Why do I feel better after drinking?
Posted , 3 users are following.
I've never had a hangover really, the only time i had any problems was when I had work the day after my Senior Prom, and a glass of water fixed that instantly. Oddly though, whenever I drink, I sleep less for a few days and feel much more active and social. I have been like this since my first time drinking at 15. I'm a pretty sporadic drinker, sometimes I won't drink for months, i'll drink for a few days straight, then not drink for months all over. This is how I know it isn't alcoholism, except for some reason I seem to be dependent on depressants, the only ones i've tried being alcohol and xanax. They both have the same after-effects, being I feel 110% for a few days after then I bottom back out.
I have not ever had any non-prescribed stimulants, so I don't really know how they effect me, but everything seems to be backwards for me. My only idea is that I took Concerta 54 for 2 years in highschool, and I quit cold turkey in the middle of the year, no withdrawal symptoms there either. Oddly enough though, I feel like its effects still linger to this day, 4 years later. I have read that amphetamines have permanent effects on brain chemistry, so that's the only conclusion I can really come to. Could that be why I seem to be dependent on depressants? and why they seem to affect me in the opposite manor that they should?
To be clear, I have no mental issues other than ADD when I was younger, if you want to call that an "issue". I never tried a drug or drank prior to being prescribed concerta, and these "symptoms", if that's what you want to call them, have no negative impact on my life. I'm simply curious, as nobody i've ever met has shared this same phenomenon(I don't know what else to call it).
0 likes, 3 replies
jason_97037 wlh16
Posted
To answer your top question, you feel better after drinking water because alcohol is dehydrating. The water helps you recover. I'm not sure if that's really your question though...
I am an alcoholic, and Ive had issues with benzo dependence in the past. Here's my 2 cents! It doesn't sound like your "an alcoholic" if you can just stop and go month not even wanting it. When you drink one do you feel like you need to drink 5 more, then another 5, then drink to blackout or find that you simply cant stop?! Do you drink in the morning because you need to just as much as you need to breath?
As an alcoholic, alcohol, and benzos to a degree, have a very similar stimulating effect on me. Alcohol gives me a rush as good as cocaine when I start drinking (yes Ive tried cocaine a couple time, never habitually). That goes away after awhile and I just fall into the pit of alcoholic hell not being able to stop. When I was taking benzos because I wanted that high but didn't want to drink, they would bring me up a but, but the sedating effects were usually much stronger.
Having been through rehab a few times, I know there are different levels of alcoholism. When you drink one, can you stop? Or do you have the urge to keep going? Does the idea of only having one in an hour, or no more that 3 or 4 a day seem crazy to you?!
The real answer is probably just that everyone is different. Some people panic on benzos. Some people, and I don't understand this at all, don't like the feeling of being drunk! Are you afraid you might have an addiction issue or just curious?
wlh16 jason_97037
Posted
I know alcohol dehydrates you, but I can drink like half a water bottle and be fine in a few minutes, so that's just dehydration and not dependence. And yes, I am definitely a binge drinker, i'll drink all day long on occasion, often going through a fifth to a handle myself, throughout a 8 or so hour period. Wake up, feel great.
If I can drink the day after, normally I do, and my tolerance skyrockets, so most of the time the second day I don't get stupid drunk, and if I just take a few shots and stop I'll just go back to sleep(only when i've been drinking the previous day). Most likely, if I tried to drink for a week straight, i'd be in your situation, but i've never come close to that.
Definitely can't drink 3-4 a day or drink 1 and stop, unless I'm just drinking a beer or two for the sake of tradition with some buddies. When it comes to benzos, i'm wayyy more careful. Normally I take .5mgs of xanax, 1mg tops(half a bar), i'll drink a beer or two, or take a shot or two(normally spaced out over an hour or 2), and feel amazing all day and into the next few days. Xanax definitely amplifies alcohol, so I'm always careful or else I'll just forget basically the whole day. After doing too much 1 time, I'm a lot more careful and haven't had an issue since. Even without drinking, a quarter bar (.5mgs) completely clears my head and keeps me enjoying the whole day. I can't take 2-3 bars like a lot of people say they can, anything over a half puts me to sleep in an hour or two, not mixed with anything.
Overall I'm not worried about becoming addicted. I'm not tempted to do any other drugs, never have never will. Seen what it does to people, not gonna mess with addiction. I'm more curious about what's going on in my brain that makes me the way I am. How do I take concerta, xanax, alcohol, nicotine, and never feel the slightest withdrawal effects? Not sure if there's a condition or something in my past that made me that way, or if it's just my genetics. Really just wanted to know if anyone else was like me, so maybe someone could give me some kind of "diagnosis." Maybe somethings wrong with me and I don't even know it? Might as well look for some answers now.
jason_97037 wlh16
Posted
Not sure on why the water helps so fast, I guess everyone is different!
Not trying to rag on you, just concerned... You sound exactly like me before
that alcoholic switch flipped. I drank just like you described and said if I
ever felt any sign of addiction I would just cut back or quit. Unfortunately
it doesn't work that way. I remember the exact morning I woke up and needed
alcohol like a drowning man needs a breath of air. Only gotten worse from there.
At this point abstinence is the only way I can stay a normal human being.
I am looking into naltrexone but you pry don't need to get into that!
Does it run in your family at all? The fact that you can drink so much and not
get hungover shows a natural high tolerance which is a big deal when it comes to addiction potential.
Again, not trying to preach, just concerned. I wouldn't wish the hell of alcoholism on anyone. Be careful and take care!