what is up with this?

[letgolaughing]

so, last night, my plan was no more than 3 drinks. it was saturday night after all

anyway, my hubby and i went out to dinner, about 730. i usually would have had one at home prior to going out, but was so proud of myself cause i didn't! So, i order a wine and sip on it. i thought that the glasses were huge, but didn't feel like the pour was too much. so, dinner came and i hadn't finished my wine yet. but was almost done so i ordered another glass.
i had most of it left when we were finished. my husband had 3 glasses of wine during this time. so, his was all gone and he helped me drink mine. he probably drank 1/4 of it.

So, we come home and I'm feeling like I did pretty good. not EVEN 2 glasses at dinner. so, i poured a 1/2 a glass. i drank it then went to bed about 1030p.

so, about 2am, i woke up in a sweat. you know the feeling...the one where you've had too much to drink? heart racing, anxiety just KNOWING you're gonna be hungover tomorrow? can't sleep, etc. I have had that happen numerous times over the years when i have overindulged. but why last night?
why? WHY? I didn't feel like i drank too much. I don't have a hangover today, which is good, but I'm not sure what the fuss was about at 2am!
even if the pours were big, which they didn't seem big, I still had less than 2 of those.
so, it's gotten me scared into thinking it was withdrawals. if it was, it's ok now, right? i mean i'm past it, right? could i go AF tonight without fear of withdrawals? i'm scared to go from an amount that makes me do that, to none at all! is that just my ocd again?

i feel like it sabotaged me and I didn't even do anything wrong!

:(

[Eve11]

Morning Letgo,

Please remember that I am not a medical consultant for this board so whatever I say is strictly my opinion.

The OCD issues cross into the area of panic disorder and I think you'd get great help from this website that I have utilized in the past. I had a real severe panic attack many years ago and although reoccurrences have been sparse - just the fear of it happening again almost causes it to happen again.
It's frustrating for sure but this web site Anxiety Help - Practical, Powerful Solutions for Panic, Fears and Phobias gave me a lot of tools to work with and I think it can help you as well.

Check it out. I don't think it's the alcohol at all. You did good last night and that wasn't any kind of amount to have created problems for you...I don't believe that.

Let me/us know if you found anything useful at the website. They specifically address OCD issues as well there and it's a site you can sign up for for free emails.

Have a better day!!

Eve11
E

[letgolaughing]

thanks eve...you don't have to give a disclaimer! LOL

thanks for the website, i'll check it out. i have had anxiety and ocd for a long long time now and have never had a panic attack, although i do know that they can be related. i don't think it was a panic attack. i have read that alcohol can cause a fast heartrate, approx. 5-8 hours after the last drink. i actually read this morning that red wine is more likely to cause it.

i am wondering if since I have not had more than 2.5 drinks in the past 2 weeks if my tolerance had gone down? is that possible to go down that fast?

i just don't want it to sabotage my plan. 1.5 or 2 drinks was my plan tonight. with either 1 or zero tomorrow night. should i adjust my plan somehow to avoid withdrawals(ok, i know, i know... shut myself up)

[Eve11]

Letgo,

Not sure about the article you read about wine causing a rapid heartbeat. I do know that a rapid hearbeat can be caused when a person is allergic to sulfites in wine. Sulfites are used to preserve red and white wine as well as beer. If you're able to drink other forms of alcohol without a problem but have problems with wine and beer, you may be experiencing a sulfite reaction. You could talk to a Dr. about being tested for that allergy if it's been an ongoing problem for you.

I'm not concerned about you experiencing DT's like you are. I would suggest going to one of the newbie threads that address some of those withdrawal issues better if this continues to be a major concern for you and maybe you'll find better help there.

For the most part the people that tend to consider moderating are people who have more alcohol abuse issues than hard core alcoholic issues where they'd be experiencing DT's so we're not the experts on this thread about that. You may find more help on an AF thread regarding that.

IMHO your plan sounds good - I'd stick with it.

Peace to you
& cyber

Eve11

[letgolaughing]

i'm changing the plan.
i did 1.5 last night
i'm going to just try to do AF for a few days in a row this week starting today. my anxiety is really high at the thought of it just because of my ocd fear. i guess i will just need to take the leap. if i have a seizure, then obviously i'd need to quit drinking anyway!! so...screw it.

[Eve11]

Originally Posted by letgolaughing

so...screw it.

Letgo,
You'll be fine. Go back to the anxiety site I told you about. Dave gives wonderful advice and they addressed a lot of OCD issues as well as anxiety. Maybe read the one about the fear of flying and replace the words with fear of seizures and see if it helps.


Eve11

[Sunbeam]

LetGo,
I've been wondering about your age. Another possibility if you are mid-40's or over is hot flashes. I'm pretty well over that phase now at age 55, but in the past I believe I experienced a mix of hormonal fluxuations and too much alcohol.

[letgolaughing]

sunbeam...i am 44(almost 45 yikes). i had a total hysterectomy in Oct 2008.
i have been attributing the night sweats that i've had over the years to that, but honestly, i think it's both. i hear that alcohol totally exacerbates the hot flashes.

[Sunbeam]

OK, I think you have your answer: a mix of hormones, red wine and anxiety.