Alcohol or severe panic attacks, I have to choose?
I have PTSD from a bad accident in 03 where I was in the hospital for over a month expected not to live. I have about 10 severe panic episodes of impending doom per day plus diagnosed anxiety that lasts all day long.
Doctors have tried Zoloft and Xanax on me but they make me sleep all day. I started drinking and realized I can function and not have panic. Well, the drinking is out of control and I want to stop. I don’t want the panic attacks coming back tho!
Anyone else in this situation?
what you need to do is some therapy, even if ur not comfortable talking to people about ur fears, you may find releif in getting them out and rationalizing them, on paper, out loud, online, or in your head even. everyone is going to die eventually, death is nothing to fear, drinking is only helping you to ignore the problem and chances are you will eventually have the episodes while under the influence of alcohol. it could be from buliding a tolerence to alcohol and when that happens it will ont affect you in the same way, and one day might not affect you at all. i understand this has been medically disagnosed but given the facts that it can be prevented, as youve done with alcohol, shows that there is hope, and in my opinon alcohol helps you to chill out and not focus on the problems, if you think of it as something different and rationalize your fears, you may not be struck with panic anymore or at least not as often. i have panic attacks too, but for no reason.
Comments
Comment from Adrianne
Time February 2, 2010 at 9:59 am
Yeah I agree with the first post. Sometimes, drugs are only a mask for our problems and don’t really help us. Of course, you may always have to deal with panic attacks every now and then, but with therapy you should be able to get better.
References :
Comment from monica
Time February 2, 2010 at 10:38 am
Not the exact situation – but I used to have panic attacks.
Here are some ideas that might help:
Keep two journals. One for writing down all your feelings, this is really good for clearing out your anxieties and getting all your war onto paper, you can delete it straight after if you need to, it’s just good to really see your stressful thinking. And the other can be your gratitude journal – write down all the things you are grateful for that happened today.
Try doing Byron Katie’s "The Work" – this is a free cognitive therapy consisting of four questions to help you unwind any fearful thoughts.
Best wishes.
xxx
References :
Comment from Sierra
Time February 2, 2010 at 9:41 am
what you need to do is some therapy, even if ur not comfortable talking to people about ur fears, you may find releif in getting them out and rationalizing them, on paper, out loud, online, or in your head even. everyone is going to die eventually, death is nothing to fear, drinking is only helping you to ignore the problem and chances are you will eventually have the episodes while under the influence of alcohol. it could be from buliding a tolerence to alcohol and when that happens it will ont affect you in the same way, and one day might not affect you at all. i understand this has been medically disagnosed but given the facts that it can be prevented, as youve done with alcohol, shows that there is hope, and in my opinon alcohol helps you to chill out and not focus on the problems, if you think of it as something different and rationalize your fears, you may not be struck with panic anymore or at least not as often. i have panic attacks too, but for no reason.
References :