hi.....

i dont want to make this a long story...............1 year ago i had a panic attack that ruined me..............islipped into depression and have had severe anxiety.......however i have actually gotten a little better and i refuse to take meds...heres the issue

i began to drink more the usual since this happened.................i only drink at night with dinner however i drink anywhere from 1/2 litlre to 1 litre of wine NO HARD LIQUOR.............the only change i feel in my health is sometimes during the day my hands shake.....now my father has had this he tells me his whole life and said he was told it was essential trmors which is not dangerous.he never drinks.........how do i know if im shaking due to alcholh or due to that eseential tremore also i wanted to know if you guys think if i stop drinking will i have severe withdrawls....................i have uncles who have drank this way fro 40 yrs and seem fine lol so i dont know what to think.

thank you

Hello Anxious

Nice to meet you and glad to see you posting.

Those tremors? I think the most logical way to acertain whether they are essential tremors or tremors from alcohol use is to stop the drinking and see if they eventually stop.

In all kindness, the tremors are of less importance than the amount of alcohol you are consuming daily. It does not matter if it is beer, Jack Daniels or wine. It is alcohol... and too much of it on a really regular basis. While you may not be taking any prescibed meds after that panic attack and subsequent depression, you are, without a doubt, self-medicating. Alcohol, like any benzo ( ie: Xanax, Ativan) that is prescibed for anxiety is a depressant and a calmer on the surface. Misuse of alcohol, like benzos, will eventaully cause depression. Both mask physical symptoms initially and then cause their own set of symptoms. Both work on the body and ultimately affect the brain.

I believe that counseling through either a 12 step program like AA or private therapy is needed to find the true underlying cause of the depression. behind every single person who abuses drugs or alcohol lies unresolved issues. Find the source of conflict in ourselves, face them, deal with them, and we find the way to a restored life without the self-medicating.

I wish you well and hope that you will come back and share more.

Best wishes
reach

hi

thank you for your response ........

i appreciate that you care

my concern with meds are that they are still not proven safe.......

alcholo has been around for ages i know its not good for me but its better than paxil or xanax. our society has conditioned us to belief that meds are ok however the long term effects of these meds are very uncertain......i know drinking a half lite of wine at night is not good either even though im italian and its considered "normal" ive come along way from my panic attack maybe i have used wine as a med but i cant see how its anyworse then meds like xanax