To anyone reading this thread still and going through a situation like this: I'm a 22-year old student. I'm writing this hungover. This morning I woke up after about 6 beers, 2 shots and small glass of 27% liquor. I went to the bathroom, stood up, had dizzy vision and felt like I was about to shut off.
I had a panic attack for the first time in my life this summer at work. I felt dizzy, vertigo, and called 911. Since then, I've noticed my body reacting completely different to alcohol. Before that panic attack I could binge with the best of them and feel fine the next day. Now my hangovers are more prevelant and severe.
I have been to the doctor three times and they have all told me the same thing--stop drinking. This has been hard for me because of the college social life...if I don't drink I feel alienated. But, the hangovers are horrifying.
I developed anxiety disorder and can have symptoms like weird head pressure, heart palpatations, sensations of scalp burning and more. It's all very terrifying when you start convincing yourself you are dying, or severely ill, but what you need to realize is that anxiety is real, scary, but you have to let your mind take control.
The worst thing you can do is drink, because any ill effects will seem like a precursor to death. Your anxiety will be out of control.
What you need to do is accept the fact your body is reacting different to alcohol...and that you can't drink like the rest of your friends do. Your body will react different, and obviously never in a good way. I have not been able to wrap my mind around the fact I just can't consume alcohol anymore...but it is a poison.
Also, caffeine is really bad for this. I used to get large iced coffees on the way to work, maybe even 24 hours after drinking, and the combination would cause my symptoms to return.
For me, the solution has been removing alcohol and coffee. If I have not had symptoms for a few days I'll feel pretty good and maybe have a small cup of coffee, just for the enjoyment. This is easier because a tiny bit of caffeine might make you feel a little anxious, but you can still control your anxious reaction to it and understand it better. Alcohol is a different monster...
You have to be careful about what you read too. There are a lot of crazy people that post about ill effects and correlate them to anything. The more you read forums, the more likely you are going to self-diagnose yourself again and again and make your anxiety even worse. I convinced myself of anything from a brain tumor to delerium tremens. My doctors insist I'm fine.
I can go a few days feeling great, like my old self, and decide it's okay to drink again. I made that mistake last night and have suffered the consequence this morning. I get awfully terrified while being hungover because my grandfather is a recovered alcoholic and scared the nuts off of me by explaining how full fledged alcoholics can actually die from alcohol. Delerium tremens is the final straw--it is when your brain begins to react different without alcohol to the point it shuts off. You don't want to give yourself a reason to even think you could have DT. For me, that is my biggest fear that causes my anxiety to be bad. AND, what makes it worse is that hangover symptoms, serious precursors to DT, and simpl anxiety symptoms all can be similar.
Don't give yourself a reason to think you have killed your body. Anxiety is real. The symptoms are real. It's a part of your body getting older...everyone has medical issues. Don't get depressed either by saying, "I miss my life, or the good old days". Push thorugh, exercise your brain...be creative. Do projects. Talk your anxiety out. Be friends with it...I know that is odd to say, but seriously. Tell people about it...come to terms with it.
And for God's sake...stop drinking. Completely. Alcohol is a poison and does not have any positive effects. Why do it?View Thread
