Information that alcohol is the strongest antidepressant is available only to doctors. Few people who do not have a professional psychiatric education are familiar with the real principle of the action of alcohol on the nervous system. In modern society, the culture of drinking alcoholic beverages has exceeded all possible limits. More and more people begin to abuse alcohol, while they do not consider themselves alcoholics. This is a common problem. And only when a panic attack occurs after drinking alcohol, the addict begins to worry about his condition.
What is a panic attack
In psychiatry, the term "panic attack" means not just anxiety, but confusion, horror, panic. This state comes over the patient like a wave, suddenly. In this case, most often there are no real reasons for the development of horror, anxiety and fear. Not only psychiatry, but also neurology deals with the paradox of panic attacks.
In the treatment of panic attacks "there is where to turn around" for both the psychiatrist and the neuropathologist. Treatment most often takes place with the participation of a psychotherapist: sometimes the sessions of this specialist turn out to be even more effective than a course of pharmacological treatment.
Interaction of spirits and PA
People with alcohol addiction are characterized by a stable occurrence of panic attacks from about the middle of the first stage. At first they are very weak - a slight tremor, vague anxiety, rapid heartbeat, red spots on the neck and hands.
It is very rare for a patient to notice a relationship between the fact of alcohol abuse and a panic attack. From about the beginning of the second stage, memory lapses begin. At the same time, alcohol and panic attacks begin to "walk hand in hand." The patient already understands that, first of all, it is necessary to eradicate the fact of ethanol abuse. But sometimes it's too late - addiction has already deeply rooted in the psyche.
Main symptoms and signs of a panic attack
People are often unaware that they have experienced a panic attack. As the number of damaged nerve cells and nervous tension, chronic fatigue and stress increase, these symptoms will intensify:
- lack of air;
- unreasonable feeling of horror;
- feeling like death is about to happen due to lack of air;
- heart pounding;
- fainting, lossconsciousness;
- stars and dark spots in the eyes;
- dizziness;
- severe anxiety for no apparent reason;
- hyperhidrosis: profuse sweating in the armpits, hands, forehead, feet;
- feeling of derealization and depersonalization - as if everything that happens around is not happening here and not with this person.
Differences between a panic attack and excitement and anxiety
Episodes of bad mood, implicit anxiety and blues happen to every person. Do not confuse this condition with panic attacks. With the latter, a person develops not just fear, but horror. Many patients at such a moment think that they will die any second. Moreover, there are no objective reasons for such feelings. If there are complaints after alcohol: “I can’t sleep”, “panic attacks”, “feeling of imminent death” (according to the patient), then a simple test should be performed to find out the causes of discomfort.
At the moment when such a state of surging again, you should try to control your breathing. At the count of four - a slow deep breath, at the count of times - a sharp exhalation. If you manage to pass the test and the anxiety subsides, then this is not a panic attack. If it were her, the patient would be so confused and depressed that he simply could not count in his mind.
The effect of alcoholic beverages on the body
Why is alcohol forbidden for VVD and panic attacks? After all, wine, good expensive cognac, fragrant tequila and rum cocktails so relax, pacify, give harmony. So thinks half of the inhabitants of our country. And such thoughts most often indicate the development of addiction.
Alcoholic drinks, especially if they are abused, are the most obvious cause of the development of VSD, psychosis, depression, anxiety, panic attacks. This list of problems takes into account only the effect of ethyl alcohol on nerve cells and the psyche. The effect on the liver and other internal organs is even worse.
Why is there a state of intoxication, loss of coordination, slight euphoria, talkativeness? This is paralysis of the nervous system. Neurons die in monstrous amounts (about 50,000 for every 50 grams of vodka), and a person perceives this process as "antidepressive", "good rest" and "fun". At specialized narcological forums, this information is provided in the public domain in reviews. Alcohol and panic attacks are each other's constant companions.
Which drink to choose so that there are no problems in terms of the psyche?
This is a tricky question that every addict asks himself. The problem becomes so obvious that it is no longer possible to turn a blind eye to it. Panic attacks become more frequent, and the person continues to drink.
And an extraordinary decision comes to mind - to drink drinks with a lower strength - wine, beer, cocktails. This is mistake. You should once and for all give up alcohol - and panic attacks will pass like a bad dream. Any alcoholic drink contains ethyl alcohol, which destroys the cells of the brain and nervous system. no difference what to drink - 200 gramscognac or two liters of beer - the effect will be the same.
Can alcohol treat anxiety, depression and panic attacks?
Another common mistake of narcologist and psychiatrist patients. Sick people are trying to treat panic attacks and mental problems with the very substance that provoked them.
Alcohol for mental problems will not be advised by any doctor, ever. "Alcohol helps with panic attacks" is a misconception. Some patients experience difficult circumstances in their lives: problems at work, severe stress or grief in the family. These reasons can also provoke the appearance of PA. A person is embarrassed to turn to a specialized doctor with his problem, trying to drown out his problems in the usual way - by drinking.
The patient has a completely logical question - is it possible to drink alcohol during panic attacks? After all, at first glance, relief comes for a couple of hours. But then invariably comes hangovers and loss of cognitive function. Albeit not immediately - tolerance to ethyl alcohol develops slowly, and alcoholism sneaks up behind the "relaxing" patient with quiet steps, forcing him to run in a vicious circle. Alcohol is powerless against panic attacks.
The three stages of alcoholism and their connection with panic attacks
Modern medicine distinguishes three stages of addiction, and the treatment of psychosomatic he alth problems will be different for each of them.
- The first stage is characterized by high tolerance and not yet drunken organism. The patient has almost no hangover, he feels great the next morning after a stormy party. Dangerous calls - he cannot imagine a holiday and fun without alcoholic beverages, loses control over the amount of alcohol he drinks. At the end of the first stage of alcoholism, panic attacks, sleep problems, and a psychotic state develop.
- The second stage is characterized by a decrease in tolerance, slightly smaller doses of alcohol are needed to achieve euphoria. There are more and more side effects from abuse. A person begins to have memory lapses, attacks of aggression, horror, fear. For those patients who are still capable of mental activity, the question arises - why did panic attacks become so frequent after alcohol? Unwinding the tangle of reasons, the patient understands that he is an alcoholic and his condition is a consequence of alcoholism. He is taking steps towards recovery. In such cases, the prognosis is favorable - the person recovers, forgets about mental problems and lives on with a happy sober life.
- The third stage is no longer just accompanied by panic attacks. Such patients are characterized by a full-fledged alcoholic psychosis. In medicine, it is called delirium, and in the people it is called "squirrel". The patient is no longer able to help himself, his relatives are also powerless. The psychiatric emergency team should be called.
What drugs to choose for the treatment of panic attacks afteralcohol
What to do if the day before a person has gone through alcohol, and in the morning you have to go to work? And inopportunely, panic attacks, tremors, groundless fear and a sense of the proximity of death begin. Such a state is a completely natural result of developing alcoholism.
- Tranquilizers of the benzodiazepine series will make a person calm and allow you to forget about PA during therapy. These pills are not sold without a prescription from a doctor. These are Atarax, Diazepam, Phenazepam. Incompatible when taken simultaneously with alcohol. They have an inhibitory effect on the nervous system.
- Antidepressants can radically change a patient's life: help get rid of alcohol addiction, PA, anxiety, blues and depression. It is impossible to choose such a medicine for yourself. The antidepressant is selected based on the individual characteristics of the patient.
- If a panic attack occurs the next day after alcohol, you should try asking the doctor for a prescription for mood stabilizers or nootropics. Depending on individual characteristics, these drugs will improve cognitive functions, memory, allow you to quickly focus on current affairs, reduce anxiety and groundless fear, and establish a sound and he althy sleep.
Folk treatments for PA caused by alcohol abuse
Alas, in our country a visit to a psychiatrist is still associated with the bias of others. Do not worry: every person now has certainmental problems. And the sooner you start treating them, the better. Tens of thousands of patients are postponing a visit to a psychiatrist, trying to find folk remedies that will help with panic attacks.
If the nature of a panic attack is true, no folk remedies can help. Only drug effects on neurotransmitters. You can try to drink St. John's wort infusion, this plant is famous for its sedative properties. You should not expect much - while taking St. John's wort, it will become easier to fall asleep, the intensity of PA may decrease slightly, but they will not completely go away.
Advice from a narcologist: is it worth it for people with VVD and PA to drink at all
Simple tips on how to improve your psychological state, put your nerves in order and forget about PA:
- absolutely stop drinking alcohol and not try to take even a little of it;
- minimize smoking;
- prevent hunger: for the first time after giving up doping, carbohydrates are vital for the brain;
- you should change your reaction to stress and adversity: after all, this is not a reason to drink and be nervous;
- you should do calming gymnastics: yoga, Pilates, kundalini, callanetics, stretching are ideal;
- the basics of pranayama - proper deep breathing - will help prevent the acute moment of the development of a panic attack and minimize its manifestations;
- if none of the above work, you should try dependency coding.
