Anxiety issues

Cdkcdk92

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Hi everyone, I suffer from extreme anxiety and was wondering if any one experiences the same? Sometimes I'm so anxious I can barely leave the house.

I suppose because I'm still young(ish) and was bullied a lot, beaten up for being gay I guess as a result anxiety has manifested from it.

If you suffer from anxiety, do you have any tips to deal with it? I don't take drugs, but I will be honest I do often drink to mask my anxiety and help with my social life. I also have valium from my doctor but I don't like to take it as I don't want to get addicted - plus I want to be a normal person without taking drugs.

Sometimes I think about suicide, I don't wanna be like this anymore.
 
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If you're struggling this much, especially if you're thinking about suicide, please seek professional help. I don't think medications are a cure all, but there is nothing shameful with taking prescription medications as prescribed to help you find some balance and cope.
 
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I’m going to go with Fade on this. Talk with a professional. There is no shame in seeking help. You’ve been through a lot but you have survived. You have more strength than you think you have. The best you can get here is support and encouragement but it is not the help you may need. Give yourself that. You seem like a nice person who is deserving of goodness in your life. I wish you success. You can do this.
 

Tight_N_Juicy

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Do you have access to medical cannabis?

I've seen amazing results in my personal life, and in the lives of many other people I know who suffer from anxiety, depression, chronic pain, PTSD...

Worth a try maybe? It won't kill your liver like the booze and pills.
 

headbang8

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I'm with you on avoiding valium. It's insidious and highly addictive. And when you try to kick it, there's a rebound effect; the anxiety returns with a vengeance.

The first thing I'd share with you, from my experience, is that anxiety makes sense. You were threatened and beaten up. Anxiety is actually a reasonable response. It sounds like you realise that.

One technique I've found works on my anxiety (which has subsided over the years, by the way) is to own it. When I feel nervous, when the gremlins of self-reproach creep into my inner dialogue, I remind myself that my emotions were once perfectly reasonable under the circumstances. My family of origin lived on the knife-edge, one sly glance away from unleashed rage, and from time to time, violence. Hyper vigilance, alertness, anxiety about that which you couldn't predict or control; all of it kinda served its purpose, in many ways. Anxiety might even have been healthy, once.

But not any longer. Now, I remind myself that my current anxiety isn't necessarily about the situation I'm actually in. It's about the situation I found myself in years ago, of which the current situation somehow reminds me. That doesn't necessarily wipe out the anxiety, but I find that it helps.

The subject of alcohol is trickier. I haven't consciously tried to control my drinking over the course of my life—I didn't see the need. But as I addressed the other demons in my head, and sorted out past traumas, the urge to drink has subsided—especially social drinking. I'm not a teetotaller, but now I fond I drink for positive reasons—wine with dinner, scotch in a late night chat with an old friend, beer with the traditional cuisine of the region in which I live, and such.

Support groups are very, very helpful. When I was younger and sorting myself out, I benefited from support groups at my local gay men's health centre, and others associated with survivors of dysfunctional families and abusive childhoods.

And finally, suicide. Suicidal thoughts should always be taken seriously. But I wouldn't panic if they are 1) occasional, and 2) you aren't making plans. If either of those apply, then you shouldn't hesitate to speak to someone, until the impulse subsides.

Take care of yourself,

HB8
 
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twoton

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Please don't drink alcohol to mask your anxiety, to self-medicate. Tell the doctor/counselor that you self-medicate with alcohol.

Nearly everyone who takes depression/anxiety medications wants to be normal without drugs. But that's like a diabetic saying, "I'm not going to take my insulin because I don't want to have to rely on it." Or someone with hypertension saying, "I don't want to take my blood pressure pills because I want to be normal without them." Or an asthmatic saying, "I'm not going to use my inhaler because I'll will myself to breathe better without it."
 
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You seem to have identified the beginnings of your anxiety attacks. If you have done this, have had the strength and ability to recognise this then I would suggest contacting groups or those who have similar issues as you.

Discovering each others strengths in overcoming anxiety can be of great help to you. Just reach out a bit and you will find people who have overcome some very traumatic times in their lives, and all to willing to help you overcome yours.

You don't have to be alone.
 

LaFemme

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Please don't drink alcohol to mask your anxiety, to self-medicate. Tell the doctor/counselor that you self-medicate with alcohol.

Nearly everyone who takes depression/anxiety medications wants to be normal without drugs. But that's like a diabetic saying, "I'm not going to take my insulin because I don't want to have to rely on it." Or someone with hypertension saying, "I don't want to take my blood pressure pills because I want to be normal without them." Or an asthmatic saying, "I'm not going to use my inhaler because I'll will myself to breathe better without it."

This is incredibly accurate. Don’t self medicate with alcohol. If you need to take anti-anxiety medication, do so. And engage in therapy. The brain is just another organ, like the kidney or the heart. It misfunctions just like any other organ. To think that you can pull yourself up by yourself isn’t realistic.

Being bullied, enduring trauma rewired your brain, could have changed your brain chemistry - maybe even permanently. Therapy can help rewire the brain, and medication can adjust the chemistry back to normal levels. It is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to fear. Anxiety and depression are the most easily treated of the brain issues. You don’t have to live like this at all. You’re in excellent company, these issues are so extremely common, tons of people live good lives after being helped.
 
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twoton

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My mother spent her whole life self-medicating her anxiety with alcohol and it made for some really difficult times. She was discreet. It wasn't always obvious. Never fully Dx'd as an alcoholic, it nonetheless had a grip on all of us. She got arrested for DUI when she was 80 years old. That was sure fun, let me tell ya.