Treating anxiety while quitting alcohol and weed has been harder than I expected. I used both to shut my brain off, so now the anxiety feels louder, especially at night. Sleep has been rough too.
Therapy helps, but I’m still trying to figure out which symptoms are withdrawal and which are just my normal anxiety showing up. I’m trying not to panic about every bad day. For now I’m focusing on food, water, short walks, and getting through one evening at a time.
Has anyone found anxiety treatment that helped without making cravings worse?
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The nighttime anxiety sounds especially rough, since there’s less to distract you and every sensation can feel amplified. I found it helped to keep evenings very predictable: eat something, take a short walk, shower, then do something low effort instead of trying to force sleep.
One thing that helped me was writing down symptoms and cravings with the time they happened, then showing that to my doctor. It made it easier to separate patterns from panic, and they could discuss treatment options that fit my history.
@Brian_Young, the part about not knowing what’s withdrawal and what’s baseline anxiety can be really unsettling. I had a similar problem trying to read every rough night as evidence that something was seriously wrong. Tracking sleep, anxiety, cravings, and when symptoms showed up gave me a little distance from the panic.
I’d bring that record to a doctor or addiction-informed therapist before changing anything medication-wise. Some treatments can be a poor fit with a history of alcohol or cannabis use, but there are options that don’t rely on intoxicating effects. The food and short walks sound practical too. Are your symptoms worse at a particular time after stopping, or do they stay fairly constant?
@Brian_Young, keeping evenings predictable helped me more than I expected. I’d make tea, take a warm shower, and put on something familiar rather than trying to force sleep. It didn’t stop the anxiety, but it made the hours feel less endless.
I’d also keep tracking when the anxiety, cravings, and sleep problems show up, then take that to a doctor or therapist who understands withdrawal. That seems safer than guessing which medication might help. If withdrawal symptoms become severe or feel medically unsafe, please get urgent help.