Why Alcohol Causes Anxiety
There are basically 6 reasons why alcohol consumption and hangovers make many people anxious and I’m going tell you what they are. I want to share this with you so that you can be more informed and avoid becoming alcohol’s punching bag.
Ever since I became sick with nervous illness I’ve heard a lot of people say that anxiety sufferers should not drink alcohol because it makes you more nervous than you already are.
I’ve always found this to be ironic because there are so many anxiety sufferers that drink alcohol to cope with their anxiety, but true it is.
Now, the fact that alcohol can cause anxiety is just that, a fact. It is a scientifically based understanding, so this is not simple conjecture on my part.
Will alcohol affect all people this way? Probably not, but as an anxiety sufferer you should be aware of the possible pitfalls of alcohol consumption, so pay close attention.
Scientists believe that alcohol causes or at least increases anxiety in 6 basic ways and here they are.
1. Mood
Alcohol can affect our mood because it can affect the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a feel good brain chemical that when in short supply can cause feelings of anxiety and depression.
A drop in blood sugar can cause dizziness, confusion, weakness, nervousness, shaking and numbness. These symptoms can most certainly trigger a bout of anxiety.
3. Dehydration
This has been known to cause nausea, dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness and muscle weakness. These symptoms wouldn’t cause anxiety per say but they add to a sense of illness which fosters anxiety.
4. Nervous System
The nervous system is affected because in order for the body to fight off the sedative effects of alcohol it puts the body into a state of hyperactivity in order to counteract this effect. This hyperactivity can lead to shaking, light/sound sensitivity and sleep deprivation.
5. Heart Rate
Your heart rate can become elevated as a result of consuming alcohol which can cause a palpitation false alarm and put you into a state of anxious anticipation. Is it a heart attack or isn’t it you might ask. This “what if” questioning can increase your general state of anxiety.
6. Concentration
A hard night of drinking can also make you hazy, bring on headaches and create a sense of disorientation.
So if you’re going to have a glass of wine with dinner I don’t think you should be concerned. On the other hand, if you’re a heavy drinker, or binge drinker, then this might cause a real problem for you.
According to The Times Online, scientists don’t know exactly why all this happens but they do suggest that you eat before drinking, drink water in between drinks, and stay in bed if you are hung over to avoid all the problems I outlined above.
Some would say that maybe you shouldn’t drink at all if you have an anxiety disorder – that’s debatable. Do you think that alcohol should be avoided at all cost when someone has an anxiety disorder?
I don’t think that alcohol should be avoided if drinking is part of your social repertoire, however, I also know that moderation and good sense should be your guide.
In addition, although alcohol does have a sedative effect it should not be used as a coping tool. This type of behavior can lead to alcoholism and worse yet, more anxiety.
So if you know that you’re a light weight, or if you already know that alcohol makes you anxious, don’t bother. Maybe I don’t need to say it, but really some people just don’t know when to say no.
Note: I want to hear your opinions. Let me know what you think about this issue – comment below.
Update
After waiting forever I finally completed a podcast for this article. Press play to listen now.
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Todd,
I have to agree with you about the repercussions of the damage of childhood. I had a similar experience to you. My father was converted to Catholicism and had us around a mat on Sunday evenings to recite the Catechism off by heart and we had to write essays. All this was done because the Catholic school I had to attend, all girls, was not up to par by his religious standards and so we had to have extra studying by him. He would grade our papers but my older sister always got the better grade, and I now know why: he was raping her when she was 13 and I was 11. I think I took to drinking to always being made to feel inferior and unintelligent. When I was a late teen I drank a LOT, like blackouts/sleeping around on one night stands/lots of pubbing and clubbing. I do think and have read that a lot of drinkers have poor self esteem.
These days no I’m almost 45, I of course don’t blame him for why certain things in my life didn’t work out: lack of commitment, silly decisions that were irrational, life going down too many unfocused paths and feeling lost and using major travel as a way to try to find myself/run away.
Anyway, it seems your path is good right now. Congratulations on that. As long for now I don’t binge drink, which I don’t ever do, just a steady stream of white wine, I’ll be okay till the next time I have to be sober, which may have to be soon as I start some major work at the beginning of February. I could do with a blood test to see how the liver/kidneys are doing but I’ll have to wait till I get sober to do that!
Hi J- You know, I totally get it. My biggest fear was that I would find sobriety to be utterly boring. I won’t lie, at first it was. But then I started to notice as my head cleared and my motivation improved, I could sit down and enjoy the things I liked to do with a buzz and still enjoy them. It sounds very weird to say that from someone who doesn’t drink but for those that do you totally get what I mean.
My advice to you is to try it. Really give it a go. Challenge yourself to break the cycle even if it’s only temporary. It’s important to realize this isn’t about giving up drinking. It’s about adjusting your lifestyle. It’s just like someone obese who decides to free themselves of the inevitable failures of diets by simply adjusting the way they approach food and the kinds they eat to get to a better life of health.
The hardest part is ALWAYS the first minute, hour, day and week. Once you get past those milestones, it gets easier. How much so obviously depends on the person but it DOES. Can’t do a week? Try a few days. Can’t go cold turkey? Simply cut out a couple extra cans a day until you’re down to none. Then go a few days without. I think you will be pleasantly surprised the internal changes that occur even that quickly.
For me it was fear. I was afraid my liver would start to scar. It sure was on that path if I kept up my binging behaviour. My enzymes were higher with each test. I never gave my liver more than 4 days off to heal and that just wasn’t enough. It needs a good 14-21 days in between drinking to heal itself. So find your motivation and give it a go. I’m not trying to be preachy about it, just talking like a person who decided to take a break and one week turned into nearly two months before I even knew what hit me.
Now? I could totally go as long as I want without drinking. I won’t though. I know myself and I know I will always love a good glass of wine, especially during holidays and special occasions when everyone else around me is as well. But to release myself from my weekend binging where that translated to mostly drinking alone after the wife went to bed, and hiding the bottles so I wouldn’t have to justify my indulgence? Gone. Buh-bye, baby. Nothing but unhappy endings await that story.
If you don’t want to just yet or never? That’s alright man. No judgement either way with me. Do what moves you. What feels right. Either way, good luck!
Ruth, your childhood can absolutely explain some of the freedoms you felt with alcohol, to rise above and beyond that pain you must have endured. It’s a very healthy attitude that you choose not to blame your father for the hardships you have or perhaps still do. A lot of people wouldn’t be able to avoid the trap of blame. Being proactive and working on yourself is a much more noble feat than resentment and blame, although much more difficult a road so my hat’s off.
For any regular drinker I think it’s never a bad idea to get full blood work done. Discover your baseline and do what you can to keep those numbers outside of the flag zone. I’m a hypochondirac so I am easily motivated by fear of bad health so it’s a great motivator for me. Some may not care enough but I hope that’s not true for anyone here. Why can’t we have our wine and drink it too? By removing binging from the equation, we can still enjoy a happy, productive life.
Keep on fightin’ the fight Ruth!
Ruth…..
i have noticed that almost every person i talked to that went to therapy says initiall (and i mean like the first or second visit) that it helps, but then very shortly after almost EVERYONE says “it does nothing”…I have never gone to therapy simply for that rreason—i firmly believe that i know more, and am wiser than most of the so called idiot therapists out there…I mean, they mean well, and its their “job”, but most have NO idea what they are talking about and get all their knowlege from a text book, with very little “life” experience….Ruth, you’ve had some very bad posts in the past with horrible anxiety and depression, and then you were doing good and sober for a while….Please DONT let it get to that point again, take a break from the drinking before you get to “that’ point again..OK buddy?? i dont want to see you in that rough shape again..I hope everyone is doing ok….
Todd.
always enjoy hearing your replies…I have to ASK….I know i’ve asked before, but i need constant reinforcement, and your truthful insight about somethhing….Well, since i do give my drinking 1-2 days a break a week, but i find myself depressed alot, and i’m wondering if you personally have noticd and could comment on if the depression TRULY lessens if the drinking stops for days/weeks?? I mean, i just think if i could TRULY believe in my heart that the depression, and “most” of the anxiety would go away if i stopped drinking for a few weeks at least, then it would be “real” motivation for me……But i’m just not convinced that the depression will go away if hte alcohol goes away/?? I’m not “severely” depressed, but enough i guess……..Just wanted your opinion…
J – You know I gotta say it my friend. The first thing I have to say which I know is a “Well duh!” thing to say, but it makes me feel better all the same…
I’m not a medical professional so please take my advice with that very much in mind.
Okay with that out of the way I have to say that depression for me isn’t extreme but it is markedly worse after alcohol has been in my system for a couple of days or more. The depressive self loathing is nearly intolerable after a binge. Something in alcohol really f*cks with your thinking. We know alcohol is a depressant and by nature the more you drink the more depressed your system gets. This occurs on many levels, not just the obvious “I feel depressed” surface feelings. I think Ruth is right…A lot of drinkers suffer from low self esteem or a lack of confidence in some area or areas of their lives. I know I do. When I take a break from alcohol the feeling of freedom, of exponential confidence, less depressed, more motivated, better sleep, better exercise, better state of mind feels like MAGIC.
Yes, putting down the bottle for a GOOD stretch of time will do wonders to your mind, body and spirit. The longer you go, the better you feel. I always say we are all different how we react to choices we make but taking a lengthy hiatus from toxins built up in your system empowers you. It’s a no-brainer. That’s why I urge anyone to give it a try.
Note I am not saying quit for life. That is a very personal decision and one I would never ask anyone to do. Taking breaks? Definitely. There is nothing bad that comes from cleaning out your system. The benefits are outstanding and obvious within 72 hours.
I can’t say that your depression and anxiety would go away completely if you took alcohol out of the equation but I can guarantee you would notice a definitive and increased reduction of both with each passing week you were on a dry spell. I still have to watch my intake of other triggers like caffeine, MSG and sugar. When I do I feel like a new man.
Look it at this way. What do you have to lose? Give it a try. I would be thrilled to read your posts after a month of no drinking. I would bet $100 bucks there would be a positive difference.
Todd,
thanks for the sound advice…I will stew on it for real. I think my BIGGEST hurdle here is NOT the craving for alcohol, NOT the peer pressure, just the ‘sheer boredom” i feel daily, and when i crack open those few beers in the evening–everything becomes “fun”….How does one attain that “fun” feeling in everyday activities without alcohol? if i could answer that, i could probably give up the drinking..
The key is to release from the habitual use of alcohol to rely on releasing serotonin. There are many natural and healthy ways to release serotonin and endorphines that don’t involve drinking or drugs. Here’s an article I came across that could be of help…
Easy and Natural Ways to Raise Low Serotonin Levels
Copyright © 2007 Mary Ann Copson
Research indicates that in the United States 60-80% of the people, especially women, have low serotonin levels. You don’t have to get caught in the low serotonin cycle of hopelessness and despair. You can alter your low serotonin levels by carefully orchestrating your foods, activities and daily routines and habits.
You alter your brain chemistry, manipulate your neurochemical profile and affect your body’s physiology every day by what you do and don’t eat, what you think about, and how and where you spend your time. Through your daily behaviors and the environments in which you spend your time, you create your biochemical profile and this is reflected in the emotions, energy, thoughts, actions, and psychological states that either bring you into peak performance or that block your best functioning.
You have an enormous power to shape your inner world – your experience of life. What you do every day, what you eat, when you eat it, what activities you engage in and when you engage in them, what kind of environment in which you live and work – everything you do and do not do – shapes how you feel, think and how you experience your life.
You can create the range of emotions, energy levels and intellectual and creative functioning that you want. You can learn how to use what you do and do not do everyday and how you do it to create inner strength, hope, joy, mental alertness, and enthusiasm. By designing a life that keeps your biochemistry in balance you can maintain a state of optimal wellness, vitality and performance. When you understand the optimal physiological requirements of your body operating at its best, you can design your lifestyle to provide the diet, exercise, behaviors, thoughts, scheduling, and environment to support and nourish this optimal state of functioning in your body.
1. Serotonin levels are increased by a carbohydrate rich diet.
When you eat carbohydrates it results in a rise in insulin levels that acts to usher the amino acid tryptophan into the brain. Tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin. One and a half ounces of carbohydrate food (1/4 cup of oatmeal or a piece of sourdough bread) will significantly boost brain levels of serotonin. The healthiest carbohydrates to use are whole grain, low glycemic index carbohydrates such as barley, oats, buckwheat and carbohydrate rich vegetables such as yams, sweet potatoes and squashes. Fruits and most other vegetables have a neutral effect on brain chemistry.
2. Eat the kinds of protein that favor serotonin production.
These proteins are high in the amino acid tryptophan: chicken, white flakey fish, lean cuts of pork, veal, cottage cheese, lamb, low fat cheeses, low fat milk and dairy products, soy and legumes.
3. All meditative activities raise serotonin levels.
Spend time in a natural place such as a forest, park, mountains, or seashore.
Prayer, meditation, positive visualization boost serotonin levels and your feelings of well being, relaxed concentration and peace.
Engage in low arousal, highly meditative and internal spiritual practices that relax you.
Try relaxing activities such as hobbies or crafts.
4. Engage in exercise that increases your heart rate somewhat but not significantly.
Strolling, yoga, non-aerobic swimming, bike riding when done at least 4 days in a row a week will over a period of 60 days increase your baseline serotonin levels.
5. Have a regular wake sleep cycle.
The production of serotonin for the next day requires at least 7 continuous hours of sound high quality sleep the night before.
6. Get out in the sun at least 30 minutes in the morning and for 2 hours throughout the day.
Sunlight burns off melatonin produced the night before. The presence of high levels of melatonin consumes serotonin. Sunlight suppressed the production of melatonin and allows your serotonin levels to rise during the day. Without the exposure to adequate natural light your melatonin levels will be higher and your serotonin levels will be lower.
7. Eat a meal with high level of proteins that contain tryptophan and follow that by a carbohydrate snack two hours later.
This will act to drive the lingering tryptophan into the brain and set up the production of greater amounts of serotonin the next day.
8. Do things that revitalize you and let you feel good.
Take a low activity, high relaxation vacation with your family or by yourself with plenty of time to slow down.
Listen to classical music, light rock, folk or easy listening music.
Visit a museum, go to the theater, the symphony, or watch TV or films about love stories, comedies and other feel good movies.
Engage in long, deep conversations with one or two other people.
Clean and organize your environment.
Read: Self-help books are especially complimentary.
I’ve posted on here before, but not for a while, I keep on reading the comments though, some positive, some negative, but all valid and contributing to the big picture and helping to illustrate just how far reaching this alcohol/anxiety thing is and the many different ways in manifests itself in different people.
My problem is not that I drink all the time, but that I binge- if I start, I find it tricky to stop. I’ve got better recently though, and try to ‘think before I have another drink’. It helps calm my social anxiety, but the day after a big session it just kicks in with a vengeance. I recognise it for what it is now though and can generally ride it out. I suspect that though my anxiety feels bad at times, it’s probably a lot milder than a lot of you good folks have it on here.
I’d intended to give myself a year’s break from alcohol, mainly to prove to myself I could do it, but then got involved with a girl, the anxiety really kicked in and I ballsed it up big time. This was over the new year period and I decided that right then probably wasn’t the best time to deprive myself of a few drinks. However, that little mess behind me (and everything smoothed over with said girl, and I still retain a faint hope our now friendship could blossom into something more, but if it doesn’t, then I’m good with that too), I’ve decided that February will be a month off. There are no big social events coming up, so little temptation, and if I get through the month okay and am feeling up for it, I’ll make it a two-month abstinence, and so on. Maybe I’ll get to my year, who knows.
This is self-experimentation at it’s most basic, and is perhaps my own way of testing myself. I like to prove to myself I can do things sometimes, and as Todd stated only a few posts ago, a hiatus from the toxins that build up after drinking for a long period is no bad thing…
If you read about post-acute withdrawal syndrome online, supposedly it can take a significant amount of time (6 months to a year) for your nervous system to return to a ground state after a period of alcoholism. So far, this appears to be true for me. I dramatically decreased my drinking starting about 3 months ago, and have been crashing through waves of intense anxiety ever since. It is bad enough that I was forced to quit my job.
For me, the symptoms are anxiety and detachment. The sober world is a strange, harsh place. The worst part is trying to interact with other people, and constantly trying to feign interest, laughter.
I did go see a psychiatrist, and it was worse than worthless. He was obsessed with psycho-analysis and kept trying to dig skeletons out of the closet. He denied alcohol as a root cause of my anxiety, which is insane. I also went to a PCP seeking medication to try and hang on at work, but got shut down there too.
So anyway, I’d be interested to hear about other people’s experiences. After this much time, I am starting to wonder if this is the new reality that I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life. I will try to update here in a few months with how things go. ]
I can’t claim I am a success story quite yet, but I did discover a book called “Wherever You Go, There You Are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is about mindfulness meditation and anxiety. It is written sooooooooo well and has inspired me to start a daily meditation practice. I really highly recommend checking it out. The production on the audio version is cheesy, but I really like the author’s voice. I would probably even recommend the audio over the book, and if you’re familiar with torrenting you can have it for free in a few clicks.
It’s been a little while, but I really like hearing all your stories. Rich that’s great you were able to re-invent yourself like that. I’m having some trouble with that for many of the reasons most have posted; I know one of you mentioned cocking and having some beers or wine…I mean yeah, that’s living – cooking some great food, enjoying it with a beverage that compliments it, etc.
Fizzy, hang in there, you sound a lot younger than some of us; trust me, we can all tell you, that is part of life, some of those setback will seem funny as you get older. I dabbled in all the same stuff you did when I was younger and yes, substance relationships/friendships can be, well, interesting at times. It was a big part of many of my friends I hung out with, hs, college and young adulthood. I mean I wouldn’t change it for the world, I have no regrets, we had so much fun and at certain times in your life, its the one time you can live with that. But of course it takes its toll, your perception of reality gets wharped, often selfish, more so because you need sleep more than anything else. Or other friends lose their grip of what their doing – regularily cocaine use over time definitely changes a personality. However, we all managed to remain friends, we never lost each other. There were some setbacks, but we outgrew them, you realize how stupid they are. I don’t believe any of us were ever addicts which is kind of surprising considering the odds. We had one friend that was getting a little too crazy with coke; it was kind of frustrating because we didn’t know what to say or do, we felt kind of hippocritical.
I actually really like the notion of not drinking, but like most people, its there – after a hockey game, after skiing a good meal, its just too good with all that stuff. I’m a little sluggish today, but I’m feeling myself wake up. I was at my club (private, somewhat snooty NYC place
and people tend to get smashed in the tap room, people of all ages too. There was a little while when I was heading there and not drinking at all. But man, I had such a crazy day going there seemed like it would be fun. I bumped into a lot of people I hadn’t seen in awhile and people seemed to be in an overly festive mood that night and as I stated before I know, when the girls are seriously pounding, its easy for me to lose count. I was leaving with two of them to go home and then they wanted to go to the bar in the lobby, I went in with them, I didn’t get a drink, I was like, “Damn, its kinda of late, what the hell am I still doing here.” I literally just left without saying goodbye, one of them came out and gave me crap for it, in a fun a way, “She was like ___ where are you going, no goodbye?” I chuckled and said, “___frankly, I’m just really tired and want to go home.”
I woke up with a little bit of the anxiety, I was like, “why did I stay out so late,” but then thinking about it more, I actually knew when it was def. time to go and I did and did not get that next drink at the other bar, I’m not that bad of a person.
It’s weird, since I’ve been divorced, I find my weekends very boring, I don’t do much…maybe that is why every now and then I have a somewhat late weekday excursions at old or familiar haunts. I’ve been on a lot of dates and have been having fun, but when I meet a girl I’d like to seriously date I don’t think I get that right signal out or the right way to move forward; the hookup ones, well, that’s easy
…anyway, again, rambling.
Hi to you Josh. I’m in the same boat as you. I went to a alcohol rehab clinic for 10 weeks and was dry for 3 months. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks – I became suicidal and eventually started drinking again to deal with the thoughts and anxiety. Alcohol and anxiety don’t mix but one should be careful cold-turkeying. Good luck Josh.