I’m here to talk about anxiety from drinking.
I’ve been learning more and more lately about how hard drinking is on our bodies. I think it’s safe to say this is pretty well-known but actually understanding the way it affects our bodies, how long it stays in our systems and the aftermath of the things it can do is really interesting to me.
*warning, this next section I talk about anxiety and things that might trigger anxious feelings*
My curiosity all started about 3 years ago when I had my first anxiety attack. I remember spending the night out at a concert seeing an artist play at one of our local venues and it was a typical night out for us. Drinking, dancing and just having a blast. At this point in my life, this was what we did every weekend - having drinks in different settings and spending the time with friends. I woke up the next day not feeling great, hungover, sleep deprived and all I could do was sleep. So of course, just sitting on the couch watching TV, as one does hungover, and I fell back asleep for a while.
As I woke up from my nap there was an intense scene happening on the show we were watching. I immediately had the most intrusive, intense thoughts and started to go down a rabbit hole - this has never happened to me before or at least not in this way. I felt suffocated by these thoughts, not sure what to do or how to get rid of them. I felt like anything but myself. This turned into a panic attack because I was trying to fight this feeling and this foreign place I was in.
Come to find out this was my first anxiety attack and truly thought this (from what I assumed) stemmed from being hungover. This forever changed my mindset around drinking. Of course, I didn’t just stop drinking overnight. In fact, I’ve had similar experiences from continuing to drink so it's made me want to slow down and has made me so much more aware of how alcohol makes me feel.
hangxiety
Now if you’re mid to late 20s like I am, you have heard of the term hangxiety.
"Alcohol causes a high level of endorphins to be released, so we're temporarily depleted of that feel-good neurotransmitter," clinical psychologist Perpetua Neo, DClinPsy, explains. "Meaning the 'come-down' feeling can make us uncomfortable and anxious. (Abby Moore, How To Deal With "Hangxiety" After A Night Of Drinking, From Psychologists, Mindbodygreen, June 17, 2021)"
I don’t just get hangxiety, I get anxiety while drinking too now. There is a feeling I get when I have a drink or two and I start to feel fuzzy. The way it makes me feel is out of control. I still can't make sense of this but I can tell that my body is telling me it's not handling alcohol the way it used to.
There are still times I can have a drink and I don't experience the sensitivity to it but overall I have been taking it slow and drinking in more moderation because of this. Doing this helps me feel in control and honestly, able to live a healthier life since I am not drinking at every occasion that I normally would have. Now, I am very mindful of the times I am going to drink and am very mindful of the types of alcohol I am drinking.
While it is easy to say I've made these changes, it certainly has not been easy to enforce. I definitely did not change overnight. A really difficult part of cutting down alcohol consumption for me is the social pressures. When someone is drinking, most of the time they want you to be drinking with them so they question when you say no. So if you're going through something similar or just want to slow down drinking, I wanted to share some things I do to help me drink less and make sure I am in control:
Find a mocktail or alcohol substitute that lets you feel like you have a drink in your hand or make it look as if you do so people don't question it.
Change your mindset around not drinking. Instead of saying things to yourself like "people are going to judge me for not drinking", shift this to "I'm still going to have a great time without drinking" or "I am going out to enjoy time with friends" instead of centering it around drinking.
If I am going to have a drink at dinner, I will try to order food or eat an appetizer before I order a drink so I have food in my stomach. This allows me to show myself that I am in control of when I choose to drink and not make it a habit to order a drink as soon as I sit down. And honestly I just feel better overall when I have food in my system before drinking!
Make your water sexy. Order some sparkling water and ask for a fruit garnish so it feels like you've ordered a specialty drink.
conclusion
In writing about this, I hope I've shared my experiences with alcohol so that if you have had similar experiences, you know you're not alone feeling this. Please reach out to me if you have any questions, we can test and try new things together!
My goal is to always listen to my body and prioritize it by testing, trying new things and getting minimizing things that aren't making me feel good. I love sharing my findings around what's working for me and what's not, so I hope this is a reminder to pay attention to what you're feeling! Recognize what you need to do to support your own body and know that a shift of your mindset can be just what you need to living the life style you want.
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