[MrWiffles]

I can totally relate to having the condition, but I've never tried alcohol for treating it. When you do eventually get access to healthcare again (assuming you're addled by the failed US healthcare system like I am - healthcare being only accessible via employer provided health insurance...) see a psychiatrist about this and ask about social anxiety medication. Paxil was particularly effective for me at one point in time. It takes a few months to fully kick in but when it does, the effect doesn't really feel all that massive, you just kind of notice a sort of...ease that you may not have had before. May sound somewhat alien to you now, but I encourage you to give that a try as a more long-term solution than using alcohol. It's definitely a hell of a lot safer!

That said, I do NOT judge you for using a glass of wine to get you through a pinch in a tough time, and to hell with anyone who does. Use what you've got, get the job done. When you're through hell, THEN you can focus on the better long-term option. But for now, do what you gotta do.

That said, IF you have access to a licensed psychiatrist who can prescribe something, you could use goodrx.com as a temporary stand-in for insurance. I'm seeing prices for genric paxil (paroxetine) at 30 tabs of 40mg for about $22 bucks via CVS with GoodRX here in Texas right now, so it may be an option for you. That said, it does take time to kick in, and mixing with alcohol is ill-advised. Still, I do suggest this as your main option, but again, no judgement for doing what ya gotta do.

Good luck to you, regardless.

[bergenty]

I’d rather have some alcohol in a situation like this that happens a couple of times a year at most and not become dependent on some daily anxiety pharmaceutical.