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Performing after a couple beers

#121
blindrabbit said:
These are questions for your physician/psychiatrist, psychologist, and/or pharmacist. The responses you get from here are NOT professional opinions and should not guide your life. Please, speak with your health care team about this. Best of luck.
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THIS!
What response would your doctor have if you asked him/ her this exact question? Don't mess around with your prescribed meds / mix them / skip them etc.
You are playing the role of the doctor, and you're not one.

*From hard learned personal experience.

Good luck. :)
 
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#122
My personal hard and fast gig rule is 1 beer pre-start, and sip some during sets. I made the mistake of drinking a few rum drinks once, and things got really sloppy. Don't know what it was, but that cane alcohol really screwed up my musical assemblance. So rum is now right out.... Until we finish of course. Then it's band shots and whatever.
 
#125
I didn't read the whole thread- got to page four and just wanted to suggest yoga in conjunction with whatever substances you decide to use.

I may have missed a previous recommendation for it but you might benefit from meditation, breathing exercises, etc.

I fully understand that you can't just remedy anomalies in brain chemistry by sitting cross-legged and chanting "Ooohhhmmmmmmmmm", however the spiritual, physical, and mental benefits that some are able to achieve through yoga might be a helpful piece in your mental/emotional stability puzzle.

Regardless, I wish you the best of luck and will be sending positive vibes/energy your way.
 
#130
DChalo said:
I have terrible anxiety/panic attacks and I am prescribed Klonopin and Xanax for this, but I have developed a tolerance to them and in order to prevent an addiction I have been skipping doses and drinking alcohol instead on certain days, which also calms my nerves. I have drank during practices, but never during a performance. Does anybody have experience having a couple drinks during a concert and does it negatively affect your nerves/performing ? And I apologize if this is against the rules, if it is then feel free to take it down.
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#131
Dchalo-hey bud I hear you i,m a international metal musician, ,,I have major anxiety, ,,,,but not on stage on stage i,m home playing festival with 5000 people, ,,,I feel like a giant, ,,it's off stage where I freakout,,,,I take xannex, ,,plus I can't drink more then one beer because I have (the suicide headache,s,,,Cluster headaches), ,,,,,they said it like having your hand chop off,,,be for a go on,I like to smoke one,,and one beer and i,m good,,,,great post be safe.✔
 
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#132
blindrabbit said: ↑
These are questions for your physician/psychiatrist, psychologist, and/or pharmacist. The responses you get from here are NOT professional opinions and should not guide your life. Please, speak with your health care team about this. Best of luck.
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I disagree. Any health care professional he consults is only going to provide advice regarding the medically appropriate pharmacological treatment that has efficacy that treats anxiety without having too many side affects. This is not what he wants. He wants the benefit of other musicians' experience with drinking moderate amounts of alcohol during a performance.

Some points to consider:

1) There are a great many performing musicians who always perform with alcohol and it really does allow them to perform better.

2) There are also quite a few performing musicians who can't control their drinking and it quickly leads them to perform poorly at gigs. Worse, it progresses to alcohol abuse and infects everything else in their life.

3) There are even multitudes of performing musicians who always play sober and they either don't have a problem with anxiety or they have adopted some way to effectively deal with it.

4) Some musicians (myself included) progress through steps 1 - 3 as they age. They play with a good buzz going every show and it gets to be a habit that progresses with more and more alcohol consumption until they are always playing sloppy and causing other problems with their bandmates. At some point, they need to seriously consider quit using alcohol completely.

5) It's probably a really bad idea to experiment with drinking alcohol at a real gig if you haven't experienced it before. It's better to do a few trial runs with "training" gigs. Play a small, free show for a dozen or so of your friends at a house party or picnic and see what it's like to drink while playing in front of a small, friendly audience.

6) There are some anti-anxiety drugs that really do work. Unfortunately, they all have some side affects. From a few of the most common drugs, the most significant among them for musicians is the dampening effect the drug has on the ability to become emotionally involved with the music. It actually ruins your ability to enjoy what you're doing while playing on stage. For the same reason, it also lessens the ability to enjoy sex. For the performer who wants to avoid anxiety they have to decide if the side effects are worth it. Keep in mind, anti-anxiety drugs aren't use-them-as-you-need-them pills. You have to take them every day, and they're working 24/7 - as are the side effects.
 
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#133
birminghambass said:
I've done hundreds of gigs after a few beers. No issues if you really know the material, just don't overdo it. I once played an entire third set lying on my back onstage. Drunk off my a$$, fell over halfway through the first song of the set. Good times...
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Hey bud cool post- I have major anxiety, i,m a international metal musician, in Europe, I played to 8000 people, I feel at home,,,,it,s off stage I freak - I have a condition called (Cluster Headaches )-the pain is mind blowing, ,,,I can,t drink beer or alcohol, ,,one beer only or I get a cluster attack - smoke a fatties and one beer and I feel like a giant on stage, ,,,be cool my friend:hyper::bassist:
 
#134
Chuck Pearson said:
Dchalo-hey bud I hear you i,m a international metal musician, ,,I have major anxiety, ,,,,but not on stage on stage i,m home playing festival with 5000 people, ,,,I feel like a giant, ,,it's off stage where I freakout,,,,I take xannex, ,,plus I can't drink more then one beer because I have (the suicide headache,s,,,Cluster headaches), ,,,,,they said it like having your hand chop off,,,be for a go on,I like to smoke one,,and one beer and i,m good,,,,great post be safe.✔
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What the world needs is trained cannabinoid practitioners, since just the dr recommendation, pass to buy legal weed, can actually be dangerous in some cases. But it truly is the answer. Pharma would lose too much money, let alone aggra, big oil, pulp ect industries. And those industries control the governments, hence we live in this crap hole of a planet that we keep poisoning as it poisons us back.

CBD, the wonder drug.
 
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#135
hbarcat said:
. Keep in mind, anti-anxiety drugs aren't use-them-as-you-need-them pills. You have to take them every day, and they're working 24/7 - as are the side effects.
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What you describe is SSRI being used for anxiety. SSRI are not for everyone.

Most benzo are prescribes prn, as needed. Though some drs prescribe a baseline constant use of klonopin, it was not intended as such. But since it is also anti seizure, some are prescribed it for long term seizure use. Exception to the rule in general.

If only health care professionals were really professional in the area of psychiatry... Some get lucky sometimes. It really is whack a mole, as far from an exact science as possible. At least the GP can monitor the metabolic side effects of these drugs, in order to prescribe more drugs to combat them.
 
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#136
Hbarcat- i,m an international metal musician, ,,,,on stage i,m home,feel like a giant, ,,it's off stage where I trip,,,,I have what u called the suicide headache,s-(Cluster Headaches )-alcohol brings ok n a attack- so b4 I go on I have a fattie and one beer and I own the place off stage,i,m married to a German model and chick's going nuts,,,,stage room,,,,stage under check, I freak on that,,,,,have a good night-( 4 string master of Disaster )-C.Pearson -
 
#137
ubernator said:
What you describe is SSRI being used for anxiety. SSRI are not for everyone.
Most benzo are prescribes prn, as needed. Though some drs prescribe a baseline constant use of klonopin, it was not intended as such. But since it is also anti seizure, some are prescribed it for long term seizure use. Exception to the rule in general.

If only health care professionals were really professional in the area of psychiatry... Some get lucky sometimes. It really is whack a mole, as far from an exact science as possible. At least the GP can monitor the metabolic side effects of these drugs, in order to prescribe more drugs to combat them.

But last I checked, metformin is far less harmful than seroquel...
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#138
Benzos also affect memory and judgment, so you could find yourself forgetting some songs, and then having unprotected sex with the cougar who picked you up at the gig, baddba bing! Drumroll please.

Oh yeah, alcohol and/or getting too high on the wrong strain of weed can have the same.effects
 
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