BTW I never drink vodka.sometimes i drink whiskey.

There must be a doctor close by. Make an appointment, tell him/her about your drinking/fears, and take it from there.

Hello nf1993,

You are very welcome to the forum. Sometimes it is easy to let the imagination run wild and conjure up all sorts of nasty things that could happen but the reality is that these things rarely do happen. Therefore, try not to get carried away with worries about the DTs.

It is important to talk to a doctor if you have any concerns and also to get help for the panic attacks. People on internet forums can give you advice but they are not the trained professionals that you need. My own opinion is that you will not suffer from the DTs and that you will adjust to life without alcohol after a few days but I am not a doctor.

Once you stop drinking and your head clears you can begin to think about what you need to do in the long term if sobriety is your goal. Beer or whiskey will get you into the same trouble except that whiskey will probably get you there quicker so I would definitely cut that out.

Keep checking in here and posting and with the right support you will get there.

Wow.thanks a lot PJ54.your comment is really relieving.I feel better.

I honestly feel calm in this forum and I really like to hear about yours stories too.

I too feel "calm" in this discussion group. I believe it has really helped me to participate on a daily basis.

I am almost a month into my second run at sobriety after 45 years of nearly daily drinking at a moderate to heavy level. I started about the same time as you (20 years old) while in college and firmly integrated alcohol into my life very quickly.

What has helped me the most this time is to stay immersed in the study of alcohol addiction and also to stay active on this discussion group. The more I learn about the addiction to alcohol the more I understand how I became addicted and why it is so important to recognize alcohol as the very dangerous and destructive substance that it is. I was lucky to get here with a relatively sound mind and body, but I was very close to losing my health and my happiness. At my age I now have friends who are sick and even dying from the effects of constant alcohol ingestion over many years. I now know you can establish a healthy and happy lifestyle without alcohol. I only wish I had come to that realization at 23 rather than 64!

Hi nf1993,

You said you like stories. Here's a part of mine. I was 23. The year was 1980. Starting 4 years before 1980 in 1976 I started to binge drink more and more frequently. By 1979 I was binge drinking 4 to 5 times per week, mostly beer. Then for a year I drank almost everyday, again mainly beer. In July of 1980 I decided it was time to grow up and stop drinking. The first 7 to 10 days after stopping alcohol I had what I thought was a touch of the flu, but looking back I was detoxing.

Regrettably I didn't maintain continuous sobriety from that time forward, but it was a start...

The reason I drank was Fear.

Fear stands for : F... everything and run

See from an early age i found that booze was a way for me to escape life. a way for me to escape me.

It worked for a long time but then when it stopped working thats when I became not fearful but terrified. I couldnt live with the booze and I couldnt live without it.

My journey started with a sunday morning when I was finally so terrified that I was going to kick my front door down and go get an apt and drink myself to death... ( this is with a wonderful family and kids ) I was so sad that I had already told myself I was dead and so whynot just finish it. and then another thought came to me. Go to an aa meeting... my last drink was june 9, 2012.

I was lacking tools to cope with life... When a bad thing or a great thing came along, I drank... I drank because I liked the effect produced by alcohol. Today I have learned some ways to cope and dont desire to take a drink.

You can too.

Welcome and get well, Cmon!!!

1is2many

Guys, the problem is that I'm scared of not drinking. I constantly think that maybe my body won't survive without alcohol.
When I think about sobriety, I don't know what to do to control fear and anxiety.
My biggest problem is that I suffer from health anxiety and the only cure for my anxiety is the f... alcohol. :|

Hello nf1993,

Things such as fear, anxiety and drinking too much lead to wrong thinking, wrong beliefs and wrong actions. I know this very well because I had a strong belief that not only could I not stop drinking but that if I did manage to stop, life without alcohol would be impossible. Those beliefs were completely false but they were very real to me at the time.

Fear is an essential emotion and without it people would not survive for long because they would do all sorts of unsafe things. However, like any emotion fear can get out of balance and then it controls your life. I know people who have let fear take such a hold that they refuse to go outside of their houses. Therefore, it is vital to get good support and to confront fear before it takes a tight grip.

Your body will not only survive without alcohol but will also improve in many ways. It will take a few days to get past the withdrawal period, which can vary from very mild to more severe but it is always manageable. I drank an unbelievable amount of alcohol but had practically no withdrawal problems at all when I stopped. A doctor can prescribe something to make it easier if necessary.

Your main problem is in the thinking department and you can get help with that. I would encourage you to find out more about alcoholism and how it gets progressively worse with time. You can then decide if you want to continue on that downward spiral or if you want freedom to live your life and make the most of your talents. If freedom is your choice there are several options open to you but you will have to be fully committed to sobriety and be prepared to get out of your comfort zone. Alcohol is not a cure for anxiety but is actually one of the causes.

There are trained counsellors who can help you to deal with anxiety so why not get your doctor to set up an appointment. Alternatively, you can go to AA meetings where you can get access to a free programme of recovery called The Twelve Steps. Take a look at the video below as it explains alcoholism quite well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pVBDQPC2XQ

Your body will survive and you will truly be amazed at how quickly uiu will feel better. I have very bad anxiety as well, but drinking, while it seems to help for a time, only exasperates the problem. Hang in there!

U have it all backwards: u should be afraid if u CONTINUE drinking, not if u STOP.
I am far from a doctor, but u MAY need professional help. I too HAD ANXIETY. I was a nervous wreck and I could not picture even a day without alcohol. Now I can't even picture my life with it.
Your 23, so If u help yourself, u should be fine. But when I was 23, I definitely could be classified as an alcoholic.
BTW, at the end of my drinking days, when I drank alcohol I could not sleep at night!
Your drinking is ADDING to your issues, Not helping.

I think it would be wise of you to talk to your doctor and tell him or her what you just told us. I am sure he will be understanding and give you better advice then what we can give you here.

We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

God Bless!

I hope you are able to sort things out with the help of a doctor, and other forms of support. Starting by talking with a doctor if one is still drinking is a very good idea...

I would go to your doc, but if the panic attack and nervousness is severe, I would go to the ER. DTs are very serious and can not only be physically damaging but can make you nuts. You may need medication to be calmed to help you get through some withdrawal symptoms in the beginning. I really feel for you. I've had a horrible sober week with anxiety and terrible sleep. I felt like I was losing my mind. You need to get help and then power through this part. It will get better. I know this from when I was sober longer. It's a shitty feeling and you aren't alone. I spent many nights googling Sympts and making myself worse lol. One day at a time. One meant at a time. Just breathe.