I have never posted on one of these forums before as i have always been to scared too. but i usually read them regularly when my health anxiety kicks in. I'm a 20 year old male and my drinking has been daily since I was 18 I started of having a couple of pints a day then moved on to 3 or 4 beers less some days more on others. For about the last 8 months I have been drinking about 7 pints a night or the equivalent in bottles. I realise I have a problem now . I managed to have a couple of days without drinking about 3 times over the last couple of months. but the last three weeks have been worse. now I can't seem to manage even a day. I get restless and i cant wait for my first drink. The urge is strong to drink as it helps with my anxiety and makes me feel so much more relaxed and confident. I'm scared iv already done serious damage as I feel so run down and have brain fog with pains in my stomach. Every little ache and pain makes me think im extremly ill worrying about my liver etc.and I don't know what to do anymore. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry about the long post
Okay, you haven't been drinking long enough to do any permanent damage.
Obviously you would need a GP to do tests or see you to confirm any problems.
But at a guess, you feel run down because you are not eating well and the reason you are not eating well is because you have no appetite because your body is getting all the calories it needs from alcohol.
The pains in your stomach maybe from mild gastritis where the alcohol has stripped your stomach lining away.
Brain fog will be trhough lack of vitamins, caused by not eating properly, not being able to absorb them through the stomach because of the gastritis and the alcohol washing them out of the system - vitamin B is water soluble.
All of this will be rectified when you either stop or bring your drinking down to normal levels.
The reason you can't stop drinking is, that you may have become physically dependent on it and you have probably become neurologically depedent on it.
There is a medication used on The Sinclair Method (TSM). I have a link somewhere, but by the time I find it, someone else will have posted it.
Right, that will give you some pointers to start with.
Thank you for the reply. ill have a look into that sinclair method. I think you might be right about me being physicalIy addicted i feel really restless and feel sweaty and on edge without a drink if that makes sense. I had a liver function test about 6 months ago and an ultrasound and everything came back clear but my anxiety is constantly making me think the worst
'i feel really restless and feel sweaty and on edge without a drink if that makes sense'
Yes, that is classic physical addiction. You need to think about tapering down or asking (difficult) your GP if he'll prescribe you a box of diazepam (Valium) so that you can home detox.
Tom, here's a link to a page that mentions it and a site that has more info:
http://patient.info/forums/discuss/useful-resources-487627
There's also a video to watch if you Google:
Claudia Christian TEDx talk
I was at around 9 pints a day when I started it. Since about the middle of last summer I've been within low-risk drinking limits and no more than 3 standard drinks in a day. Usually just one or two with most of my days being dry. Beer used to be my world, now I'm mostly indifferent to it.
Hiya
As RHGB has said you have the classic symptoms of physical addiction to alcohol.
They are also the symptoms of chronic anxiety which I suffered very badly from. Alcohol was my way of relieving my anxiety. It took a long time for me to realise that alcohol was making my anxiety worse. At its worst, it affected my speech so badly that I actually sounded drunk as my speech was so slurred. Even my gp, whose also a friend was convinced I was wasted when I couldn't speak properly.
I got sent home from work twice, got two written warnings for turning up drunk, when in fact it was chronic anxiety. My husband solved the problem for me, with the help of his mate who was a traffic cop at the time. Yes a breathalyser!!! Looking back now, I can almost manage a smile. However at the time I just drank more and more. No one believed me, I nearly lost two jobs, so why not prove them all right and just drink and drink.
However that was over 20 years ago, but I can still remember the shear horror of sounding totally wasted, the stigma attached to it, and knowing full well, I'd not had a drink.
So going back to you tom, yes you have signs of physical addiction to alcohol, but also the symptoms of chronic anxiety.
You need to tackle both your drinking and your anxiety. Start with a visit to your gp, see if he'll prescribe diazepam, you might be lucky, the odd dr here and there are sometimes prepared to prescribe benzos.
Thanks for replying I'll have a look at the links you sent
Thankyou for the reply the anxiety is the reason I drink I reckon. the drink numbs it and helps stop the worrying.
That's what I used to tell myself. The problem is alcohol can cause anxiety, which if you're anxious already makes it worse. you then drink to help with the anxiety the alcohol has caused.
A question most drs ask is which came first. If you don't get help soon and address the problem, you'll end up existing in a state of permanent chronic anxiety
Please do look into the Sinclair Method. I went from 20+ units a day to about 3, with days of abstinence as well. I truly believed it saved my life and marriage. Thanks to the help of ADEfree and the support of the people on this forum I am thriving.
That's good to know, ADEfree has done brilliantly, and you seem to have done really well too.
Hi tom..Vickylou did a good reply since being anxious and then drinking is a vicious circle and down you go...one more drink to feel better and then another and then next day wondering where is the next one coming from...Sinclair Method yes ...do look it up..I have not used or tried it but many praise it highly here!! Best of luck Tom
Thank you. I know I rarely post but I read everything posted everyday. I'm at a really good point in my life and I want people to know that you can get back there and I was abut to lose everything.
Well done, I7! I'm so glad to hear you've broken alcohol's spell over you, that's fantastic!
HI 17, This is so good to hear. Your life and your family back, what could be better. ...........G.
Thank you. I truly went from almost losing everything to now trying to start a family and about to purchase my first home. Things really can get better
Yes they can, and obviously are - just shows how it can be overcome, sheer hell, but the mind can do it when pushed to the limit. Salute you ...G.
what an effort!! So FANTASTIC!! rOBIN
Amazing, I7! Congratulations! What you're saving on alcohol will probably make a good chunk on the house payment!
Thank you. Everyone has been so supportive.