Oh yeah, I forgot. If I drink too much & wind up with a hangover, anxiety often comes with it. I haven’t figured out if it’s old associations, my body adjusting to not having the sedation from the alcohol or just feeling crappy that causes it. I suspect it’s a combination of all three.

Yesterday after getting off work (after 3 -13 hr shifts in a row) I was exhausted and decided to have wine before bed, which I do pretty rarely. The glitch occurred when I started chatting with an old friend – I wound up staying awake much longer than I intended, drinking on wine the whole time. I wound up pretty damn tipsy, probably into the category of drunk. I wound up spending hours in bed trying to rid myself of a splitting headache and general crappy feelings. After getting up, a slight headache persisted along with a little stomach grumpiness and periodic flashes of anxiety. Even knowing this is a common reaction, I still find myself having to work with it. I identify the sensations and feelings and reassure myself of the causes and it will subside, until it flares a bit again. So frustrating. As if the hangover isn’t bad enough… Talk about negative reinforcement.