Does Alcohol Cause Anxiety?

Alcohol is one of the most easily accessible and widely used psychoactive substances in the world. It is a depressant that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior, mood, and cognition. While moderate alcohol consumption may not harm some, excessive drinking can lead to serious physical and mental health problems. In light of this, many people may wonder: “Does alcohol cause anxiety?” The answer is yes, it can.

While many people drink alcohol to relax, socialize, or cope with stress, it is important to understand that it is a mind-altering drug and can be seriously addictive. The effects of alcohol on an individual vary depending on factors such as age, weight, gender, tolerance level, and amount consumed. But regardless of these differences, prolonged use of alcohol can result in negative consequences including but not limited to anxiety.

Does Alcohol Cause Anxiety? 

Yes, alcohol can cause anxiety. With that said, anxiety is often tied to both biological and situational factors. If you feel more anxious in the hours or days after drinking heavily, however, it likely isn’t a coincidence. Many people experience an uptick in anxiety or what’s been dubbed “hangxiety” after drinking alcohol. Anyone can experience these effects, but it’s more common in people who have existing anxiety disorders like:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder and panic attacks
• Social phobia

Ironically, many people who suffer from these disorders begin drinking to self-medicate their anxiety. Unfortunately, alcohol consumption can actually make your anxiety worse in the long run. This is especially true for individuals who have problematic drinking habits such as binge drinking or heaving drinking. 

That being said, your chances of experiencing anxiety from drinking are lower if follow the U.S. dietary guidelines for moderate drinking:

• No more than one drink a day for women.
• No more than two drinks a day for men.

If you’re drinking beyond that—especially if you already have an anxiety disorder—you should take a closer look at your alcohol use. It may be contributing to your feelings of unease.

Can Alcohol Relieve Anxiety?

There is something to the belief that alcohol can “calm your nerves.” Ethanol, the main ingredient in alcohol, is a depressant, which means it slows down your central nervous system. It does this by suppressing neuron signaling related to feelings like fear and stress. This can temporarily reduce anxiety because it may make you feel calmer and more relaxed.

While drinking can initially feel like it’s calming you and loosening you up, drinking to ease anxiety can backfire. It’s a temporary feeling. Instead, drinking often causes rebound anxiety that is worse than the symptoms you were trying to self-medicate with alcohol.

Why Does Alcohol Cause Anxiety?

Alcohol can fuel anxiety in a few ways:

• BAC levels
• Brain chemical imbalances
• Tolerance
• Alcohol cravings
• Alcohol withdrawal
• The aftermath of alcohol abuse
• Rebound effect

BAC Levels

Though alcohol is a depressant, research suggests you may feel some stimulating effects based on your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). These may include feeling talkative, energetic, and uninhibited. Blood alcohol concentration is affected by factors like:

• Weight
• Metabolism
• How fast you drink over a period of time
• Gender
• How much food is in your stomach
• What you mix alcohol with (soda, energy drinks, etc.)
• Ethnicity

In general, people may feel the stimulating effects of alcohol up to around 0.08 mg/l BAC. After that point, the initial energetic and happy feelings start decreasing and the depressant effects of alcohol kick in. For people with anxiety, the stimulating effects can feel troublesome. For others, after the stimulating effects wear off, anxiety can result from feelings of restlessness and unease.

Brain Chemical Imbalances

Drugs and alcohol affect your brain’s reward center. The reward center is tied to human survival. It reinforces actions that are central to your survival by sending pleasurable feelings. Examples of behaviors you’re rewarded for include:

• Eating
• Drinking water
• Sleeping
• Sex

Alcohol and drugs influence chemicals tied to your reward center. They tell your brain to produce more of these feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. That’s what provides the desired feelings from drugs or alcohol.

Unfortunately, as alcohol abuse over-stimulates your brain’s reward center, it re-trains your brain to expect alcohol as a means of coping. This process eventually develops psychological and physical dependence on alcohol. This means that your brain and body start ranking alcohol’s level of importance right up there with food, sex, water, and sleep. 

Without alcohol, your brain starts sending you signals to do whatever you need to do to get more, acting under the false belief that you need it to survive. This can come in the form of mild or significant withdrawal symptoms and cravings, largely experienced as anxiety.

Tolerance

Using alcohol to cope with anxiety can begin a cycle that brings on even more anxiety. If you drink regularly, you’ll develop a tolerance to alcohol. It will take increasing amounts to get the effects you desire. If anxiety relief is what you’re seeking, it will start taking more alcohol to ease those symptoms. Your tolerance to the self-medicating effects of alcohol can lead to stress and anxiety.

Alcohol Withdrawal

After forming an addiction to alcohol, people often experience anxiety as a withdrawal symptom. When the stimulating effects of alcohol wear off, your body may experience a wide array of withdrawal symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, and tremors. These physical sensations can contribute to feelings of anxiety and can make it difficult for individuals to quit using alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Alcohol Cravings

Craving alcohol can cause anxiety because you may begin to worry about when and where your next drink will come from. This can lead to feelings of restlessness and unease, which may intensify as the effects of alcohol wear off. The more you rely on alcohol to cope with anxiety, the more intense these feelings may become.

The Aftermath of Alcohol Abuse

Indirect effects of alcohol can also be distressing. If you’re drinking to the point of memory loss or blackout, you’re likely to experience some anxiety over what went on during those lapses. Alcohol can make you feel uninhibited and act in ways you normally wouldn’t. 

This can cause embarrassment and anxiety after you sober up, especially for people with conditions like social anxiety who may already be sensitive to how others perceive them.

The Rebound Effect

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which means it slows down brain activity and can numb feelings of stress and anxiety temporarily. However, as the effects of alcohol wear off, you may experience a rebound effect where your body overcompensates for the depressive effects by increasing activity levels in certain areas of the brain. This can result in heightened feelings of anxiety and even panic attacks.

How Long Does Alcohol Anxiety Last?

Anxiety from alcohol can last for hours, days, or months, depending on the scenario. 

Alcohol and anxiety affect people differently, but generally:

• Anxiety that accompanies a hangover may last up to a day.
• If you already struggle with anxiety symptoms, anxiety from alcohol may take longer than a day to subside.
• If you have an alcohol use disorder, anxiety may occur frequently when you go without alcohol. The imbalance of brain chemicals from alcohol dependence can make anxiety the norm except when you’re drinking.

It is important to note that alcohol can have a significant impact on our mental health, especially when it comes to anxiety. While some may feel temporary relief from their anxiety symptoms while drinking, the long-term effects of alcohol on the brain can actually exacerbate anxiety in the long run. As alcohol abuse continues, our brain’s natural ability to regulate emotions and stressors becomes compromised, leading to increased feelings of anxiety. This can create a dangerous cycle where individuals turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism for their anxiety, only to find that it ultimately worsens their symptoms.

Anxiety and Alcohol Addiction

About 20% of people with anxiety disorders also have a substance use disorder. When you have a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, it’s known as a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders.

It’s often difficult to determine which came first: the anxiety disorder or the addiction. That’s because people with anxiety may unknowingly self-medicate their symptoms with alcohol. On the other hand, over time, alcohol abuse can cause symptoms of anxiety because of the way it impacts brain chemicals. In both cases, you can get stuck in the addiction cycle of:

1. Using alcohol to soothe feelings of anxiety
2. Experiencing rebound anxiety or more anxiety because of alcohol abuse
3. Using more alcohol to combat the increased anxiety

Alcohol and Other Mental Health Disorders, Like Depression

Anxiety and depressive disorders are common underlying issues in substance use disorders. About half of people with substance use disorders have co-occurring mental health disorders. Other mental health disorders that may co-occur with alcohol addiction include:

• Depression
• Mood disorders
• Bipolar disorder
• PTSD
• Psychosis
• Personality disorders

This is because alcohol can temporarily provide a sense of relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression, but it ultimately worsens these disorders in the long run. As individuals become more dependent on alcohol, they may also experience increased anxiety and depressive symptoms when not drinking. This can lead to a cycle of using alcohol as a coping mechanism for negative emotions, which only perpetuates the problem.

Additionally, heavy alcohol use can alter brain chemistry and contribute to the development of mental health disorders. Research has shown that long-term excessive drinking can decrease serotonin levels in the brain, leading to an increased risk of developing depression.

It’s important for those struggling with alcohol abuse to seek professional help and address any underlying mental health issues.

Can Other Substances Cause Anxiety?

Illicit drugs and some prescription drugs when abused are also tied to anxiety disorders. Like alcohol, drugs impact your brain’s reward center and interfere with brain chemicals responsible for:

• Mood
• Memory
• Judgment
• Learning
• Stress
• Behavior

Drug-induced anxiety can be a symptom from the direct effects of the drug. They can also be part of withdrawal when you go without the drug. Drugs linked to anxiety include:

• Cocaine
• Methamphetamines
• ADHD medications
• LSD
• High doses of THC (cannabis, marijuana)
• Opioids (as part of withdrawal)

Anxiety is a common consequence of substance abuse, whether it be alcohol or drugs. It is important to note that the effects of different substances on anxiety can vary greatly and may also depend on individual factors such as genetics, history of mental health issues, and personal tolerance levels.

In addition to substance-induced anxiety, individuals who struggle with anxiety disorders are more likely to develop a substance use disorder. This could be due to underlying factors such as unresolved trauma or coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and negative emotions.

It is essential for those struggling with substance abuse to seek help from a professional therapist or treatment program in order to address both the root causes of their addiction and any co-occurring mental health issues such as anxiety. With proper support and treatment, recovery from substance abuse and associated anxiety disorders is possible.