AboutJan Edward Williams Expertise all questions related to drug or alcohol addiction, except those requiring the expertise of a physician or those relating to mental health problems apart from addiction. See my web site: http://www.alcoholdrugsos.com
Experience I have been working as a licensed addictions counselor for 29 years and am in recovery myself for 31 years
Organizations Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors Maryland
Maryland Addictions Professional Certification Board
Education/Credentials MS Counseling
Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Maryland
Expert: Jan Edward Williams Date: 6/11/2008 Subject: Anxiety and Alcohol don't mix
Question I currently have been diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). I have been taking Zoloft which seems to be working. I recently found out my husband has been cheating on me. We are going to marriage counseling to work this out. He told me that my drinking bothers him and he had never told me that. I am 30 years old and all of my friends drink a lot on weekends but when I do I get super drunk and have a major anxiety attack the next day where i can't even get out of bed whereas my friends just have hangovers. I had asked my husband over and over if this was bothering him and he kept saying it was fine, everybody gets drunk. He would even go buy me a bottle of wine even if I asked him not to. He doesn't drink, he smokes marijuana on a daily basis. I know I am not supposed to be drinking especially with my anxiety, but as someone with anxiety, drinking makes me feel better at the moment but triple as bad the next day. I know I am not an alcoholic as I don't need to have it everyday, but maybe I am a binge drinker? At this point, I have no idea how my marriage is going to work out and have been stressed and have been drinking more. Do you think I am the type of person that can have a few drinks once my life gets back in line? Is a binge drinker an alcoholic?
Answer Hello Eva,
Thanks for your question. As currently used, the term "binge drinker" usually means someone who drinks to the point of causing some adverse consequences 1-2 times per week, and does not suggest the person is alcoholic (maybe has a diagnosis of alcohol abuse). The information you have given in your question is not enough for me to make a definitive diagnosis of alcoholism, but there are some significant indicators of alcoholism: you drink to the point of being drunk rather than to be just sightly "buzzed" to be social; you drink to excess in the face of serious consequences the next day (incapacitating anxiety); you drink to medicate anxiety, and, more recently, to handle stress of marital problems; you drink when it is contraindicated to do so because of your diagnosed GAD (heavy alcohol use will not only aggravate the anxiety, but also interfere with the medication you take to treat the anxiety); and your drinking is causing tension in your relationship with your husband. I'm not sure of the validity of my last problem indicator (tension in relationship), however; I find it peculiar that your husband had never said your drinking bothered him and even bought you wine when told not to by you. I wonder if this behavior by your husband relates to his own daily marijuana use (a problem), and/or his infidelity?
I suggest that with the problem indicators I described, any use of alcohol by you at this point in time is irrational, that you should stop drinking, and find more positive self-enhancing ways to deal with stress and anxiety, perhaps through therapy. Good luck,
Jan Williams
www.alcoholdrugsos.com
