Free Yourself from Anxiety by Emma Fletcher

no, then it is time to seek help and to find a way to give up alcohol. This needs to be done before embarking on Anxiety recovery, because, unfortunately, alcohol used like this covers up the anxious feelings, and you need to be able to experience them, in a controlledway, in order to deal with them.
    This is alsowhy you should never use alcohol to get you through an Anxiety provoking situation – you may feel pleased that you managed it, but, in fact, you learnt nothing and you may have started a very bad habit indeed.
Nicotine
    As well as being bad for your general health, smoking has a bad effect on Anxiety – nicotine is a stimulant that actually raises Anxiety levels. However we all know that giving up smoking is a major project in its own right, and someone with very bad Anxiety may simply not feel up to the challenge. If you choose to work on your Anxiety first, promiseyourself that giving up cigarettes will be the next thing that you tackle. In the meantime, cut down as far as you possibly can and in particular never smoke on an empty stomach.
Prescription drugs
    People who become addicted to prescription drugs can experience Anxiety symptoms when they try to withdraw from them. Tranquillisers (or benzodiazepines) are the most commons source of this difficulty. At one time they were prescribed without a full understanding of the side effects of long-term usage. In fact once your body becomes used to them, you can start to feel Anxiety symptoms while you are still taking them, and these can become worse as you try to withdraw from the drugs.
    The answer is to withdraw gradually and with support from a trained professional. All of the techniques used for managing Anxiety will be useful, but you will have to allow the time for your body to get used to the reduction in your dosage. See Extra Information 3 for more on this.
    If you are taking other prescription drugs check with your doctor about any side effects that might be causing you to feel anxious.
Street drugs
    If you are addicted to street drugs this may well be a factor in your Anxiety, but your primary concern is to deal with the addiction problem. If you are a casual user and you have developed Anxiety, then it’s time to stop. Like alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, street drugs will either give you an energy burst that soon wears off, or mask the anxious feelings, making it impossible for you to work on them.
    You need to be honest with yourself and decide if you need to deal with any drug problems before you start work on your Anxiety recovery. Use the following guidelines to help you decide:
    • If you are a smoker, then you will be able to make progress with your Anxiety recovery.
    • If you are using alcohol to blanket the anxious feelings, then you are unlikely to achieve any progress.
    • If your problems are caused or made worse by prescription drugs, then you will be able to make progress, but expect it to be slow. You should check with your GP before starting self-help.
    • If you are using street drugs you should give them up before starting on Anxiety recovery.
Set your goals
    Use the checklist below to assess your exposure to various drugs.
    Nicotine
Per day
Alcohol
Per day
 
Per week
Prescription drugs
Per day
 
Check with GP about side effects
Street drugs
Per day
 
Per week

    GROUP MEMBERS TALK ABOUT ALCOHOL, NICOTINE AND OTHER DRUGS
    ‘I used to smoke, up to 50 a day. I thought it helped with anxiety but now know it doesn’t and I saw the effects on long-term smokers on the ward in hospital. I quit a year and a half ago, now feel healthier though still anxious but now I don’t have the added anxiety o f “needing a tab” (cigarette).’
    ‘I used to drink but very rarely do now, as I am calorie conscious. I know I get more irrational when I drink and can act impulsively.’
    ‘I smoked cannabis when I was 15 but have not touched it since I was 16. It made me more paranoid and anxious though I didn’t realise it at the time.’
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