Alcohol and Anxiety, Hangxiety Causes, Risks, & Treatment

By We Level Up FL Treatment Center | Editor Yamilla Francese | Clinically Reviewed By Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS, Director of Quality Assurance | Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Last Updated: March 8, 2023

Alcohol And Anxiety Attacks

According to one study, 25% of persons with panic and anxiety disorders who sought therapy also had a history of alcohol consumption. [1]

GABA, serotonin, and dopamine are just a few of the brain chemicals that alcohol affects, and when these chemicals are changed, they can affect how the body responds to common events. Due to alcohol’s effects on GABA, a neurotransmitter often calming, panic might be brought on. Light drinking can enhance GABA and lead to feelings of calm, whereas severe drinking can deplete GABA and increase tension and panic attacks. GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain.

Alcohol self-medication is a common strategy used by people with panic disorder and many other anxiety disorders to ease their worries. They run the risk of developing an alcohol dependence over time when they drink more and more, which puts them at risk for alcohol withdrawal, which can cause terrible anxiety.

Anxiety Statistics

Anxiety, in its most fundamental form, is an excessive feeling of worry. The co-occurrence of anxiety disorders and alcohol addiction (alcohol use disorders or AUDs) is relatively common and is associated with a complex clinical presentation. Sound diagnosis and treatment planning requires that clinicians have an integrated understanding of the developmental pathways and course of this comorbidity. Moreover, standard interventions for anxiety disorders or AUDs may need to be modified and combined in targeted ways to accommodate the unique needs of people who have both disorders.

The education of the patient is crucial as it can help reduce anxiety. The triggers for anxiety should be managed by avoiding caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and stress and improving sleep. The nurse practitioner, pharmacist, and primary care provider should encourage the anxiety patient to stop tobacco, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks. Also, relief from stress is crucial, and thus a referral for cognitive behavioral therapy may help.

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Does Alcohol Make Anxiety Worse? Alcoholism And Anxiety

The extent of the relationship between anxiety disorders and alcohol problem differs across the specific combinations. For instance, a panic disorder commonly has a relatively large association with alcohol addiction. Whereas obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has the least consistent and typically weakest association with alcohol problems.

Anxiety and alcoholism can have several long-term health effects, including mental health difficulties. According to research, alcoholics have a hard time recovering from traumatic experiences. The effects of abusing alcohol, which can alter brain activity, may be to blame.

Heavy drinkers may be more feasible to develop an anxiety disorder for prolonged periods. However, no evidence exists that alcohol can cause anxiety with moderate drinking.

What is Hangxiety?

Maybe you have seen so many “hangxiety memes” while browsing things about alcohol and anxiety online. But whats hangxiety? According to hangxiety urban dictionary, hangxiety definition is “the overwhelming feeling of remorse, anxiety, and nervousness that follows a drinking binge.” The hangxiety meaning can also be explained scientifically as it belongs to mood changes during an alcohol hangover. Increased anxiety levels, decreased alertness, fatigue, lower arousal, physical discomfort, and emotional disturbance were commonly reported mood changes after drinking alcohol.

Understanding which hangover symptoms have the most impairing impact on mood and cognitive and physical functioning is crucial. This information is essential for those who aim to develop an effective hangxiety cure, as new treatments can specifically target these symptoms.

Hangxiety Symptoms

Headache, dizziness, and nausea of a hangover physical symptoms are all too typical to most people, but signs of hangxiety aren’t as well understood. Some of the most common symptoms linked with hangxiety include:

• Feeling depressed or anxious
• Feeling overwhelmed, worried, or embarrassed about the previous night and over-analyzing moments during drinking
• A feeling of existential dread
• Increased heart rate and state of restlessness
• Inability to focus
• Paranoia

The four most frequently reported hangover symptoms were tiredness, sleepiness, thirst, and concentration problems due to hangxiety. For each symptom, being tired, sleepiness, and headache had the most impact, respectively, except concentration problems, which had the highest impact on cognitive functioning. Reduced appetite, remorse, and thirst are often reported hangover symptoms with moderate to high severity.

What Causes Hangxiety?

The alcohol hangover refers to the mix of mental and physical symptoms experienced the day following a single bout of excessive drinking, initiating when blood alcohol content approaches zero. Many individuals undergoing the hangover reported lower alertness and contentment and higher mental fatigue and anxiety. Given that the alcohol hangover is described by worsened cognition and mood, individuals with a hangover may display an exaggerated stress and anxiety response.

How long does hangxiety last? For some heavy drinkers, hangxiety lasts for days.

Hangxiety Pills

The headache and general hangxiety physical symptoms and pains may be relieved by aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, other brands), and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs). Nevertheless, NSAIDs may aggravate an already inflamed stomach brought on by alcohol. You mustn’t take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for hangxiety for this reason. Check the label of any drugs you’re taking to ensure it’s okay to consume alcohol while taking them. The same applies to vitamins, herbal supplements, and other OTC drugs.

Many are thinking of taking Xanax for hangxiety. However, mixing Xanax and alcohol has the potential to harm your brain. Combining the two drugs can result in extreme drowsiness, delayed breathing, loss of consciousness, or even death since they both reduce brain activity. If at all possible, avoid using this combination. Alcohol can remain in the body for up to 6 hours in the blood, 12 to 24 hours on the breath, 12 to 24 hours in the urine (72 or more hours with more sophisticated detection methods), 12 to 24 hours in the saliva, and up to 90 days in the hair. Alcohol has a half-life of 4-5 hours.

Mixing Xanax and Alcohol Side Effects

Xanax is used to treat panic and anxiety disorders. But this is not an advisable hangxiety treatment. Besides, you should not have Xanax without getting a proper diagnosis that you need it for an anxiety disorder. Those who use this drug recreationally or without medical advice usually abuse it for its addictive properties as a benzodiazepine.

Sedation

Both Xanax and alcohol have sedative effects, so combining these two substances could make you feel impaired, sleepy, or exhausted. The usage of any medicine alone may potentially make you drowsy. Both drugs impact your muscles, making maintaining balance, coordination, and muscular control harder. Your speech can end up faltering or seeming slurred. When the medications are used or taken simultaneously, these side effects worsen.

Mood and Behavioral Effects

Depression, irritability, and confusion are side effects of Xanax. Suicidal thoughts are not frequently experienced by people, although they can transpire under particular circumstances. If you have suicidal thoughts, you must contact emergency help immediately.

Other rare adverse effects of combining Xanax and alcohol include:

• Aggression
• Hostile behavior
• Rage

Alcohol may also have a variety of adverse effects on your mood. Despite being a depressant, for some people, it will result in an improvement in mood. Some people may have harmful side effects, including sadness or depression. Also, drinking affects judgment and decreases inhibitions, making doing things you may not normally do simpler. When Xanax and alcohol are combined, these behavioral consequences and mood changes are more severe.

Memory Impairments

Xanax and alcohol are connected with memory loss, and the impact is more pronounced when the two substances are used simultaneously. Combining both substances increases the chances of an alcohol blackout, meaning you may not remember what happened.

Physical Side Effects

In addition to the adverse side effects listed above, these drugs can cause severe physical side effects. The most common physical effects of Xanax include the following:

• Low blood pressure
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Excessive drinking can cause blurred vision, headaches, and other gastrointestinal issues. Again, using the two drugs together will boost the possibilities you encounter these physical side effects.

It’s crucial to be aware of the potential drug interactions between alcohol and various drugs, such as some anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety medications, before seeking hangxiety supplements or answers on how to fix hangxiety. When blended with alcohol, your medicines may not work, and you may have increased anxiety, restlessness, or agitation.

Other adverse effects of certain drugs include memory loss or major physical health issues, including ulcers or organ damage when combined with alcohol.

Hangxiety Treatment

How to get rid of hangxiety fast? Begin by taking care of your essential physical necessities:

• Rehydrate. Drink an abundance of water throughout the day.
• Eat a light meal of soft foods. If you’re nauseous, broth, soda crackers, bananas, or dry toast can help soothe your stomach. Aim for whatever whole, healthy foods you like to eat. Avoid fatty or processed foods.
• Try to get some sleep. If you have difficulty sleeping, try taking a shower, putting on some calming music, or diffusing essential oil for aromatherapy. Make your sleeping atmosphere comfortable so you can rest, even if you can’t sleep.
• Try over-the-counter pain reliever. If you have a terrible headache or muscle aches, ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help relieve the pain. Just make sure to take only the suggested dose. Combining alcohol with NSAIDs could lead to stomach bleeding, so you should start with a smaller quantity and see if it benefits before taking more.

Top 5 How To Help Hangxiety? FAQs

Alcohol Anxiety Withdrawal

Increased anxiety is also a sign of alcohol withdrawal. If you’ve ingested alcohol in big amounts for a long period and abruptly stop drinking, your anxiety can be aggravated by the side effects of alcohol withdrawal. Other alcohol withdrawal anxiety symptoms include:

Withdrawal has a wide range of signs and symptoms, from mild tremors to a condition known as delirium tremens, which results in seizures and could advance to death if not identified and treated promptly. The reported mortality rate for individuals who experience delirium tremens due to alcohol withdrawal is 1 to 5%.

If the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal do not advance to more severe symptoms within 24 to 48 hours, the patient will presumably recover. However, the time to presentation and degree of symptoms can differ greatly depending on the patient, their course of alcohol dependence, and the volume generally consumed. Most alcohol withdrawal cases should be described by the severity of withdrawal symptoms, not the time since their last drink.

Documenting the time of their last drink is crucial in any patient with an alcohol addiction or dependency history presenting with other complaints. You can help avoid withdrawal by recognizing this: Some features that may increase your suspicion that a patient could suffer severe withdrawal include a history of previous delirium tremens and a history of low platelets (thrombocytopenia) or low potassium levels (hypokalemia).

Alcohol Withdrawal and Anxiety, Timeline, & Treatment Video

When you stop drinking, alcohol withdrawal timeline symptoms like agitation, tremors, dehydration, and anxiety can be expected. The severity of alcohol detox can be felt within hours of stopping drinking. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms occur when someone drinking too much alcohol regularly abruptly stops drinking. The more a person consumes alcohol regularly, the more possible they will have alcohol withdrawal symptoms when they cease drinking. According to the National Institute of Health, alcohol withdrawal signs and symptoms include difficulty sleeping, alcohol cravings, reduced energy, and feeling depressed or low.

Alcohol withdrawal can be uncomfortable, risky, and even deadly without appropriate professional detox treatment. More so if the patient is a heavy drinker for a longer period. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, tremors, sweating, and nausea. More severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms include fever, mental confusion, and seizures. The safer method to detox from alcohol is under properly supervised medical alcohol detox treatment.

Best Anti Anxiety Medication For Alcoholics

When you struggle with alcohol and anxiety disorders, you should begin receiving treatment as soon as possible. Patients with alcohol addiction and social anxiety benefitted from Paxil and Seroxat (paroxetine.) Sertraline, an SSRI, has shown efficacy in treating dual diagnosis anxiety and alcohol use disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, SSRIs should be used cautiously when patients actively drink, as they may increase alcohol consumption. It was found that buspirone, gabapentin, and pregabalin were also helpful in treating comorbid alcohol and anxiety problems. It is worth noting that in alcohol and anxiety treatment, compared to men, women experience higher levels of stress and anxiety and are more tolerant of continuing their alcohol use.

We Level Up Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Alcoholism Anxiety Disorders

The exact definition of dual diagnosis (also referred to as co-occurring disorders) can differ between institutions.  However, it is generally defined as treating someone diagnosed with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder simultaneously. Treating dual-diagnosis clients is critical to our inpatient treatment experience because co-occurring disorders correlate strongly with substance and alcohol abuse.

Creating a treatment plan that addresses the physical aspects of anxiety and alcohol withdrawal, the psychological connection with alcohol drinking, and managing underlying mental health disorders is part of setting clients up for success. A thorough mental health analysis identifies possibilities for treatment. Meeting with mental health counselors and medical care providers means access to behavioral therapy and medication treatment. At our dual diagnosis treatment center, We Level Up can implement the highest quality of care. 

We recognize the fragile complexities of how mental and substance use disorders can influence others and sometimes result in a vicious cycle of addiction. That’s why we offer specialized treatment in dual-diagnosis cases to provide the most excellent chance of true healing and long-lasting recovery.

Accepting that you may be living with a mental illness can be challenging. However, once properly diagnosed and treated, treating the presenting case of alcohol abuse can be magnitudes easier. Only a properly trained medical professional can diagnose these underlying conditions. If you believe you are suffering from a disorder alongside addiction, we urge you to seek a qualified treatment center to begin your journey to recovery. Call We Level Up today. Each call is private and confidential.

Top 10 Anxiety and Alcoholism Cycle FAQs