Woman Says Quitting Alcohol Ended Years of Anxiety After Antidepressant Treatment

A Nottinghamshire mother who was prescribed the antidepressant citalopram for anxiety says she stopped taking medication after discovering that stopping alcohol resolved her symptoms within weeks. Jodi Clark, 42, described being prescribed the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in 2019 and later deciding to give up drinking during a 100-day challenge in 2022, after which she says her anxiety largely disappeared.

Clark told the Daily Mail that doctors had not explored her lifestyle or drinking when they prescribed medication. She said she also took beta blockers for blood pressure, which she said helped some symptoms but produced side effects including hair loss. "No one ever asked about my diet, if I was drinking or about my lifestyle," she said.

Clark described a long history of alcohol use that began in adolescence and intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she had been a "grey-area" drinker — between social drinking and dependency — who often used a nightly glass of wine to unwind and as a private moment amid family and work demands. During the pandemic she said daily drinking became routine while juggling home schooling and a global team at work.

She said she took citalopram for several months but stopped because she felt it was not helping; she later realised alcohol may have reduced its effectiveness. She described withdrawal symptoms after stopping the medication abruptly, saying she felt dizzy and unsteady. Clark said she continued to use beta blockers occasionally and relied on alcohol to manage stress until she stopped drinking for 100 days while on a family holiday in 2022.

Within a month of quitting alcohol, Clark said, her mental clarity improved and the chronic anxiety that had prompted medication receded. "When I stopped drinking, literally the anxiety that I'd been medicated for disappeared in a month," she said. She remained alcohol-free after the initial 100 days and reported further changes over the following months, including a 38-kilogram (84-pound) weight loss and improved sleep and skin.

Clark left her corporate job, trained in positive psychology with a specialism in alcohol-free coaching, and launched Sober Flourish, a coaching business and a 100-day program aimed at helping other women reassess their relationship with alcohol. She said sobriety also strengthened her marriage and made her more present with her children.

Her story highlights a pathway some clinicians and public health groups note: alcohol can worsen anxiety and interfere with psychiatric medication. Guidance from medical authorities typically cautions that alcohol may reduce the effectiveness of antidepressants and can aggravate mental-health symptoms, and that stopping or changing psychiatric medication should be done under medical supervision.

Clark said she had not been told to wean off citalopram and experienced dizziness after stopping abruptly. She said she now advises others that they do not need to wait for a dramatic "rock-bottom" moment to change their drinking and that reassessing alcohol use can be a valid step for improving mental and physical health.

Not all patients who use alcohol while being treated for anxiety will see results identical to Clark's, and outcomes depend on individual medical histories, the nature of symptoms, and the presence of other health conditions. Medical professionals generally recommend discussing medication and alcohol use openly with a prescribing clinician and to follow recommended tapering protocols when discontinuing antidepressants.

Clark's account was published by the Daily Mail. She said she has remained sober for three years and now helps others who are exploring reduced or no alcohol consumption. Her case adds to a growing number of patient reports and clinical discussions about the relationship between alcohol, anxiety and the role of lifestyle changes in managing mental health.