It is for me - or that is how it started. Social anxiety - before I went to someone's house or someone came to mine, I would drink to take the edge off.

For me I've stopped asking why I'm an alcoholic. I had trauma as a child, some of my relatives are alcoholic, neither of my parents are. Did the drinking start due to social anxiety or did the anxiety get fueled by drinking? I don't know and franklly I don't care:)I know I'm acoholic, I'm wired that way, I have a physical allergy, I don't believe I process booze the way a "normal" drinker does. Given I know that, and that' won't every change, the rest for me is how to live a good life. And I need AA, the steps, my HP, etc for that. I now have a solution. I don't want to dwell in the whys. At least that's my take on it today.
Welcome btw

Hamlin81 Did it ever occur to you that your drinking cause your anxiety and depression?. try going 30 days without a drink the solution might be that simple. Get to an AA meeting and share your experiences. I'm certain you will find all the support that you need.
Greg

Welcome. For me anxiety is fueled by drinking. Anxiety and panic attacks stay with me a good few days after a binge since I've been sober 19 days I've not felt one ounce of anxiety.hope this helps xx

Greg has a good point. I began to self medicate and then it just snowballed from there. It was initially to self medicate because of a minor Depression. But in the end, it made the depression that much worse and it has lasted for about 5 years. I also suffer from Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol had a part to play in my last Manic episode. It also has caused my anxiety to go through the roof! I was never this anxious in the past and I attribute all of that to alcohol because I can see a clear difference when I am not drinking. I am much happier, I am much less anxious and I feel stable. In my case, I think alcohol is what caused a lot of my suffering. Not the other way around.

I think it is quite natural for alcoholics to look for a reason as to why they drink too much.

The reason I have found, for me, is that there is no reason. I believe I was born this way. I had all the character traits of the alcoholic condition before I ever knocked back my first drink. There is nothing and no-one I can blame, although I did try very hard to find something or someone!

There is alcoholism in my family so I tend to believe in the genetic theory too.

What "overdrinking" did was compound any depression (alcohol is a depressant) and rank up any anxiety 100 fold.

these guys are so right. I have been using several things as an excuse...pain, depression etc....but at the end of the day, alcohol is making all this ten times worse

sticky is right. If you keep chasing why you can wind up really crazy, not to mention drunk. Why doesn't matter: You have a terminal but very treatable disease , it could be worse

I drank when I was nervous initially. Then I drank when I was excited, when I was calm, when I was bored, when I was anything.

I think that if you are an alcoholic you drink to drink. If you are drinking to self medicate and are not an alcoholic-it is really something you need to stop ASAP. It could lead to drinking for all other emotions, permanently.

What other approaches have you tried to manage your anxiety?

Thanks for your replies. For me the root cause is definitely anxiety/depression. It is important for me to find the root cause and deal with that first. I'm sure it isn't right for everyone, but it is right for me.

Thanks again :)

Be prepared to chase your tail. An alcoholic brain cannot possibly know the why's and the wherefore's.

When I first decided to do something about my drinking I went to a therapist who specialized in addiction. She asked me to list out all of the reasons I was there. My main reason was the drinking, but I also listed anxiety, and maybe even a little rage - my anger outbursts had gotten a little out of control. She said "let's deal with the drinking and we'll deal with those other things next if they're even still issues".

Like you, I felt that I drank to self-medicate my anxiety and I was, frankly, a little miffed that she kind of dismissed my anxiety issues. Two years later (or should I say two sober years later) I'm here to tell you that she was right.

I'm still a generally anxious person by nature, but it's in check -as are the anger outbursts. Some of that inner peace may come from the lessons of AA about acceptance and control ...but I truly believe that is mainly biological.

My drinking hadn't progressed to having a drink in the morning, but I think after 12 hours or so after having my last drink, my brain/body was craving alcohol, causing anxiety...that was only relieved when I finally caved in and had that first drink a little earlier in the day than I had promised myself I would. It's a vicious cyle - a cycle that I'm eternally greatful not to be in anymore. Something to think about. Welcome to DS, by the way.

i know for me it didnt matter which came first the anxiety leading me to drink or the high of that first drink all i know is after that first drink at 16 yrs old i could not stop and as time went on i consistently began to have more and more serious consequences yet could not refrain from alcohol. i have help for my anxiety disorder but i have alcoholism i dont wan to get hit with a brick again to realize that . all i know is that i stay sober by the grace of God my higher power. AA 12 steps my fellow recovering alcoholics. ALCOHOL for me creates anxiety and makes pre exisiting anxiety worse.Good luck and God bless

My drinking problem started when my depression got worse. It was the only thing that I used to do because of my depression. x

VERY TRUE FOR ME!!!