Has the use of alcohol become chronic for you or someone you care about? And have you decided it’s high time to stop abusing this drug? Great! But before you detox, read on to discover why and what alcohol withdrawal symptoms you might experience.
Drinking alcohol in excess causes your body to become physically dependent. What this means is your body has adapted to the routine presence of alcohol. Therefore, the normal functioning of your body becomes unbalanced in its absence. Hence, potentially causing you some highly unpleasant withdrawal symptoms during the detoxing adjustment back to a body without alcohol.
The nature of physical dependence on alcohol differs for everyone. Yet, it’s more likely to have an impact if you’ve been drinking yourself into a mind altering state daily for a long time. A couple of signs indicating you may have a physical dependence on alcohol are more and more alcohol needed to get you drunk, you have lapse in memory with heavy drinking and you feel physically ill if you haven’t drank alcohol for a day or so.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically occur when the consumption of alcohol is stopped suddenly after a period of excessive use. The extent of symptoms during alcohol detox is relatively unpredictable. Some feel discomfort involving symptoms of:
- pallor
- fatigue
- headache
- palpitations
- hand tremors
- loss of appetite
- nausea & vomiting
- anxiety, depression
- insomnia, nightmares
- jumpiness, shakiness
- irritability, nervousness
- excessive sweating, clammy skin
- unclear thinking, emotional changes
- dilated pupils, abnormal eyelid movement
For many, symptoms of alcohol withdrawal begin the day following their last drink. For some, nothing significant is noticed until about week later. Symptoms usually peak within a week, but they could persist longer. And a few minor symptoms may continue for up to a year after alcohol detox.
It is advisable that alcohol detox be accomplished under health care supervision because there’s a chance your body will respond in a life threatening manner. Severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms can include:
- fever
- seizures
- agitation
- black outs
- delirium tremens
Your symptoms can escalate to life threatening very quickly. And sedatives may be required to depress your central nervous system throughout the process of withdrawal. A doctor’s presence during detox ensures vital monitoring of:
- breathing
- heart rate
- blood pressure
- body temperature
- electrolyte balance
- fluid intake to prevent dehydration
Taking sedating medication during the early stage of an adverse withdrawal might prevent dangerous symptoms from worsening. Additionally, you may need professional assistance to treat other alcohol associated health conditions, for instance:
- cirrhosis
- neuropathy
- malnutrition
- cardiomyopathy
- blood clotting issues
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
You are more prone to develop severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms if you suffer these other health conditions:
- infections
- lung disease
- heart disease
- history of seizures
Hopefully you now appreciate that detoxing from alcohol is not a routine matter while withdrawing your body back toward a much healthier homeostasis.