Can being an alcoholic make you paranoid and hallucinate?

I had never had them before but now I am super paranoid and I hear car doors slamming all night. A lot of the time I have to turn on every light upstairs and have the cat in my room to calm me down. Actually I have had paranoia before but not for ten years. I've been sober two days and now the paranoia is hit and miss and I am severely depressed and anxious too. Is all of that normal?

Hi Leslieslsa,

It can be part of withdrawal, yes. It's possible that it'll go away on its own, but you also have other disorders to take into account as well. Are you still skipping meds or have you started to take them regularly? If you were self medicating with alcohol you'll have to learn some coping strategies to deal with anxiety, or have your meds adjusted to help you through this. I hope your doctor and therapist can better help you with this and that you get these problems resolved. Hang in there!

I actually started to take all of my meds again two nights ago. But it doesn't seem like it's had much of an impact.

Two days isn't long enough to feel much of an impact from the meds. It'll help if you start to document the things you see, when you see it, your mood at the time, etc, so your doctor has a better idea of what is causing it. Keep in mind that your body is going through some stressful times with the withdrawals & adjusting to meds. You likely won't feel that great for a while. If you can, do some nice things for yourself like a bubble bath or watch a funny movie. Eat good, nutritious food. Taking good care of yourself during this time will increase your chances of staying sober.

Leslieslsa wrote:I've been sober two days

keep it up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ2HcRl4wSk

I've noticed a lot of paranoia since becoming sober too. No hallucinations, but my brain just seems different sober, not as relaxed, I think too much, my emotions are too intense, and I feel like I'm being followed a lot both when I drive or travel on foot. I don't think I've ever been physically addicted to alcohol, but psychologically I was dependent on it during times of crisis but I'd say yes paranoia can be a side effect on cutting out drinking.