How do I know of my alcohol induced anxiety is gone?
After developing anxiety a few years ago, I found that drinking (or the morning after) always left me with severe panic attacks. I have no desire to get drunk, but to this day I am still scared to have more than a beer or two. How do I know if my body will react the same as it did when I had panic attacks due to alcohol?
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There are several different mechanisms which can lead to anxiety due to alcohol consumption.
The first and simplest is a feeling of anxiety which occurs directly due to the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Some may feel uncomfortable, or drink heavily and worry about the effects. Others may be in a distressed state when they start drinking and their feelings may be amplified.
Another way that people get anxiety is by the breakdown of alcohol and the components and byproducts which are produced. For example, drinking causes the body to break down the alcohol, and some of the substances that are produced or converted from the chemical itself produce taxing effects on the body. Methanol is a culprit, and it’s difficult for the body to break down. On top of that, it will convert methanol to formaldehyde. These chemicals can cause anxiety directly, or can cause anxiety due to the state that your body is in from a biochemical perspective.
Typically, morning after anxiety only occurs after heavy drinking or moderate, continuous drinking over many days. Most of the time, these byproducts are negligible and have a minimal effect on the body because their quantities are so small. However, when large quantities are consumed, this ups the levels of the byproducts and the anxiety (among other undesirable effects) can be more severe.
Some people are relieved from hangovers by consuming more ethanol (alcohol) the following morning. This is generally true for most people, as the body will stop breaking down methanol and other byproducts, and go back to working on ethanol. This produces relief for some. The problem is, those byproducts still have to be broken down, if not now then later. Consuming more ethanol eventually leads to an even greater build up of methanol and other compounds.
If you have anxiety the next morning after only one or two drinks, this is highly unusual. Your best bet is to simply try and see where you stand. However, I’d venture to say that if you’re fearful to even drink, then don’t bother at all.
if your panic attacks are as bad as mine were drinking isn’t worth the misery just skip it.
i don’t think there is a way to tell. You just have to do it and see what happens.