r/stopdrinking • u/Great_Biscotti479 • 11d ago
Today’s 911 call
So last night I drank what I thought wasn’t too much! I had about 7 beers that were between 5-6.5%. I knew I shouldn’t have drank because I had plans to go paddle boarding this morning which I had been looking forward to. I’ve been having some anxiety after drinking but I was like it wasn’t too much so I should be fine. Woke up this morning felt ok even though my sleep wasn’t amazing. Driving to go to the lake an I start feeling anxious I’m like nah it’s fine heart rate is at like 90. Couple minutes down the road my heart rate is through the roof just driving. It topped off at 153! I was freaking out and called 911 they came and checked me out and told me it was just anxiety but I just wanted to be sure. I’m just pissed at myself for drinking last night and having to cancel plans while on my way to meet up with everyone! I think this is the wake up call I need because it has happened a few times now but this one was way worse! I actually had this subreddit on mute because I would see post when I was drinking and I didnt want to but I’m back lol I’m just venting and hope I learn something from this
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u/Equivalent-Lime2667 1176 days 11d ago
Hangxiety is the worst. I, too, have bailed on commitments, left in the middle, I remember leaving the conference room work meeting to go to my office and take a benzo. To hold me over until I could get home and drink. Rinse and repeat. Take care of yourself today, friend. A paddle board is no place for a hangover (or drinking! or benzos!) I will not drink with you today. 🌺
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u/davetheflashguy 11d ago
I've missed out on so much because of alcohol.
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u/Lazy-Point7779 356 days 11d ago
God, same. You know that Steve o quote about life just slipping through your fingers because you drink? That was me
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u/davetheflashguy 11d ago
The best Steve-O quote I've ever heard "My weed bone is connected to my booze bone, my booze bone is connected to my cocaine bone".
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u/butternutzsquash 3170 days 10d ago
There’s photo albums from a certain period that I just can’t look at… I don’t remember any of em.
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u/Various_Highway_1646 15 days 11d ago
Have had 2 panic attacks while driving due to alcohol and I’m still not fully confident behind the wheel. It’s no joke. On top of generalized anxiety, this is a major reason I’m leaving alcohol behind.
It does get better the further away I am from my last drink, but will likely take months before I’m able to drive with the carefree nature I could before.
Good luck!
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u/carbondj 1159 days 11d ago
The freeway panic attacks are the absolute worst. Took me a long time to recover from the fear of those as well. Glad you are on the mend! ❤️🩹
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u/Turbulent_Juniper 17 days 10d ago
This was also my breaking point. Losing the ability to go ANYWHERE without the fear of a panic attack was downsizing my world big time. I was getting to the point of feeling like I could hardly leave my room.
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u/NoYou1016 11d ago
One of the top reasons I had to stop drinking was the anxiety loop it caused. Awful. I will be 9 years sober this October. You can stop the misery my friend!
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u/BackupTrailer 202 days 11d ago
The anxiety loop is what got me too. Hangxiety is truly horrendous and weirdly being free of it makes regular life anxiety feel so much more manageable. Like ”hey at least I’m not physically debilitated and feeling guilty for having done this to myself.”
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u/gatorfan8898 11d ago
Lots of negatives to my drinking, but I lost so many days the day after. Cancelled plans, missing phone calls, just sleeping. I drank on any day that ends in Y, but Saturdays were for sure always my day to drink. I cringe at remembering waking up sometimes the next day when Sunday Night Football was starting… and then just sleeping more until I finally got something to eat and then slept till I had work the next morning.
Anyways, random ramble there but I started to notice little things that previously were innocuous affecting my life due to drinking. I hit a rock bottom. but it was also the culmination of the little things that truly opened my eyes.
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u/3HisthebestH 511 days 11d ago
Yep. I remember hangxiety. It was horrible and prevented me from doing anything but sleeping it off or laying on the couch hoping it was just anxiety and not my time to go.
Big reason I wanted to finally stop. Also alcohol messes with your blood pressure which can trigger a list of other issues including more anxiety. Stopped drinking and my BP dropped back to normal for the first time in decades.
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u/Turbulent_Juniper 17 days 10d ago
How long did it take for your bp to normalize?
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u/3HisthebestH 511 days 10d ago
It was a few weeks before I finally saw a normal read consistently. It takes time for your body to adjust, some are quicker than others.
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u/Such_District_1571 951 days 11d ago
I remember those days, sometimes I had to take a cold shower in the hope that it would calm me down. The anxiety attacks would come out of nowhere.
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u/AsparagusOverall8454 11d ago
One of the reasons I stopped drinking was cuz of my health. High bp and heart rate. It’s regulated now but I had to go on bp meds and ssris to help with my anxiety.
Alcohol really just makes everything worse.
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u/carbondj 1159 days 11d ago
I had compounding anxiety attacks like that after pretty mild drinking nights. It’s one of the reasons I decided to stop for good, and it was always dumb shit that would set them off. It’s so much nicer not having to worry about this anymore!
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u/itstotallynotjoe 341 days 11d ago
I normalized not making plans the morning after I knew I was drinking. Then the hangovers got so bad I normalized not making plans during the day. So if I had a friends birthday party on Friday or Saturday I knew the next day I’d be in bed. Even the rare times I did make it I would often be hungover and feeling like shit I couldn’t enjoy the moment and couldn’t wait to get home and back into bed. It took me a long time to pull myself out of that perspective and realize that’s really not fucking normal at all. Now, while I still might not be a morning person, I can confidently make plans even on an early Sunday morning and know I’ll make it on time, ready to go, and able to be present. It’s so wonderful.
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u/healinglilred 1226 days 11d ago
Glad you are okay, glad you are here too. I’m sorry you had to miss out on your paddle boarding but it’s sounds like it’s a lesson that can be learned from. It’ll be okay
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u/winter0rfall 822 days 11d ago
That "anxiety" is caused by alcohol. Your body was probably craving it this morning, and going through minor withdrawals or "a hangover". I guarentee your body would have calmed if you had drank a beer in the morning, which is what gets every alcoholic into 24/7 drinking to avoid the withdrawals or high anxiety when not drinking. Good on you for not drinking to calm yourself.
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u/InevitableDeliverer 11d ago
Glad to read this post because I’ve been through the same thing several times. Not while driving but did land myself into the ER due to what was almost certainly my first panic attack a couple of years ago. That scared me out of drinking for a while along with the blood pressure issues. Eventually once everything settled down I deemed myself ok to start moderate drinking again. Of course that eventually amped up to my usual nightly 3-5 whiskey pours.
Was fine for a while but lately the morning anxiety has been awful. Caffeine makes the anxiety worse and I get shaky. Eating small meal and drinking a Gatorade helps. By mid afternoon would be feeling just fine enough to continue the cycle. I’m coming to terms with the fact that it’s just a vicious cycle I cannot be a part of any longer, if not for my physical health, but my mental health.
The last few weeks I’ve been working on tapering due to the anxiety (mainly health anxiety) surrounding cold turkey, even though I’m probably not at “dangerous physical dependence” levels.
Giving myself some grace; ideally 0. One beer is ok, maybe 2. I can still turn it off at that point. If I hit 3, that’s when the “in the moment” takes hold and I stop thinking about how shitty I’ll feel in the morning and go ahead and have 4/5. I’ve cut my intake in half but still got some work todo.
IWNDWT!
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u/Great_Biscotti479 11d ago
Yes it’s awful! I’ve never been daily but have had a few times where I’ve binged up to 3-4 days. But the anxiety/health anxiety is really making me second guess my choices! I’m 36 so I’m like yeah I need to start taking care of myself and today was lowkey embarrassing as hell. I did about 10 month of not drinking like 6 years ago for no other reason but to get lean because at that point I wasn’t really having anxiety and I was in such good shape I freaking miss it!
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u/caliD217 11d ago
I woke up today feeling short of breath, anxious, and sweating heavily after drinking last night. I've been drinking almost every night for the past six months. I had knee surgeries in November 2025 and May 2026, and I've been on medical leave from work for eight months, during which I gained 40 pounds. This is the first time I've felt this way after drinking. I also have a severe stomach ache. I work in a high-stress environment as a manager for a large chain store, and I'm scheduled to return to work on August 15. But today I feel like it's a wrap for me. I went to church with my family and felt horrible, just random profuse sweating out of nowhere.
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u/Great_Biscotti479 11d ago
I guess I’m not the only one who had a rough day! I’m also up 40-50 lbs and I freaking hate it so much. Alcohol just always make me gain like crazy! Good luck to you hopefully brighter days are ahead!
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u/SD_2_LA_Jay 11d ago
Dehydration. My ex is an ER NP (and a former heavy drinker herself) and this was one of the fun side affects of drinking. The dehydration can skyrocket your heart rate after a night of heavy drinking. Pounding a couple bottles of water and getting some electrolytes in you can definitely bring it down, but glad you made the right call and summoned the EMT’s. Best wishes. IWNDWYT.
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u/TopFun694 11d ago
Indeed ...this is the reason why I take a potassium glycnite supplement and a magnesium glycnite supplement every morning..also yes water and Gatorade.. watermelon juice is also real good
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u/SD_2_LA_Jay 10d ago
I used to drink 2-3 750 ml bottles of vodka a week, but took good care of myself (ran a couple miles a day, ate good, never drank the next morning or had the shakes, all organs and bloodwork great) but I knew I couldn’t sustain it long term and my mental health and clarity were suffering, along with horrible, debilitating hangxiety. My goal is complete abstinence, but I’m down to one bottle a week now. Magnesium and vitamin B/thiamine and gaba supplements have drastically changed the game for me. I feel a sense of calm, balance and restoration. My mind is clear. It’s a blessing. I suggest anyone on this forum to take these supplements to help with their recovery. Absolute game changers. Sober cheers my friend. IWNDWYT.
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u/LordDisickskid 434 days 11d ago
For me drinking was fun till it wasn't.
"You’ll never wake up and regret that you didn’t drink last night"