Anxiety And Alcohol Abuse

The Link Between Anxiety And Alcohol Abuse

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports several mental health disorders commonly co-occur with alcohol use disorders. Anxiety is one of them, with between 20-40% of people treated for anxiety disorders also meeting the diagnosis for alcohol use disorder (AUD).

For many, the link between alcohol and anxiety begins with self-medicating anxiety symptoms, which include an increase in heart rate, racing thoughts, shallow breathing, pacing, and other symptoms that reflect an excited mind and body.

Alcohol is a sedative that calms the mind and body at first. It is understandable to want to drink alcohol to wind down or relax. Unfortunately, drinking alcohol excessively over time starts producing anxiety rather than easing it.

As alcohol use increases, your body builds a tolerance and dependence on it. When you go without, painful alcohol withdrawal symptoms can appear. One symptom is extreme anxiety.

Anxiety And Alcohol Abuse

There is a link between alcohol and anxiety, but it can sometimes be challenging to determine which one existed first. Alcohol misuse can lead to anxiety, and it can also be a way to cope with anxiety-related symptoms.

Anxiety Disorders

Cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms represent anxiety disorders. Criteria for an anxiety disorder include the following:

• Experiencing excessive anxiety for at least six months
• Anxiety interferes with daily functioning
• Anxiety is associated with at least three of the following for six months or longer:
• • Restlessness
  • Tiring easily
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Sleep troubles
  • Muscle tension
  • Irritability

The three most common anxiety disorders that co-occur with alcohol use disorder include:

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Someone with generalized anxiety disorder tends to worry a lot, even when there is no reason to worry about things out of their control. They have a hard time relaxing, sleeping, and enjoying some activities due to their anxiety.
2. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Someone with a social anxiety disorder has a fear of being embarrassed, judged, or ridiculed in front of others. They may have an intense fear of speaking in public, attending parties, or socializing.
3. Panic Disorder (PD): Panic attacks are severe episodes of fear lasting a few minutes or hours. Someone having a panic attack may pace back and forth, have short breaths, and think they are dying.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Anxiety disorders may be a result of having an alcohol use disorder, which can be mild, moderate, or severe. AUDs can lead to problems with the following:

• Ability to function at work, home, school, or socially
• Relationships
• Physical and psychological health
• Ability to stop drinking
• Tolerance
• Withdrawal

Being able to explain your symptom timeline to a doctor or licensed mental health professional can help them figure out the effects of alcohol on anxiety. Then, they can create a treatment plan to help you overcome both.

Does Drinking Alcohol Cause Anxiety?

Yes, drinking alcohol can cause anxiety. The brain has chemicals that naturally release when we need to calm down, reduce pain, and feel good. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s ability to release these chemicals.

GABA is one of the chemicals most affected by alcohol use. Alcohol tricks you when you first drink it by boosting the chemicals like GABA that make you feel calm and happy. However, when you drink more, it allows the alcohol to deplete these chemicals.

Alcohol also depletes nutrients and minerals your body needs. Without these, you can experience changes in heart rate, breathing, and other symptoms that lead to anxiety. It interferes with sleep, dehydrates you, and can interact with other prescriptions or illicit drugs, all of which cause anxious symptoms. You may also experience symptoms of a hangover, which can be mild or severe and linger for days.

What Is Hangxiety?

Hangxiety refers to the anxiety you experience as alcohol’s effects wear off. Your brain is trying to rebalance the chemicals that alcohol disrupts. To rebalance them, the brain increases the chemicals that make you anxious and decreases glutamate and GABA. These symptoms can last until all alcohol is out of your system.

How Alcohol Can Worsen Anxiety

Alcohol use disrupts the body’s normal patterns, leading to physical changes like dehydration and sleep disruptions, as well as psychological effects like social anxiety and the worsening of other mental health conditions.

Quality sleep is necessary for the body to restore itself during the night, healing physical and emotional wounds. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s ability to sleep well. It prevents you from cycling through all the stages of sleep, especially during deep and REM sleep, where restoration occurs. Lack of quality sleep is a risk factor for anxiety disorders.

Alcohol also causes dehydration since it acts as a diuretic if you are not drinking a lot of water. Dehydration produces symptoms like anxiety and can also lead to an increase in anxiety.

Regarding psychological changes, the effects of alcohol on anxiety may change how you feel socially. While drinking, you may engage in behaviors that lead to accidents, injuries, or embarrassment. When this happens, you can develop anxiety by ruminating over what people think about you after seeing you in that position. Worrying about your actions can lead to social anxiety. Even when you become sober, you may still have lingering anxiety when socializing.

Additionally, alcohol can worsen underlying unresolved mental health disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders, causing them to resurface and interfere with how you function at home, work, and other areas. In addition, it can worsen anxiety because it can lead to the development of new anxiety disorders or additional mental health disorders. You may have generalized anxiety when you begin drinking and, over time, develop panic attacks or social anxiety.

Explore These Featured Centers

Alcohol And Panic Attacks

Drinking alcohol can trigger a panic attack even after one night of excessive drinking. The brain chemical GABA is the one most involved in panic attacks because it specifically regulates relaxation and your ability to remain calm.

Alcohol changes how GABA functions in the brain. Excessive drinking can lead to over-depletion of GABA, causing you to feel mild anxiety or, worse, panic attacks. Alcohol disrupts how the brain deals with stressors, whether they are real or not. Most often, the anxiety you feel after drinking is due to your brain sending a false signal of fear, causing you to panic when there isn’t anything to panic over. Once you start panicking, it becomes difficult to calm yourself. This leads some people to continue drinking alcohol. The fear of having a panic attack, because they are so frightening, can be a reason why some people continue to drink alcohol.

Self-Medicating Anxiety With Alcohol

When you experience anxiety, it is scary and interferes with your thoughts and ability to function. You want the anxiety to go away and may try several methods for relief. One method that works in the beginning is drinking alcohol. When you have anxiety in the future, you remember that alcohol helped calm you down the last time, so you drink again to relieve your symptoms.

This cycle is called self-medicating anxiety with alcohol. Unfortunately, it is a short-term solution. The longer you self-medicate, the more likely you are to develop co-occurring anxiety and alcohol use disorders. When self-medicating, your body may build a tolerance to alcohol. You may need to consume more significant amounts of alcohol to cope with symptoms of anxiety. The cycle intensifies, and so do your symptoms. Self-medicating also puts you at risk for more severe consequences, like accidents, injuries, or accidental overdose.

Care That's Covered by Insurance

Explore rehabs that accept your insurance today! Start your recovery journey with peace of mind, knowing your care is covered.

Find Rehab by Insurance Provider

Addiction Center is not affiliated with any insurance.

Treating Anxiety And Alcohol Abuse

Treatment begins with a comprehensive assessment by a medical or mental health professional to determine the interventions that best meet your needs.

Integrative treatment plans are best, as they include more than one therapy to treat your anxiety and alcohol abuse simultaneously, so you have the best chance at a successful recovery. Integrative plans include the following.

Pharmacotherapies

Psychiatrists or physicians may want you to try treatment medications to ease your symptoms of anxiety and alcohol use disorder. Some medicines are for stabilization so you can have a clear mind and focus on recovery. Others are taken long-term to continue stabilization. Examples of stabilization medicines for alcohol use disorder include:

• Acamprosate
• Disulfiram
• Naltrexone

Examples of medications for anxiety may include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• Buspirone

Benzodiazepines are occasionally used for both alcohol addiction and anxiety treatment. Each person has unique factors that determine which medicines will benefit them the most.

Behavioral Therapies

Mental health specialists meet with you in individual and group sessions to engage in behavioral therapies, such as:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Mindfulness-based treatments

Participating in support groups, 12-step facilitation groups, couples therapy, and family therapy is typically recommended. Treating all areas of your life reduces the amount of triggers for relapse you encounter after treatment.

Getting Help For Anxiety And Alcohol Use Disorder

Struggling with anxiety and alcohol abuse can feel overwhelming, and it may be confusing to know where to start. Seeking addiction treatment at an inpatient or outpatient facility can provide the therapeutic intervention and support needed to simultaneously treat anxiety and alcohol addiction. Contact a treatment provider to learn more about your treatment options and get started today.