I decided to completely stop drinking since it gives me major anxiety and insomnia. Some things just aren't worth ingesting once you realize the toll they take on your system.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it has sedative properties. When your body is detoxing, the seretonin and dopamine receptor sites along with a host of other neurotransmitters can experience a rebound effect which can result in a temporary increase in anxiety. Best Wishes.

Alcohol (and beer in particular) is very high in histamine, a compound that acts as a neurotransmitter that is involved in wakefulness and anxiety because it stimulates neurons. This is a byproduct of fermentation by yeast and bacteria, so any fermented food is a possible culprit for anxiety. I would suggest avoiding cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, vinegar, molasses, etc. You could be particularly sensitive to histamine, yeast, mold, and so forth, hence causing your strong reactions. Chocolate, unfortunately, also contains histamine and I ate some today - which is probably why my mood is disturbed and I'm experiencing insomnia at 1:30 am (also the theobromine of course, and the fact that I'm sensitive to compounds in chocolate anyway).

You might just now be in a position to notice how alcohol changes dopamine levels. Maybe on "those days" you can experiment with other methods to change your mood. Sounds like this one isn't working for you anymore.

why drink? if it causes a problem then why do it?

you could try this experiment with gluten free beer. Anxiety is a fairly common gluten intolerance symptom. Alcohol just amplifies the effect of an intolerance. Of course, it could be the alcohol itself; I am just proposing separating 2 variables.

It seems beer is problematic for you, so if you want to explore keeping alcohol per we in your life, suggest trying other forms of alcohol (wine, spirits) and seeing what happens. It could be a beer thing (gluten, hops) yet maybe you'd be OK with tequila or merlot.

fwiw, i have this issue with beer, champagne, hard apple cider, and some red wine. i don't know what it is, but i chalk it up to a "yeast intolerance". i also get the dreaded "brain-fog" and some physical reactions too, sometimes. anyway, i now avoid those things, as well as other non-alcoholic yeasty/fermenty things.

congrats on yr progress so far -- it's not easy, but so worth it!

Oh, tell me about this ... you have my sympathy.

Before paleo, I drank a lot -- practically every night, and in large volume. Started paleo, and for six months, I couldn't even drink two glasses of wine without being violently sick.

That passed after a while, but now? Oh, my goodness. If I drink more than two beers, or more than three glasses of wine, more than a couple of whiskys, I get the "terrors" -- a feeling of spiders in my stomach, really sharp anxiety that turns into a kind of neurosis and paranoia. It is truly horrible and can last for two to three days. I have even had an "experience" where I woke up in the middle of the night and felt as though I as having some sort of psychotic episode, completely with minor hallucinations.

I do not drink at all now, but my suspicion is that it has something to do with my gut flora (it's the spiders feeling that makes me wonder). I think I had a massive "bad" flora "die-off" when I first went paleo, and the flora I now have reacts violently to alcohol, not only making me physically sick but also sending floods of anxiety signals to my brain as an alarm to say they are/I am being poisoned.

Of course, I may be barking up the wrong tree here.

Firstly there is NOTHING psychologically wrong with someone who suffers from anxiety and depression. There may be some cases of endogenous depression but they are very rare. Anxiety and depression is caused BY something. I call myself a spiritual sensitive but it means I'm also sensitive in lots of other ways especially chemically. Coconut oil and all coconut products can give you anxiety if you are sensitive and it seems to be accumulative so the longer you use it, the worse it gets.

Don't take vitamins or minerals as sometimes there are things in them that can give you anxiety. Don’t ever smoke anything. Cigarettes contain hundreds of neurotoxins and weed is responsible for most psychiatric admissions. You should also not touch anything with caffeine in it (or guarna which is pure caffeine)I cannot use ANY type of moisturiser or conditioner even for sensitive skin as they put HORRIBLE poisons into them like formaldahyde, lauryl sulphate, lauryth sulphate, parabens, alcohol etc. ALL anxiety producing agents. Caffeine by the way causes anxiety, depression and thought and sleep disorders but it's like smoking years ago, no one is going to tell you because our whole society is built on it and it's a multi trillion dollar business. Don't ever take anti depressants they'll send you straight to hell. If you are sensitive to coconut oil it probably means you are 'a sensitive (not asensitive which is exactly the opposite) and you will have to watch EVERYTHING you eat, drink and put on your body. I do well on a very simple diet of fish, chicken and fresh vegetables and a little fruit. Don't take any medication unless you've got a raging brain infection or something and don't even taken over the counter meds. Antibiotics can cause horrible panic attacks sometimes eg Flagyl is a classic for this.

Also essential oils are potent and toxic if used on the skin I had a horrible reaction. Don't use them in hot water to soak your feet or anything as it goes straight into your body. Use a castelle soap for babies to wash your body and hair (made from olive oil) and a little olive oil for moisturiser. Dairy products can also cause anxiety. Don't drink alcohol - very bad for anxiety. There is a way to live and the key word are simple and clean. Oh be careful with ALL household cleaning products as well, wear rubber gloves while you're using them and don't breathe them in.
Anyway so many people are senstive to chemicals and don't know it. Oh also, don't use toothpaste or mouthwash it's pure poison (fluroride) and use only filtered water if you can (not bottled water).