It would be profitable for you to make contact with a therapist who can help you through this initial time. It's just as important as finding the right treatment. It will become easier and more understandable having a professional to monitor your mood. It's important.

Will I have a normal life ever again? Is it a lifetime of medications and pain?

Will I be able to do the things I loved to do before? (Dancing, running)... Will I even be able to have a drink lol ...

Yes, yes, yes. Your goal now is to prevent damage---which you can do. It is way to late for me (60's and not treated for years) but not for you. There might even be a cure for you.

Only 1 medication where it is suggested to not drink and that is MTX--though even that restriction has been relaxed to not drinking day before, day of and day after the once a week dose.

Not sure you will want to do long distance running to protect your ankles and hips but I still dance!!!

Anna

I think it's important to control your anxiety and fears.

There are psychologists who specialize in treating patients suffering from chronic pain. Therapy is tremendously helpful, especially after initial diagnosis when you are dealing with denial and grief (both of which are completely normal reactions to being diagnosed with a chronic condition, btw) in addition to pain. Because the experience of chronic pain is strongly influenced by emotions, you've got to deal constructively with those emotions. So please find a compassionate psychologist or counselor in your community to help you.

Will you live a normal life again? "Normal" is a meaningless term. You will live a different life than you had before, but that doesn't mean you'll be miserable. You'll make adjustments and find things that you can do that make you happy, even if you can't do exactly the same things you were doing before. It will get better. I promise.

Oh, and, yes, you can still have a drink now and then. Just don't overdo it. The official word on drinking is no more than a drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men. My rheumy says that drinking within those guidelines is okay on naproxen. There are no alcohol restrictions with my biologic, Enbrel. It's methotrexate and any drug containing Tylenol that require you to severely limit alcohol, I think.