Alcohol Helps with Anxiety! – Or Does It?

Understanding Anxiety: The Basics

Before we talk about alcohol, it’s essential to first understand briefly what anxiety is. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, and anticipation that something is going to happen. It’s a survival response that gets activated when we perceive a danger or threat. The release of chemicals in the brain like noradrenalin causes physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, shakiness, and sweating. Our brain initiates what’s commonly known as “The Fight or Flight response,” or the “Three F’s” (Fight, Flight, or Freeze).

Anxiety Disorders: When Survival Instincts Go Awry

Anxiety can serve a purpose, but for some people, these feelings persist without obvious danger. This could manifest as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety, Panic Disorders, or Phobias. Unlike situational anxiety, these disorders trigger fight-or-flight responses even in the absence of immediate threats, making them harder to manage.

Alcohol and Anxiety: A Temporary Fix?

Alcohol affects anxiety because it is a depressant. It slows down the brain and central nervous system processes, providing temporary relief. However, the effects wear off quickly. When alcohol is consumed too heavily and too regularly, the central nervous system adapts to its suppression. As a result, when you try to abstain, your fight or flight response is triggered, causing heightened anxiety and withdrawal symptoms.

The Vicious Cycle: Alcohol Dependence and Anxiety

If you consume alcohol to relieve stress or anxiety, be cautious. Developing a tolerance to alcohol can lead you into a cycle where you need to drink more to achieve the same calming effects. This puts you at risk of developing an Alcohol Use Disorder or even becoming alcohol-dependent.

The Science Behind It: Alcohol’s Effect on Brain Chemistry

Alcohol affects the brain’s chemistry, specifically GABA, a chemical that helps us feel relaxed. Heavy drinking depletes GABA, which leads to increased tension and feelings of anxiety or panic.

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: The Risks

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe and are part of a condition known as Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome. This can include nausea, headaches, anxiety, and more severe symptoms like seizures or Wernicke’s Encephalopathy. It can be life-threatening in extreme cases.

Typical Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Can Consist of:

• Nausea and vomiting (including dry heaves)
• Headaches
• Anxiety & Panic
• Agitation (Fidgety and restless)
• Irritability
• Paroxysmal Sweating – (beads of sweat on the forehead to heavy sweats)
• Shakes/Tremors in Hands (mild-severe)
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue and insomnia (difficulty sleeping)

Severe Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Can Consist of:

• Confusion/disorientation (difficulty recalling date, time, place, or person)
• Sensory (auditory/visual) disturbances (sensitivity to sound and/or light, hearing and/or seeing things that aren’t there.
• Tactile disturbances (itching, pins and needles or feeling like bugs crawling under the skin)
• Seizures (fits, convulsions usually occur between 6-72 hours after stopping drinking and affect one in 10 people with alcohol withdrawal syndrome)
• Wernicke’s Encephalopathy (wet Brain – long-term damage)

It is important to understand that those who have developed a dependency to Alcohol, physically require it so not to experience difficult and potentially dangerous withdraw symptoms. There are risk’s associated to stopping alcohol use and its important to seek professional advise before doing so.