| People who suffer from social anxiety (sometimes | | | | anticipation you feel extreme distress that interferes |
| suffering anxiety attacks also) may resort to the | | | | with your daily life, social activities and possibly |
| point of drinking alcohol to alleviate these extreme | | | | relationships. |
| feelings of nervousness and in some cases without | | | | 2. You know the fear is excessive, but are unable to |
| realizing it, end up engaging in alcohol abuse. | | | | stop it. |
| We have all experienced some form of extreme | | | | 3. The situation that causes the anxiety can lead to a |
| anxiety - from fear of talking to a stranger to the | | | | panic attack. |
| fear of talking in front of a group. | | | | 4. Your social fears may be specific or on occasion |
| In people who have excessive social anxiety | | | | more general and sometimes manifest unexpectedly. |
| sometimes referred to as social phobia, not | | | | The current general trend of thought on social |
| surprisingly the statistics indicate that roughly 20% of | | | | anxiety is that in most cases, the phobias start in the |
| patients with this condition also suffer from alcohol | | | | younger teen years, and there may be genetic or |
| abuse as well. And there is a very good chance that | | | | environmental factors involved. |
| this percentage is higher. | | | | The problem with using alcohol to alleviate these |
| Since the symptoms of social anxiety are alleviated | | | | symptoms is obvious. Since alcohol does relieve the |
| by drinking alcohol, the alcohol then can become a | | | | tension and unpleasantness of the anxiety, this will |
| form of self-medicating. Some alcoholics start out | | | | tend to reinforce using alcohol over and over again to |
| using alcohol for self-medication for symptoms of not | | | | achieve the same results. |
| only social anxiety, but depression, stress, and life | | | | The irony of using alcohol to relieve anxiety and |
| problems that seem insurmountable or life overwhelm | | | | stress is it can lead to drinking too much and after a |
| in general to name a few. | | | | drinking episode, the physical and emotional condition |
| The general definition of social anxiety disorder is | | | | alcohol leaves you in can actually increase the stress |
| "excessive fear in social situations, wherein the | | | | and anxiety factors. Alcohol use can and does |
| person suffers symptoms of anxiety that they feel | | | | increase anxiety. |
| they are in a situation where their response will be | | | | Finally, the continued use of alcohol as a coping |
| humiliating in some way". | | | | strategy, possibly without realizing it, over time can |
| Some Signs of Social Anxiety Disorder Include: | | | | result in the this pattern developing into unintentional |
| 1. You will avoid the situations that cause the anxiety, | | | | alcoholism. |
| or if you are forced into an anxiety situation, in | | | | |