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How do You Handle Your Anxiety in Early Recovery

manofadude

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
67
Sorry to keep straying from your topic Cj but honestly I dont know how to make a thread and get frustrated when I try and find out how. So does anybody else get really nervous at dumb things. Like I was watching that 70's show and I was getting so nervous and anxious at just them yelling at each other. I don't even know how to explain the anxiety I get from it
 
Have you had anxiety prior to drug use? You mind sharing little of your history? Anxiety gets horrible when quitting, especially if you're coming off of benzos and opiates. The best thing to do is exercise. It will destroy a shit ton of angst and make you more relaxed afterwards. Fortunately I'm fine with benzos, so I can use them. to combat this type of anxiety when coming off and not be hooked on something else.
 
Just coming off benzos and it's been 4 months. I've always had social anxiety. But the kind of anxiety I get now is so different. I will get anxious to solely the intrusive thoughts that come in my head and won't go away. If it helps also I could turkeyed klonopin and Xanax prior to maybe 2 years of use and abuse
 
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction would be of huge help for you given your struggle with anxiety. Check it out, there a lots of MBSR course (six weeks long, two hours a week class in person, daily homework and a daylong retreat at the courses conclusion. Great stuff for dealing with mental illness and chronic conditions - just so long as the teacher/facilitator knows what she is doing (many if not most MBSR teachers I have met were just barely operating above the words "lacking, inferior").

If you find a couple you think you might like, let me know what they are so I can help you get a good idea which one is likely to be better at addressing your needs. I mean, they are all essentially the same, but each teacher has their own style and goes at their own speed. Some you will also hit it off better than with others.
 
Sorry to keep straying from your topic Cj but honestly I dont know how to make a thread and get frustrated when I try and find out how. So does anybody else get really nervous at dumb things. Like I was watching that 70's show and I was getting so nervous and anxious at just them yelling at each other. I don't even know how to explain the anxiety I get from it

Dude, I totally feel you. I was up all night last night, worrying and stressing over the lamest shit.

Personally, exercise helps. But when I get depressed/anxious, my ability to force myself to get to the gym fades quickly. I want like hell for meditation/mindfullness stuff to be part of my life, but unfortunately, I've never had much luck getting past the sheer strangeness of sitting. Over the years, I've been tutored on a fair number of CBT and DBT-related stress reduction skills, but again, their effectiveness for me personally has been limited.

Honestly, exercise and properly scripted anxiolytics are the mainstays of my efforts at calming down.

Oh, sometimes working on an enjoyable hobby (e.g. playing music or painting) can slow me down too.
 
i try to get quiet to see where i can focus this energy which sometimes manifests as depression/anxiety. sometimes its just a matter of waiting until a spell passes. lately i'm getting into the idea of writing down things i want to accomplish in a day, so it gives me some structure and there is a feeling of accomplishment and facing my fears at the end of the day. even the smallest things can count like getting outside and walking for 15 mins.

i have fun cooking/reading/running/swimming/gardening/tidying/walking my dog/meditating, everyone's different but there are things out there that can be a source of enjoyment which are positive.
 
I think I have to work on making new friends and getting myself out of the house. All I do all day is sit around watch tv and sleep and go to the gym to end my day. Probably not the best routine. It's just nerve wrecking trying to make friends because now all I think about is if they notice something's off about me or think I'm as stupid as I think I am. Still hard to hold a full conversation yet think of something to say
 
yeah i often experience the same thing. i think the key is to start to open up to life more, become curious about things, try new things, find things you enjoy and excite you. once you are interested, you become interesting, it attracts people as well because its contagious.
 
I just thought of a great way to interpret another type of feels I have. Does anybody else feel like they have to force themselves to do the things they once found the most fun. Video games/TV/ whatever it may be for you?
 
yeah i often experience the same thing. i think the key is to start to open up to life more, become curious about things, try new things, find things you enjoy and excite you. once you are interested, you become interesting, it attracts people as well because its contagious.

I agree, it's contagious.
 
I feel like it's all rough but this is the part where you have to put in the work I guess
 
Dude, I totally feel you. I was up all night last night, worrying and stressing over the lamest shit.

Personally, exercise helps. But when I get depressed/anxious, my ability to force myself to get to the gym fades quickly. I want like hell for meditation/mindfullness stuff to be part of my life, but unfortunately, I've never had much luck getting past the sheer strangeness of sitting. Over the years, I've been tutored on a fair number of CBT and DBT-related stress reduction skills, but again, their effectiveness for me personally has been limited.

Honestly, exercise and properly scripted anxiolytics are the mainstays of my efforts at calming down.

Oh, sometimes working on an enjoyable hobby (e.g. playing music or painting) can slow me down too.
Now I can't even work out for awhile anymore because my right arm is twice maybe more the size of my left arm now. I'm 140 pounds. My left arm has always been my greatest weakness..ugh
 
I had terrible anxiety in early recovery, and I was actually honest with my psychiatrist that I was in recovery so benzos were off the table. I think in the end what actually cured that anxiety was Prozac. It took a while, it's not like popping a Valium. But eventually that terrible anxiety diminished.

There is also an antihistamine that is prescription called Vistaril (Hydroxyzine) which is used a lot with recovering addicts and alcoholics for anxiety.
 
I have a bottle or two of hydroxyzine from when I was 16 but I don't know how good of an idea it would be to take it and i as well know it takes 2 weeks to build up in your bloodstream and work
 
That's weird for me it works right away. It's like strong Benadryl. I doubt that old drugs would be bad for you. That would be a major liability for drug companies. They just lose their potency because they degrade into inactive compounds. But you could always freshen up the scrip next time you see your Doctor. It's a pretty benign drug, I'm sure they would have no problem giving you a scrip if you told them what it was for. Friend of mine was popping them like crazy when he was kicking Ativan.
 
Now I can't even work out for awhile anymore because my right arm is twice maybe more the size of my left arm now. I'm 140 pounds. My left arm has always been my greatest weakness..ugh

I'm telling you working out will change your life. It makes you feel amazing while you're doing it, and afterwards you're body and mind is relaxed.
I've been working out most of my life. It's a game changer for me after acute WD's. Start small. Do arm work outs with the same weight and reps until both arms are the same strength. You can do all exercises (bench, leg workouts, pull downs etc.) At the level of the weaker arm. I regularly come off of benzos and I have a pretty good system for combating the rebound anxiety.
Also teylenol pms will be your best friend for sleep as well as a light dose in the day time to manage anxiety. Trust me. You'll start feeling better on so many levels.
 
I took a 25mg hydroxyzine and I wanna say it's helping but any difference is to little to notice. There are good spells and bad spells and I feel like maybe I'm in a good spell or this is how it's affecting me?
 
Seriously starting to feel like there's no escape from the bad thoughts I have. I've been looking into getting a handgun because I've wanted one for the longest time but not I don't even think it's safe for me to have one. I can look at a lizard on the ground and automatically start thinking of bad things. This isn't good
 
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