Struggling with anxiety, it really hit me last night. I tried distracting, meditating, self talk. I tried sharing how I felt with my family. I told myself that a drink wouldn't make the feeling go away, but here is the thing: at that moment, the relief of just numbing it out for even a few hours sounded so amazing. How do you all get past that when all the rational thinking in the world isn't helping?
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You are not alone. Many of us struggle with anxiety and it can be really hard to not turn back to our trusty numbing agent when things are bad. But believe me, there is no bad day a drink won't make worse!
What you did is spot on. Use all of the tools that you have at your disposal. Go to a meeting. Talk to a sponsor. Maybe get in some exercise if that is your thing. Just don't pick up.
And when you make it through that 24 hours, remind yourself that life is hard but you didn't pick up.
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Hi Silence. Sometimes I do just what you did, and wait for it to pass. You say it isnât helping, but did you pick up that drink? If not, then it is helping! Here you are todayâŚsober and ready to move forward instead of being miserably hungover and feeling totally hopeless once again. I have found that the anxiety comes and goes depending on the circumstances. Over time my anxiety is not as frequent and not as intense, although every once in a while it hits hard. Itâs a process, and it sounds as if you are working thru it. Give yourself some credit for getting thru it last night
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I definitely remember struggling with this hard-core. It has gotten better- I am almost 5 months sober. Alcohol actually makes the anxiety worse⌠I read a book called âalcohol explainedâ that put it into perspective what that sh#! was doing to my brain. Moving my body really helped me when I was in the throes of anxiety. Taking my dog for a walk⌠Even if I didnât want to always brought me home feeling better. Listening to guided meditation also helped. Calling my sponsor or a sober friend Was never my initial go to although thatâs what they tell you to do⌠I was so used to not asking for help in my life that this was not a natural step for me. But I do believe in âmove a muscle change a thoughtâ. Emotions are âenergy in motionâ and if we do not move that energy somehow, through actual physical movement, writing/journaling, speaking, singing, or creating some sort of art it gets stuck inside of us and can manifest in a whole host of ways including anxiety. Think about it-anxiety is ânervous energyâ and it needs to move. I hope you find some ways to explore how moving feels good to you. Hugs⌠You can do it! Just remember you only have to make it through each moment, one moment at a timeâŚ
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Hi. Unfortunately thatâs something we all probably deal with. I know for me I have days where my anxiety is through the roof but mainly because of heath issues now and incompetent doctors that still donât have answers. To pick up a drink over it would kill me. Thatâs why I need you all. 
Glad you didnât pick up and got through it.
In my own experience I have found that âsharingâ how you are feeling with non alcoholics or âNormiesâ, even family members wasnât much help. They just donât and never will understand why we do the stupid 
we do. It was always better for me to talk to other alcoholics! Just a thought. Hang in there. One hour at a time meha! 
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I highly recommend cognitive behavioral therapy! Helps me have the tools to dive in and understand what the root cause of what my anxiety is and how to process what it is exactly that I am anxious about. Most of my compulsion shows up as I learn to process my emotions in sobriety
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