Im in the same boat. I cannot control my impulses and have no filter whatsoever with what comes out of my mouth. In fact I was just thinking this afternoon I was about due to put my foot in my mouth again. I've tried pills but dislike the side effects and they didn't really help. When I get really wound up....which is quite often I get terrible headaches that only go away with sleep.

Hi, I used to get so anxious over the smallest things. I do take a med- a child's dose of Klonopin ( 3 mg) that helps enormously. I've also learned over the years to do things to lessen the anxiety. This may mean writing a list of what needs to be done ( and I can see that it's not as overwhelming as I thought), putting music on to distract me, or even calling my daughter and asking 'Am I crazy to be worried about this?" She'll usually say "yes", but then have ways to counter what I'm feeling. I"m getting ready for a trip to Florida on Thursday , and have 2 lists : one for clothes and one for "incidentals". Everything is laid out on the bed and I think I"m ready to go. However on the morning of the flight, I"ll be checking constantly to make sure I haven't lost my license or boarding pass. That's my anxiety.

Alcohol may calm you down, but it does have its own side effects. You mentioned not liking side effects of medicines, but as you can see, alcohol affects you too. I've never had alcohol, but my right frontal lobe is atrophying , so I know what it's like to be impulsive. I have learned to stop and think before I say something if I'm in a serious conversation, or especially one where opinions are being stated. In the past I used to just say what was on my mind, and would end up apologizing for offending someone. I have learned to express my thoughts in an acceptable way now. I also will ( as things get worse) be apt to share things that shouldn't be shared ( like my husband's salary, or something that's going on in our marriage that you have no business knowing about ). i"ll have to doubly watch that.

I hope you can find a way to deal with your anxiety other than drinking. Alcohol affects the way neurons and dendrites regenerate in a negative way. Goodness knows we need all the help we can get as we recover, so I don't dare drink!

As much as I hate pills, I ended up on Effexor ER. It is the only thing that helps my anxiety. Wish I could offer something besides lavender tea at night.

I became an alcoholic doing what your doing. Alcohol takes the effects off your meds and makes you way more anxious the next day. Please stop because alcohol hurts TBI/ABI severely. Your on your way to alcoholism.

I don't believe in alcohol or drugs to find a way out of this hell. That just won't do. There's no way out of this hell besides suicide.