Muse Treatment: Alcohol Issues: Anxiety and Panic Attacks After Drinking

Alcohol can wreak havoc on our bodies, with long-term heavy drinking associated with health problems like liver damage, heart problems, pancreatic inflammation, weakened immune system functioning, and heightened risks of several kinds of cancer, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It’s widely understood that mixing drinks with other substances, such as Xanax and alcohol, can be dangerous as well. But alcohol can also affect our mental health, fueling or predisposing us to disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Some people even begin to experience anxiety and panic attacks after drinking. When this happens, it’s time to examine our drinking habits and get help for problematic addictions at a top drug and alcohol rehab facility like Muse Treatment in Los Angeles. But why does drinking sometimes lead to anxiety and panic attacks, and what can be done to stop this cycle?

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What Does a Panic Attack Look Like?

Before we explain the phenomenon of anxiety and panic attacks after drinking, let’s explain what these phrases mean and what a panic attack looks like.

An anxiety attack is more of a shorthanded way of explaining the condition — it isn’t a medical term. Still, these attacks are characterized by periods of excessive worry or dread that can make people feel tired, stressed, and unable to concentrate. Anxiety attacks and these feelings of being on edge can go on for days or even weeks.

Panic attacks, meanwhile, are relatively short conditions with intense feelings like fear, dread, or the sensation that the person is dying that typically come on suddenly and dissipate in just minutes or a couple of hours. During a panic attack, the sufferer might feel like their heart is racing, they’re having a hard time breathing, and might even think they’re having a heart attack. People who have panic attacks often fear when or if they’ll have one again because of how intense and severe these sensations tend to be. From the outside, you might not be able to tell someone is having a panic attack, but the person who experiences one will definitely know something bad is happening.

What Are the Warning Signs of a Panic Attack?

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several warning signs and symptoms of a panic attack, including:

Intense fear or a feeling of dread or danger.
Rapid heart rate and shortness of breath.
Sweating, trembling, or shaking.
Nausea and stomach pain.
Numbness or tingling.
Headaches.
Chest pain.
Dizziness or feeling like you’re going to faint.

Anxiety attacks aren’t a medical term, but people tend to use this phrase to describe a long-lasting sense of extreme or heightened anxiety. A panic attack, on the other hand, tends to come on very suddenly, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere, and typically lasts for minutes or just a short period of time.

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How to Stop Panic Attacks After Drinking

Alcohol is one of the most common substances people turn to when trying to self-medicate things like anxiety disorders or depression. Still, it’s not an effective treatment by any stretch of the imagination. The UK-based Priory Group explains that people who suffer from panic attacks might be tempted to pick up the bottle in an attempt to numb anxious thoughts that could lead to more attacks. It might temporarily stop anxious thoughts, but this is a short-lived bandage on the underlying problem — and once the intoxication passes, any kind of temporary relief of the symptoms will also pass. What’s even worse is that long-term drinking to stop anxiety can cause long-term damage and leave you physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol.

It’s another matter if you start to notice anxiety and panic attacks after drinking. Priory Group says when this happens, it’s a sign of a serious problem — especially if you’re suffering panic attacks after drinking but still can’t quit drinking. When this is the case, it’s time to seek professional help for alcohol addiction.

How Do You Recover From Post-Drinking Anxiety?

As previously stated, if you’re starting to experience anxiety and panic attacks after drinking or find yourself reaching for the bottle in an attempt to self-medicate anxiety, it’s time to get help and make changes. The need to numb anxiety could point to your untreated anxiety disorder, for example. In that case, it’s important to find healthier treatment options, such as non-addictive anxiety medications and effective counseling. Suffering full-blown panic attacks after drinking would suggest a potentially serious problem with alcohol. When that’s the case, it’s time to cut back on drinking or quit drinking entirely with the help of alcohol addiction treatment professionals.

Stop Having Anxiety and Panic Attacks After Drinking with Help from Muse Treatment

Anxiety and panic attacks after drinking can be uncomfortable at best and even terrifying at their worst — and they might be a sign of severe problems with alcohol that need to be addressed. If this is the case for you or your loved one, it’s important to realize that help is available, and a better, happier future is possible. At Muse Treatment in Los Angeles, our experts offer comprehensive addiction treatment programs, including medical detox to assist with drug or alcohol withdrawal, inpatient and outpatient rehab options, and aftercare services to continue supporting you long after rehab. Our goal is to offer you the compassionate, effective treatment you need to get better. This journey to a bright future and lasting recovery is possible. Call us at 951-708-7904, and let’s get started on your path to recovery today.