If you have the habit of drinking alcohol heavily for weeks, months, or years, you may face both mental and physical problems when you decide to stop or reduce the limit of your drink. This is called alcohol withdrawal. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.
If you drink only once in a while, it’s unlikely that you will have withdrawal symptoms when you stop. But if you have already gone through alcohol withdrawal once, it is more likely to go through it again the next time. This is the reason Alcohol Rehab centres are there to help you.
Record of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can range from being mild to severe. Your condition depends on how much you drank and for how long.
6 hours after you stop drinking: Mild symptoms can start 6 hours after you finish your drink. They can include:
- Anxiety
- Shaky hands
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Insomnia and
- Sweating
12-48 hours after your last drink: More serious problems, including hallucinations, can start in this period—seizures within the first two days after you stop. You can see, feel, or hear things that aren’t there.
48-72 hours after you stop drinking: Delirium tremens, or DTs, usually start in this timeframe. These are severe symptoms that include lifelike hallucinations and misconceptions. Only a few percent of people with alcohol withdrawal have these. Those who have may also have:
- Confusion
- Rapid Heart Rate
- High blood pressure
- Fever and
- Heavy sweating
Treatments for Alcohol Withdrawal
Unless you have a serious health condition or have had severe withdrawals, you probably wouldn’t need more than a supportive environment to help you through the phase. This includes:
● A quiet place
● Soft lighting
● Little contact with people
● A positive and supportive atmosphere and
● Healthy foods and fluids to support your system.
If you decide to get treatment from Alcohol Recovery Therapy, your doctor can recommend the type of care you need. If your blood pressure, pulse, or body temperature rises, or if you have more serious symptoms like seizures and hallucinations, seek medical help immediately. Your doctor could suggest extensive care and drug treatment.
Common medicines include benzodiazepines to help treat symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. You might also take anti-seizure medicines and antipsychotics, along with other drugs.
What can you expect after stopping?
The 3 stages of withdrawal that someone may experience:
● Stage 1 (mild): symptoms may include headache, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, handshaking, nausea, vomiting, and heart palpitations.
● Stage 2 (moderate): in addition to stage 1 symptoms, you may experience increased blood pressure or heart rate, confusion, rapid breathing, and mild hypothermia
● Stage 3 (severe): in addition to stage 2 symptoms, you may also experience visual or auditory hallucinations and seizures.
How to prevent it
Treating alcohol withdrawal is a short-term fix that doesn’t help the core problem. When you talk to your doctor about symptom relief, it’s a good idea to discuss treatment for alcohol abuse. The doctor can advise you to try Alcohol Rehab from trustworthy centers like Verve Heath to help you stop drinking.