Hi there Same Boat.
Yeh I can completely relate to what you're saying. I'm really sensitive to any intoxicant. Get really drunk very easily. Only takes one beer to get me plastered haha. I've never been much of a drinker anyway plus I'm really small so this would all come into consideration too.
Anyway I've pretty much stopped drinking because of panic. Doesn't really effect me, not drinking.
But if enjoying a casual drink is something you really wanna do, go for it I say! The only way to really get back to normal is to treat your drinking and hangovers as 'exposure work'. Go slow though, don't rush it. It will take time. But you'll become very aware of your body's reactions with both panic symptoms and alcohol/hangover symptoms.
I know with myself that if I had more than one beer I'd most certainly have a hangover the next day. Maybe this is anxiety related or just my physical make up. I'd say a bit of both though.
Fatigue will always bring on panic. So that's another reason you're getting panic attacks from hangovers.
I highly recommend you start the "Panic Program" here on the site. It's got some wonderful advice on how to do exposure work. You can apply it to anything, even a hangover.
It's horrible having a panic attack while you're body is recovering and experiencing symptoms of something separate! I suggest you gauge the fear from one 1 to 10. Ten being the most fearful, think you're gonna die feeling. Keep the fear in check when you're panicking by giving each moment a fear rating number. Keep doing this until you get it down to about 1 or 2. I do this everytime I'm having an attack. Gives me something to 'do' with the panic. Which is quite calming.
Oh and breathing slowly from your stomach, not your chest, is best for panic.
I think anxiety sufferers are pretty sensitive to alcohol and the rest. So, fear not, your reaction is pretty normal.
Take care and keep us posted :)
