Gay Hangxiety: Oh Goodie, Something Else to Worry About

HANGXIETY

Oh goodie, something new that we gays now have to worry about. Most of us know the frantic waking up after Sunday Funday or a night out at the Eagle where we look around and wonder what the hell happened last night. Our hearts start to race as we look around for our wallet and keys, trying to remember what happened to them. There's one shoe on, one shoe off, there's a bag of half-eaten Doritos on the floor, chip dust all over the sheets, and - gasp - someone in the bed next to us with a spilled bottle of poppers on the nightstand. We go into panic mode as we wonder what day is it, are we late for work, and what did we do last night? And why won't our heart stop pounding? Has this happened to you? Ever have that feeling of panic and high heart rate and it just doesn't seem to go away, even when you find your wallet in the flower pot? Well, it is such a shared occurrence that it has a name and medical classification, you have hangxiety.

Hangxiety, simply put, is that level of anxiety that is achieved after a bought of drinking. As we all know, drinking changes our brain chemistry. Many of us will start to socially drink or open up that bottle of wine at home to calm ourselves and feel a bit freer. Well, that is our brain chemistry. In the beginning, alcohol shuts off our anxiety-causing glutamate and increases our relaxation-inducing GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptor. Well, what comes up, must come down, and vice versa. When the alcohol wears off, the body goes into overdrive to compensate, elevating our levels to more than the complete opposite when we start to drink.

 

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According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, over 40 million adults in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder. Levels have definitely increased post-COVID, and we know that the LGBTQ community already suffers an increased level of anxiety. This manifests itself in heightened heart rate, irritability, feeling tense or jumpy, inability to concentrate, increased worry, lack of sleep, anticipating the worst, etc. This is all exacerbated when dealing with alcohol hangxiety.

Hangxiety is the most intense the day after drinking but can last 24 hours or even more. For those of us who rave, hangxiety can even last longer and at higher levels with the use of MDMA, ketamine, or cocaine.

 

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If you generally suffer from anxiety, and especially if you are on anxiety meds, it is recommended that you abstain from alcohol entirely, even if the initial effects of drinking seem to calm your nerves...the after effects aren't worth it. There are other ways to curb the feelings of hangxiety.

• eat before, during, and after drinking
• space your drinks out with water or other non-alcoholic drinks in between
• order drinks in smaller glasses
• set limits, know what your limit is before you start to blackout or go overboard
• drink lots of water
• no shots

Most of us will reach for coffee or even a hair of the dog drink to wake up...that is a big no-no when dealing with hangxiety. Just drink tons of water and eat something, even if you don't want to.

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