Alcohol and Anxiety
If you experience anxiety and drink alcohol be aware that the alcohol may be contributing to your anxiety or making it worse.
Some people use alcohol for 'self medication' - to try to help themselves get to sleep when anxious or to blot out difficult thoughts. This is not recommended because although you may feel that the alcohol is helping with your anxiety or problem, it may well in fact be having the opposite effect.
Alcohol is a depressant drug and can make mood swings or anxiety worse even if it initially makes you feel good.
It can also lead to disturbed sleep patterns even if initially it sends you to sleep.
Additionally, if your anxiety is common or severe you can be tempted into a pattern of reaching for the drink of alcohol frequently and developing a dependence on alcohol which is likely to be harmful for both your physical and mental health.
So my advice would be to limit your alcohol use to within medically recommended limits and not to drink alcohol at all at times when you might be prone to anxiety.
Too much alcohol can also contribute to other health problems - for general information about alcohol and health see alcohol and health issues).
Note: If you have been drinking high levels of alcohol on a regular basis, there can be potentially serious health risks from stopping too quickly without appropriate medical supervision, so if this applies to you, consult your doctor or another suitable medically qualified professional before deciding how best to reduce your alcohol intake.
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