Using alcohol to self-medicate

[kinser 3]

I used to drink a lot because it made me feel more calm. However, it affected all of the other parts of my life so much that I really had no choice but to quit. Both of my parents were/are alcoholics, so my chances of not being able to drink socially were pretty small to begin with (although I have two brothers who have no problems). Since I now take medication for depression/anxiety, I do not feel the need to self medicate. My husband, on the other hand, is a daily-drinker. If he does not have to work, he goes straight from coffee in the morning to beer. If he does have to work, he begins with beer as soon as he's home. Obviously, he fits the bill to labeled an alcoholic even though he functions fairly normally and rarely gets "falling-down" drunk. He claims that there are no medications that are helpful to him, but I wish he would see that he is using a medication, and that there are others that would be better for him. Any thoughts?

[dynasty 14]

I sometimes drink to put myself to sleep. I will take like 7 shots of tequila and that will put me out.

[daisiesndots 1]

I use alcohol to ease my social anxiety. I get extremely nervous when I am around groups of people, even when they are close friends or family. So to ease my nerves and to help me be able to interact with others, I have a drink or two. It really helps me ease my nerves.

[Gilly 1086]

I stopped drinking when my anxiety was at its worst, I found it made me more anxious. I'd get worried about raising bp... paranoid. And also the feelings of losing control made me feel worse. And next day I feel like crap.

[kjscrafts 1]

I stopped drinking when my anxiety was at its worst, I found it made me more anxious. I'd get worried about raising bp... paranoid. And also the feelings of losing control made me feel worse. And next day I feel like crap.

Alcohol can also makes me more anxious. I do enjoy wine tasting with my dad and maybe one glass of wine with dinner every once in a while, but anything more than that makes my anxiety worse.

[shaun 6]

My dad has been using alcohol to cope with his social anxiety and depression throughout his life. Like your husband, he is in denial, he will not accept that alcohol only serves to make the problem worse. Alcohol is an instant remedy for anxiety and depression, but after the initial relief it makes the anxiety worse. Dealing with his alcohol addiction should be the first step.

[kinser 3]

When I was a heavy drinker, the depression and anxiety I experienced the next day was awful - I think it really messes with your brain chemistry. It was more than just a hangover, it was flat out depressive and anxious feelings. If you consider the relaxing effects alcohol has, really most people do use it to relax, so I don't see a problem with a drink or two if they can stop at that. Unfortunately, for me, I just want to keep drinking once I start. My mom was the same way, and she died at the age of 51 from a brain tumor (that I believe her drinking and other life style choices contributed to ; her mom died the same way). I don't want that to happen to me, so I'm pretty much a teetotaler. I'd love to be able to unwind with one glass of wine like normal people, but it just doesn't work for me. But I definitely understand why people do it. My husband's father was a falling-down drunk and also died young, so his alcohol use really worries me.

[magickat 0]

Alcohol and drugs help in some ways with my SAD as they make me feel much more relaxed and comfortable, but it can easily swing the other way and I can become emotional and paranoid and just want to escape.

[shaun 6]

Alcohol and drugs help in some ways with my SAD as they make me feel much more relaxed and comfortable, but it can easily swing the other way and I can become emotional and paranoid and just want to escape.

Alcohol will make you feel more relaxed and comfortable, but once you have associated alcohol with 'feeling better', you are on a dangerous path. Alcohol may feel like an instant remedy for anxiety and depression, but later on it will only exacerbate your problems, making you feel more depressed and anxious. It can become a vicious cycle, using alcohol to feel better, feeling worse, and drinking more alcohol.

[magickat 0]

Alcohol will make you feel more relaxed and comfortable, but once you have associated alcohol with 'feeling better', you are on a dangerous path. Alcohol may feel like an instant remedy for anxiety and depression, but later on it will only exacerbate your problems, making you feel more depressed and anxious. It can become a vicious cycle, using alcohol to feel better, feeling worse, and drinking more alcohol.

I know but the thing is most of the social occasions i go to are in pubs so most people are drinking anyway, so if i don't drink i feel like even more of an outsider than normal.

[char2011 1]

It's not a good idea to use alcohol to cope as it will cause other problems.

[Driven 0]

Personally, I think using alcohol to self medicate is a very bad idea. Not only is alcohol addictive and unhealthy, but it also won't help solve your problems; it will only mask the symptoms.

[benleem 0]

Alcohol is just a shortlived way out..I used to be so fearful of sharing my thoughts in public and in college it almost ruined my studies. I used to drink before I attended even lectures and smoke weed just to relax and forget I'm in public. Until I started being rude to people. Used to mix alcohol and weed and as much as the feeling was great, I will trade panic in a public setting to that any time.

[Mrs. Rogers 2]

I'd talk to him about how anxiety depression meds compared to alcohol have so little long term effects.

[AlwaysAMama 0]

Has he really tried different medications or is he in denial? I self medicated a lot in my teens and early twenties and that was in response to not knowing what was wrong with me and after I found out it was driven by denial. Once I quit drinking and smoking pot I realized that it was causing me more issues and making my anxiety and depression worse. The struggle of spending a few months or even a year finding the right medication and dose is much easier than the long term effects of alcohol abuse...the lose of body function, the dementia, heart disease, and c*****...

[sphinx 0]

I think the idea of alcohol for self medicating has got a really bad name for itself when maybe that is not wholly deserved - and not just for anxiety either. I have known people who deliberately and consciously self medicate with alcohol for various reasons because they find that although alcohol does have unwanted effects they are nowhere near as bad as the prescribe medications have. If you ask me the crux has to be whether the fact of self medication is known and accepted by the person doing it and possibly even their doctor. If the person drinking understands and recognizes why they do it (if its for self medication that is) and are open to discussion of alternatives then their decision should be accepted - if they discuss this with their doctor then there is no problem. If you have someone who seems to be self medicating who wont discuss it then don't aim to change their drinking just look to get them to acknowledge what they do and why and make it clear you will not judge automatically but are willing to allow it may be best for them.

[kinser 3]

I'd talk to him about how anxiety depression meds compared to alcohol have so little long term effects.

Oh I've talked to him until I'm blue in the face. It's just not something he wants to hear. He grew up with an alcoholic father who died young from complications of alcohol abuse. It's not something he doesn't already know, but something he just doens't want to face.

[Chryss 0]

I think you might want to try Al Anon, which is for the relatives of people who drink. My father drank a lot and there was no point in talking, though Mom tried for years and years. It really was wasted effort. Al Anon does help those of us who are stuck in that kind of situation. There's also Alateen, for teenagers.

This is the url for Al Anon on-line -

http://www.ola-is.org/

And this is the url for physical meetings in USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico

http://www.al-anon.org/meetings/meeting.html

I sincerely hope you find help and relief and healing from this terrible situation.

[aquafina 0]

I sometimes drink to put myself to sleep. I will take like 7 shots of tequila and that will put me out.

You could just take a supplement from the drug store like Valerian Root or Melatonin. I've tried both. Melatonin is amazing. It puts me out within 30 minutes. I've taken Valerian Root during the day because it is a sedative, and I wanted to replace alcohol. It is not as good as melatonin, but if you want to chill out and stay awake it is better.

[xavalonxxx 0]

These are difficult things to deal with. Its real simple, alcohol isn't a treatment for anything. That is why they don't call it medication. Its sad but sometimes people need a real shock to see it. Like the threat of a Wife leaving. Either way sounds like he needs more than you talking to him. That is before he hurts himself or someone else. A person with problems who drinks heavily is a ticking time bomb...

[mudrock 0]

All of the men in my family were heavy drinkers. I started drinking to ease my anxiety which I thought was helping at the time but as soon as my drinking got over the top, my anxiety got worse. I was drinking every night but realized it wasn't doing anything but giving me a temporary fix. I watched my brother get DUI charges then I realized that I had to make a change. I haven't had a drink in 2 years and though I still have anxiety, I still feel good that I don't need to use alcohol to try to control it.