How Alcohol Affects Your Body
Alcohol can affect your body in many different ways. In the short-term, drinking too much can lead to alcohol poisoning, sleep problems, an upset stomach, bloating and migraines. It may make you behave recklessly or aggressively, have an accident or become the victim of violence.
Drinking a lot for many years will take its toll on your body. Long-term alcohol misuse increases your risk of serious health conditions including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, liver disease and cancer. It can lead to social problems such as relationship break-ups, unemployment, financial difficulties and homelessness.
Dealing with physical health problems, debt and housing issues can all affect your mental health.
Alcohol Makes You Sleep Badly And Gives You Nightmares
You might think that alcohol makes you sleep better because it makes you drowsy, but it turns out alcohol actually lessens your sleep quality.
Alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle, and can interfere with your REM sleep. REM sleep is the sleep stage where youll often have vivid dreams or nightmares, which means when alcohol affects your REM it can bring on bad dreams.
When To Seek Treatment For Alcohol Abuse And Anxiety
Medical experts recommend treating anxiety and substance abuse together, especially when they co-occur. There are rehabilitation facilities that offer treatment for alcohol abuse and anxiety. Treatment plans will be provided by most reputable rehab centers to address mental health and substance abuse issues. Treatment plans that address both disorders in tandem are often called dual diagnosis treatment.
Alcoholism treatment involves going through detoxification to remove the physical presence of alcohol from the patients body. Following detox, people often enter inpatient rehab. However, the specific level of care someone experiences can vary based on the severity of their addiction, their familys history with addiction and mental illness, and whether they have experienced rehab before.
If professional help is needed, its crucial to receive care that can address anxiety and substance use disorder together, as The Recovery Village can. With full-service centers located across the country, The Recovery Village can help you or someone you love develop the skills needed to cope with the symptoms of an anxiety disorder and begin lifelong recovery. Reach out to a representative today for more information.
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The Relationship Between Alcohol And Anxiety
It is very common for people who experience anxiety to self-medicate by consuming alcohol, which can offer a temporary fix. In fact, research suggests that around 25% of people with panic disorder also have an alcohol dependence.
This connection between alcohol and anxiety is problematic. The two often create a cycle that’s hard to break, whereby the onset of one is a trigger for the other.
This is particularly evident in panic attacks. Drinking is commonly used to numb anxious thoughts, and yet paradoxically alcohol can cause more panic attacks to occur.
Up to one third of people will experience at least one panic attack in their lives, according to clinical psychiatrist Cindy Aaronson. They usually start when people are in their twenties but can also happen to teenagers.
How Does Drinking Alcohol Affect Anxiety
Alcohol acts as a sedative, so it can help you feel more at ease. It may make you feel more socially confident at a party or help you forget your worries.
However, these benefits are short term. When we drink alcohol it disrupts the balance of chemicals and processes in the brain. The relaxed feeling you experience when you have your first drink is due to the chemical changes alcohol causes in your brain. The alcohol starts to depress the part of the brain that we associate with inhibition5.
But these effects wear off fast and the pleasant feelings fade. If you rely on alcohol to mask your anxiety problems, you may find you become reliant on it to relax, which may lead to alcohol addiction.A likely side-effect of this is that the more you drink the greater your tolerance for alcohol will be. Over time you may need to drink more alcohol to get the same feeling. In the long term this pattern of alcohol use may affect your mental health.
Many people believe that having an alcoholic drink will help them feel more relaxed. However, if youre experiencing anxiety, drinking alcohol could be making things worse.
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Does Alcohol Affect Panic Disorder
People who are dealing with stress may be tempted to throw back a beer or glass of wine to tame your nerves. However, over time, the consumption of alcohol may actually increase panic disorder symptoms like anxiety. Drinking alcohol could have severe consequences if youre being treated for panic disorder. A drink may sound like a good way to ease your stress, but it may be doing more harm than good.
Better Ways To Treat And Manage Panic Attacks
If you are experiencing regular panic attacks, you need to ask for support. Speaking with friends and family can help them prepare to support you when a panic attack strikes. It is also important that your seek support from your GP, who will talk you through available treatment options.
Remember, it’s not just alcohol which can causes symptoms that lead to panic attacks. Excessive intake of other drugs and food, including caffeine and sugar, may also be triggers.
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How To Prevent A Hangover
If you really dont want to abstain, then Calmer You has uncovered some small but powerful strategies to help when you are going to drink. These include recommendations from endurance athlete and health expert, .
- Drink until youre buzzed, then stop. Drink, but avoid drunkenness. Know when to stop. Learn your limits.
- Choose your poison. Darker drinks like wine and whiskey have a higher level of toxins compared with vodka.
- Drink water with your alcohol. Have a glass handy throughout the night. If you order a drink from the bar, get a water with it and drink it first.This should help keep you hydrated. Even better sprinkle a bit of mineral-rich sea salt in the water to provide electrolytes if you can.
- Eat before you drink. An empty stomach means you will get more drunk more quickly and have a worse morning.
- Drink two large glasses of water immediately before bed. You can also drink an electrolyte drink such as Dioralyte, or coconut water for added electrolytes.
How Changing Your Relationship With Alcohol Can Help Reduce Your Anxiety
Self-medicating with alcohol to relieve anxiety trains your brain to be dependent on a substance. As time goes on, it takes larger amounts of alcohol to achieve the same effect of calm, and as our bodies experience withdrawal, the anxiety gets worse. That being said, we understand what its like to be in this positionto feel intense anxiety and have alcohol as the only available solution.
The only path to true liberation around anxiety, or any emotion, is inside. There is no out there that can magically fix the in here. If youre chasing that one-time freedom, please let me be the one to ask you: What if you quit drinking?
Kelly McCormick, Tempest Accountability Coach
Removing your coping mechanism may seem counterintuitive, but it opens the door to many other healthier ways of dealing with anxiety, as well as decreasing the overall anxiety you feel.
Here are some of the things you can gain when you change your relationship to alcohol:
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Quitting Alcohol Cured My Anxiety
Its not unusual for people to use alcohol to alleviate anxiety. However, the relationship between anxiety and alcohol use disorder can become a dangerous, self-perpetuating cycle. Scientific research reveals how habitual drinking amplifies symptoms of anxiety or vice versa. Outside of the medical community, the internet is flooded with information and forums discussing howquitting alcohol cured my anxiety. We decided to explore more on this topic.
Every human being experiences emotions. Some are great. Some really suck. But all are normal and natural. Intense emotions, however, can trigger crippling fear and worry that can manifest into complex anxiety disorders. Anxiety continues to be one of the most common and pervasive mental disorders affecting nearly 40 million people in the United States. They are real, serious medical conditions just like heart disease or diabetes. Unfortunately, the majority of sufferers dont receive needed treatment only about 39% do leaving a gap in care that forces many into dangerous self-medicating practices.
In the absence of medication and treatment, alcohol seems to be among the most widely used substances.
Generalized Anxiety And Alcohol
Roughly 3% percent of Americans experience generalized anxiety disorder every year. Individuals with this condition experience excessive worry on a continual basis, even when there is no external situation triggering this feeling of dread.
While it may provide temporary relief from feelings of worry or nervousness, combining generalized anxiety disorder and substance abuse can cause symptoms of the condition to worsen. Over time, individuals with generalized anxiety may rely on alcohol to find relief from their symptoms and begin drinking more and more as they develop a tolerance to the substance.
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How Much Is Too Much Alcohol
There is no set limit of alcohol that is safe for everyone. Your age, gender, health, and the medications you take all play a role in determining how much alcohol is safe for you. How to enjoy alcohol responsibly and safely if you have an anxiety disorder is something you and your healthcare provider should discuss in detail.
Given that, because of the risks we talked about above, most providers will recommend that you never drink alcohol while taking a benzodiazepine, and some will recommend limiting drinking alcohol if you take an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant. The National Alliance on Mental Illness suggests no more than 1 drink daily for women and 2 drinks daily for men taking antidepressants.
American Heart Association actually has the same recommendations for anyone in general, whether they have an anxiety disorder or not:
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Women should have no more than 1 drink per day.
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Men should have no more than 2 drinks per day.
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One standard drink is considered to be 12 oz beer, 4 oz wine, 1.5 oz of 80-proof alcohol, or 1 oz of 100-proof alcohol.
Treating Alcoholism And Anxiety
Alcohol isnt a medication for stress. In addition to worsening anxiety, the effects of alcohol can include obesity, cardiovascular damage, liver disease, depression and other mental health disorders. People with anxiety disorders who drink to cope with stress can develop alcoholism, which creates a new set of physical and psychological problems.
A number of treatment options for anxiety are effective. A combination of therapy and medications such as sertraline has proved beneficial for those dealing with social anxiety or social phobias.
Other medications that address anxiety problems include antidepressants such as:
- Duloxetine
- Escitalopram
- Paroxetine
In addition, benzodiazepines can help. This class of drugs provides temporary relief from uncontrollable feelings of anxiety. Popular benzos used to treat anxiety disorders include alprazolam , diazepam and lorazepam .
Doctors also use cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety. CBT has taught individuals with generalized anxiety disorder to effectively deal with situations that cause them to feel anxious. In conjunction with traditional treatment, this form of therapy can also help people overcome alcohol use disorders.
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This Is Why Drinking Alcohol Can Give You Anxiety
Drinking is often associated with relaxation, fun, and socialization. In many ways it’s a part of our culture, as we often find ourselves attending happy hour with colleagues, grabbing a drink with a new date, or sharing a bottle of wine with friends while watching our favorite hit show on Netflix. It’s no wonder then that a 2019 national survey found that 86% of people reported drinking alcohol at some point in their lives and nearly 26% of people over 18 reporting binge drinking in the past month . With alcohol being such a prevalent, sociocultural aspect of our lives, should we look past the risks associated with spiking our flavored soda waters or mixing up a classic frozen margarita? Some of those risks may seem like they’re all in our head, like impacts to our mental health, but research suggests it’s not, and it’s worth consideration. Anxiety induced from alcohol consumption is also known as “hangxiety,” according to American Addiction Centers. It’s a common short-term effect of alcohol in which depleted neurotransmitters cause anxiety and unease. Beyond short term effects, how you feel from drinking alcohol may give you clues as to your overall mental health status and help guide important decisions on how often and how much you choose to drink.
The Risks Of Using Alcohol To Relieve Anxiety
Many adults use alcohol responsibly. For some people, this might mean having the occasional nightcap to unwind after a long day or celebratory drinks at a gathering. In these situations, partaking in alcohol is considered socially acceptableeven customary.
However, even limited alcohol use can present problems for some people. In some cases, people who have certain mental health conditions, such as anxiety or panic disorder, might develop an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
Sometimes, people turn to alcohol or other substances to help them cope with symptoms of mental illness.
A review of studies published in 2012 found that anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders often occur together. There are several proposed explanations for the link, including genetics, a person’s environment, and the brain mechanisms related to addiction and anxiety symptoms. Given the possible connection, it’s not surprising that additional research has shown that treating one condition requires adequately addressing the others.
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Fear Of The Withdrawal Symptoms
The withdrawal symptoms themselves can be incredibly frightening. They include aches, pains, shakes, and numerous symptoms that can cause significant physical problems. Those physical problems can lead to their own immediate anxiety, because the symptoms themselves can be uncomfortable and often very stressful to deal with.
How To Prevent Hangxiety
If youre prone to anxiety after getting drunk, then the only way to prevent this from happening is by consuming less alcohol, says Dr. Bogenschutz. Stopping sooner, or substituting non-alcoholic drinks can reduce the total load of alcohol on the body, he says. There are also ways to minimize the severity of a hangover overall, which yes, start with drinking less alcohol, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The organization recommends having no more than one drink per hour and alternating alcoholic drinks and plain water. Staying hydrated will lower your chances of developing a headache the next morningwhich will at least help reduce how awful you feel.
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