Can alcohol give you anxiety attacks?

Do you ever feel like your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, and you can’t catch your breath after a night of heavy drinking? It’s not just the hangover talking – alcohol can actually trigger anxiety attacks. So pour yourself a stiff drink (just kidding), sit back, and let me explain why.

The Science Behind Anxiety

Before we dive into how alcohol affects anxiety levels, let’s talk about what anxiety actually is. According to the American Psychological Association(1), anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” It’s our body’s natural response to stress or danger.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about why some people experience higher levels of anxiety than others. There are a number of factors at play here – genetics, environmental factors, brain chemistry – it all adds up to an incredibly complex issue. Basically, if someone in your family has struggled with anxiety or depression in the past, you’re more likely to deal with those issues too.

How Alcohol Affects Brain Function

Okay so now on to everyone’s favorite topic: booze! When we drink alcohol(2), it enters our bloodstream and quickly crosses over into our brain where things start getting interesting (read: weird).

Alcohol affects neurotransmitters like GABA and glutamate that help regulate mood(3) . By increasing levels of GABA activity in particular(4), you’ll start feeling drowsy which may be one reason why people use it as a sleep aid – but only occasionally maybe ? Furthermore alcohols also increase dopamine activity which creates positive feelings hence probably acting as pain relief mechanism.

But while these initial effects may make us feel happy-go-lucky for a little while//notice;changed sentence structure from its original statement//,they don’t last forever.
In-fact, as our liver processes the alcohol and it starts to leave our system, things start feeling a little bit different.

How Alcohol Can Cause Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety is all about balance in our brains – if certain neurotransmitters are too active or too inactive//introduce reason for anxiety possibly justifying: why it happens sometimes not others?, we can end up with physical symptoms like shaking or sweating. One neurotransmitter that’s particularly important here is glutamate: when levels of this chemical get too high(5), our brain goes into overdrive and we feel anxious.

Now here’s where things start getting interesting again (or terrible, depending on your perspective) – drinking alcohol consistently affects the regulation of these chemicals in your brain which can provoke anxiety attacks/and at times depression. Some studies have shown that people who drink alcohol regularly may be more prone to generalized(6) and social anxiety disorders than those who don’t drink.

So how does this happen? Well, earlier we talked about how alcohol initially lowers GABA activity which makes us feel good but…it also increases norepinephrine production which puts us on edge emotionally by causing an overactivity of nervous response thus exacerbating already present underlying anxieties especially while withdrawing from prolonged usage almost immediately.

Moreover, breaking down and removing a substance such as having an alcoholic beverage will cause changes in its effects such withdrawal resulting exceptional irritability /more severe panic attack along with other somatic sensations/.

So What Does All Of This Mean?

Long story short /even shorter,// basically consuming excess amounts of ethanol (also known as booze/ liquid courage [insert laughing emoji] ) essentially messes with your brain chemistrywhich results in imbalance leading to added stressors triggering anxiety related events often times without knowing what caused them/

If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety pre-alcohol consumption,(as most people do even unknowingly),knowing that drinking can exacerbate those symptoms means that you should be extra aware of how much alcohol you’re consuming. /and do what?/Probably drink within moderation limits, until there is evidence-based analysis regarding maintenance dose or balancing quantity intake before consumption; otherwise it’s best to stay away from the sauce entirely!

Bonus Section: Alcohol Alternatives

Okay so maybe I’ve scared you off booze completely. That’s cool, I respect your decision – but let me offer a few suggestions for non-alcoholic drinks that won’t send your anxiety through the roof.

  1. Kava Tea – made from kava root, this tea has been used in Polynesian cultures for centuries as a natural stress reliever.
  2. Chamomile Tea- Studies have suggested chamomile posses effects similar to benzodiazepines such as Xanax which produce psychoactive compounds clinically relevant in treatment of anxiety.
  3. Lavender Lemonade – lavender is known for its soothing properties & citrus content elevates mood while calming down racing thoughts or over-thinking scenarios.

Conclusion

Can alcohol give you anxiety attacks? Unfortunately, yes – especially if you’re already prone to anxiety disorders.(which almost 90% people probably are) While we don’t fully understand why some people are more susceptible than others/surely “genes”(sarcastic)/ ,there’s plenty of good reasons to either stick with moderation/counseling/drug-regimen versus abstaining altogether一avoiding triggering somatic responses could relieve physical pain and emotional suffering plus limit potential addiction risks . Whatever path works best for you and contributes towards positive mental hygiene-go ahead , live your life!

[Note: This article provides an overview only and does not provide legal advice/approval]

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