Alcohol and anxiety/panic

Hi, I have a question for you people.
I just want to put this in a concept, so I'll say I've been having a problem with depression since I was a teenager. I started to drink when I was 15, and started to abuse alcohol when I was 16. I used to be a little bit socially anxious so I used alcohol at most of the social meetings, parties, concerts etc... usually just with people, I rarely drink alone, but I got into a group of people, where it is normal to drink almost every day. I am 21 now and I've been in the same alcohol related habbist for the past years. I started to have anxiety and panic issues last year and was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, but I noticed that.... It's enough for me to drink just a minimum of alcohol to get rid of the anxiety symptoms. So my question is... How does it work with anxiety and drinking? Can you get rid of the anxiety with just a few shots without really getting drunk? Because I am thinking about... How to distinguish between alcoholism and alcohol withdrawals and anxiety? I started to think that my anxiety might be caused just by my alchol withdrawals, but I can't be sure about it, because alcohol can also make anxiety temporary better. So how can you know whether you drink because you have anxiety, or have anxiety because you drink? Because I don't know...

I think many people who suffer from anxiety self medicate with alcohol. I might have done so myself if i was inclined, which i am not because i don't like alcohol at all. But, i would think it becomes an addiction when you count on alcohol to ''get you through'' and feel you can't do without it. More, alcohol is known to cause anxiety if your body got used to it.

I would ask myself - can i deal without it? do i feel like i ''need'' it?

Alcohol, just like any other addiction, creeps up on you. You may just need a few sips first, then the quantity increases as you build tolerance to it. I wouldn't recommend it as an anxiety release tool in the long run - there are less dangerous and less addictive ways to treat it. Having a glass of wine to unwind is perfectly normal, the issues come when you start depending on it. Just my take on this....