the end of the day, the alcohol didn't take away any of the problems that I had the day before; it just left room for new ones.

 

[whysewserious]

I do enjoy an occasional drink as a way to unwind, but am very careful in the way I use it. There is nothing wrong with a bit here and there, but if it become a crutch, if it creates its own anxiety UNTIL you drink again, that is when things get scary.


I have never been able to drink a problem away - it only dulls it for a while, but until I deal with it, it will still be there after my buzz is gone.


Take consolidation in knowing you ARE capable of those negative feelings being gone, though - it means the ability is in you, and new ways to discover how to bring it out

 

[DesmondX]

When I am under the influence it definitely feels like I have things under control, but I realize it is a very unhealthy and only temporary way to cope with anxiety. I don't know if it is the case with everyone, but once I become fully sober after drinking, my anxiety seems to spike to a level higher than it was before drinking. I've slowly moved away from substances and am working on dealing with the underlying causes of my anxiety instead.


Congratulations on curbing your drinking before things got out of hand! Also, congrats on your potential pregnancy! I wish you the best.

 

[Siraphine]

Alcohol in general tends to numb most unpleasant sensations -- that does not mean that it's helping. It causes you to lose control of yourself to an extent, and you may do things that will only cause you greater anxiety later on after you're sober. Drinking a bit can definitely help in the moment, but it is not effective (or healthy) as a long term method.

 

[SirJoe]

Alcohol is known to loosen people up but when it comes to excessive drinking, any gain you might get from it will create problems. It's not really a solution it's just a way of tricking your mind. I think that you did a wise thing by stopping before it got out of hand. Kudos to you.

 

[mauricioq]

You are right in a point, alcohol can really diminish your social anxiety, but you can start depending on alchool, you need to learn and remember that. It's okay if you drink it once a week, maybe two or three, but you can't depend on it to be "fine". You need to do it on your own, so don't get too used to it.

 

[Ashley0323]

I can honestly say, I dont drink my problems, or anxiety away. I find that will become an issue that is bigger than the initial issue; your anxiety. I have lost family members to alcohol so I rarely drink, and when I do it's only a glass or two of wine or a margarita, other than that I do not drink. As a mother, my kids watch my every move, and when they get older, if they also have anxiety, I do not want them to think that alcohol is the answer.

 

[Apathetic]

It's been a while since I've drunk alcohol for that reason. It was a weird phase of extreme anxiety and whenever I ("forcibly") went out I felt like I HAD to drink, it was the only way to relax.


Aside from that, I think I now drink because I like it and because I got used to it. (and as a psychiatrist speculated after our first meeting for possible ADHD, maybe to keep my brain silent) I've been drinking almost daily for a few years now, I can easily have breaks from it (and did so countless times for a variety of reasons) but I don't drink at all during extremely anxious periods (thankfully).

 

[jy76]

There is no doubt that drinking stops anxiety.  Myself, I did some heavy drinking once.  However, at times, I got tired of the dream world of drinking.  I think life is something that needs to be faced.  Plus it's literally impossible to exercise and other healthy stuff and also drink.


By the way, you could also apply my story to other scenarios involving drugs.

 

[fuzyon]

Drinking definitely helps, but getting drunk everyday doesn't. I like to drink from time to time but I never get wasted, just enough to calm me down and be a little tipsy. I enjoy some Hennessy or red wine after a long, stressful day but I never get drunk. Even my doctor suggested that a little bit of alcohol from time to time can be beneficial.

 

[Alexandoy]

Last Wednesday, a problem came up with the title of our property when we submitted it to the Land Registration office. They couldn't release to me the title because they couldn't find it. I came home feeling so stressed and anxiety was setting in. It was before dinner time and I had a can of beer to ease my nerves. I usually drink a can or two of beer when I am stressed out and it always works on my nerves. But I am careful not to overdo the drinking because I know of some people who get dependent on drinking when they have anxiety. As long as the drink is moderate and has positive effect then I think it's okay. 

 

[Natasha0717]

I will be turning 29 in a month and just last year I had my first taste of rum and coke – well, three cups to be exact. Afterward, I felt a relaxing sensation. It was as if my social anxiety issues were gone. I went to a club, cruise to Bahamas, house party, and so many other places without having anxiety – I felt alive. After that I began to have a few drinks before going anywhere, including the grocery store. It was getting out of hand, and I felts as though if I continued on that path, I would have become an alcoholic, depending on a drink to make feel unafraid. I just HATE having social anxiety and didn’t want to feel it anymore. This year I haven’t had a drink – not even wine – because I fear that I may become dependent on it. Plus, I may be pregnant – keeping fingers crossed.


Has anyone felt as though having a few shots of alcohol prevents you from having anxiety?

This is exactly how I was living my life all through my 20's. I remember when I had my first cup of beer at a graduation party. I couldn't believe the instant relief I felt. I suddenly was happy to be there, happy to talk to others, happy about everything. I remember having thoughts like, "Who needs food? This is all I will ever need again. I can't believe I've been living my life without this. This is the answer to all my problems. Life is wonderful."
So I kept buying beer after that, every single night. It helped me sleep, I went through numerous boyfriends, even got engaged. But then everything backfired on me. Suddenly I started waking up in the middle of the night, wanting and needing more beer. I almost couldn't even wait until nighttime to start drinking again. I would impatiently wait for one of my boyfriends to pick me up, knowing they had my beer in the car...and it was as if they couldn't get there fast enough, even though they weren't even late. It just seemed as if they were late. I would be crabby and angry....until I got a couple beers in me, then I was back to my happy, calm self again. I think even my boyfriends were realizing this, because they couldn't wait for me to start drinking. I must have been a nervous, cranky mess when they'd first pick me up....and they knew I'd settle down and "turn nice" again once I finally started drinking. Needless to say, this cycle finally had to end because I was just drinking more and more, and needing it more and more...and I finally couldn't sleep at all without it. I ended up quitting (bumpy road!)....and broke off the engagement with my fiance, because once I was sober I realized I didn't even want to get married or be married to anyone....and now my doc just has me on Xanax to help control my anxiety. I guess you could say I was self-medicating with the beer.....but I can tell you this: Beer made me feel relaxed and SUPER-HAPPY. Xanax just makes me feel relaxed. Maybe that's a good thing. Or I would start liking Xanax a little too much if you know what I mean, and the cycle would begin all over again.

 

[pwarbi]

The thing is though, there isn't actually anything wrong with having a couple of beers to relax, or even to get you more comfortable in situations like a party, it's when you start to rely on it that it then becomes a problem. Some people have those addictive personalities and when it comes to drinking alcohol, smoking or even eating, and once they start then they do it to excess and it can quickly become an addiction.

Many alcoholics started out having a few drinks for fun, but then found that they couldn't stop drinking, but then again a lot of people drink to have fun and can stop...just like any other drug, it's all down to the individual and how you handle it.