Not only is it difficult, but it can be downright unpleasant and even painful at times as well. This is something we might not realize or perhaps do not want to think about. However, withdrawal symptoms can be very hard to cope with within an environment where you lack support. That’s one reason you should consider a rehabilitation center.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Alcohol
These symptoms vary depending on the time period since you have had a drink. For some graphics on this topic, you can look at this page: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/alcohol-withdrawal-symptoms-treatments. However, I am more than happy to explain it to you in simpler terms.
Withdrawal symptoms can start as soon as six hours following your last beverage. If this seems really soon, you’re right – which is why it can be so incredibly hard to stop drinking. You might start to feel a heightened sense of anxiety, or have shaky hands. There might be some difficulty with trying to go to sleep, known as insomnia.
Additionally, you might get a headache, or start to sweat. Nausea and vomiting can also be signs you are suffering from this. You might start to get very irritable or have a decrease or increase in blood pressure. None of these are pleasant to experience, but unfortunately, it only gets worse from here.
Twelve hours after your last drink, you may notice more symptoms manifesting. This can peak in something known as hallucinations. We often think of these as visual-only – seeing things that are not really there. They can appear to us in a few other ways, though. Auditory hallucinations, or hearing things that do not exist, can happen as well.
You might even smell things that are not there, or feel like you are touching them. We might think of hallucinations as a part of mental illnesses like schizophrenia, but we can experience them as we have withdrawals from alcohol.
In the twenty-four to forty-eight hour span from the last time you had a drink, you may even end up having a seizure. These are considered unusual spikes in electrical activity in our brains. Sometimes we do not even notice them, but in the worst cases, your body might start shaking uncontrollably or convulsing.
There are a few different classifications of seizures: tonic-clonic, which is the most common and usually manifests as twitching limbs like the arms, absence seizures that involve losing consciousness for a few seconds, and febrile seizures that you might develop from having a high fever. Any of these could require medical attention to treat if they are severe enough.
After forty-eight to seventy-two hours since your last drink, something known as “delirium tremens” may begin to develop. While severe cases of this are fairly rare, happening with only five percent of adults who are experiencing withdrawal from alcohol, you may experience very vivid hallucinations.
Another part of this is something known medically as “delusions,” which you can find an explanation for here. These are beliefs that a person might have that cannot be broken – and often, they might seem at least somewhat reasonable. Feelings of paranoia or like someone is following or stalking you are just some examples of delusions.
Support for Withdrawals
The symptoms I’ve listed probably sound scary. Trying to cope with them on our own is intimidating, to say the least. It may even sound impossible. Thankfully, there are resources we can utilize to help in this process.
Rehab centers are an option. For example, rehab facilities in Centennial should be staffed with mental health professionals. They are generally experts in their field and trained in assisting with these symptoms.
Recovery Process
Detoxing from alcohol is an incredibly key part of recovering from an addiction to drinking. This is why I mentioned all of these symptoms you might form as you stop having alcoholic beverages. The substance itself is something called a depressant. Therefore, as you continue to consume it, your body will form a physical dependence on the chemicals provided by it.
You will want to be monitored by health professionals, physical at the least and most likely a mental health professional as well. There can be unfortunate side effects to detoxing, some of which I touched upon earlier. Ideally, your medical team will be able to provide you with medicine that will help ease your symptoms and pain.
There are quite a few medicines you might want to get familiar with if you are planning to enter a rehabilitation facility. After all, they are quite common in treating withdrawal symptoms for alcohol. The first I will mention is acamprosate.
Acamprosate is a good option because it helps to reduce cravings for alcohol, but will not have serious effects if you do end up having a drink. It is typically used to help your brain functions return to normal and start producing the chemicals it stopped making because it got them from drinking.
The next medicines I will touch upon are benzodiazepines. These work to reduce anxiety, treat insomnia, or even help stop muscle spasms. The way they work is by calming the central nervous system. These tend to be prescribed by doctors during the early stages of rehab intake.
Finally, you may be prescribed disulfiram. Unlike the mentioned acamprosate, disulfiram is actually intended to negatively reinforce drinking. If you take it and then consume alcohol, you will experience some very negative effects such as dizziness, headaches, or nausea.
You Can Overcome Addiction if You Try
While it might feel like an insurmountable task, I promise you that you can do it if you reach out for help. There is always hope!
The symptoms I’ve listed probably sound scary. Trying to cope with them on our own is intimidating, to say the least. It may even sound impossible. Thankfully, there are resources we can utilize to help in this process.
Rehab centers are an option. For example, rehab facilities in Centennial should be staffed with mental health professionals. They are generally experts in their field and trained in assisting with these symptoms.
Recovery Process
Detoxing from alcohol is an incredibly key part of recovering from an addiction to drinking. This is why I mentioned all of these symptoms you might form as you stop having alcoholic beverages. The substance itself is something called a depressant. Therefore, as you continue to consume it, your body will form a physical dependence on the chemicals provided by it.
You will want to be monitored by health professionals, physical at the least and most likely a mental health professional as well. There can be unfortunate side effects to detoxing, some of which I touched upon earlier. Ideally, your medical team will be able to provide you with medicine that will help ease your symptoms and pain.
There are quite a few medicines you might want to get familiar with if you are planning to enter a rehabilitation facility. After all, they are quite common in treating withdrawal symptoms for alcohol. The first I will mention is acamprosate.
Acamprosate is a good option because it helps to reduce cravings for alcohol, but will not have serious effects if you do end up having a drink. It is typically used to help your brain functions return to normal and start producing the chemicals it stopped making because it got them from drinking.
The next medicines I will touch upon are benzodiazepines. These work to reduce anxiety, treat insomnia, or even help stop muscle spasms. The way they work is by calming the central nervous system. These tend to be prescribed by doctors during the early stages of rehab intake.
Finally, you may be prescribed disulfiram. Unlike the mentioned acamprosate, disulfiram is actually intended to negatively reinforce drinking. If you take it and then consume alcohol, you will experience some very negative effects such as dizziness, headaches, or nausea.
You Can Overcome Addiction if You Try
While it might feel like an insurmountable task, I promise you that you can do it if you reach out for help. There is always hope!
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