The anxiety rebound nobody talks about when you stop drinking
Stopped drinking around 5 months back because I finally connected how much worse my anxiety was getting with regular drinking. But what caught me off guard was how my anxiety actually got much more intense in first weeks after quitting.
Nobody really explains how alcohol messes with GABA receptors in your brain - these are the ones that help control anxiety levels. When you drink consistently, your brain gets used to that fake GABA support, so when you remove alcohol your whole anxiety regulation system goes haywire for some time.
It took maybe 7-9 weeks before my general anxiety levels dropped below where they were when I was still drinking. Around week 4 I almost went back to drinking because I felt so anxious constantly and thought "maybe the drinking wasn't actually the issue, maybe this is just my normal state." Really glad I didn't give up because now in month 5 my anxiety is the lowest it's been for years.
The basic science part: alcohol acts as depressant on your nervous system. Your brain tries to balance this by becoming more activated. When you suddenly remove the alcohol your brain is still stuck in that overactive mode until it can readjust itself. This is why people experience rebound anxiety, sleep problems, irritability after they quit.
If you're considering quitting and deal with anxiety issues, just be prepared that it gets more difficult before improving. This doesn't mean sobriety isn't helping - it means your brain is actually recovering. Give yourself at least 9-10 weeks before making judgment about whether sober version of yourself has more anxiety than drinking version.