Liquor addiction withdrawal can have a severe impact on individuals dealing with it. If someone drinks a lot, they might be dependent on alcohol to function. If they decide to stop drinking after a long time, they start getting symptoms of withdrawal. Liquor addiction withdrawal can range from mild to severe. As it gets more intense, the person’s ability to function is severely hampered. Severe withdrawal symptoms can be debilitating. In the most extreme cases, it may result in a person’s death.
In many cases, withdrawal symptoms may increase over time. If you just stop consuming liquor, you’ll still need to go through this period. The most severe of symptoms usually come within two to five days of quitting. Overcoming liquor withdrawal takes dedication. It’s the first step towards changing your life.
Addiction and dependence are related terms, but they aren’t the same. Dependence on a substance changes your body’s interaction with it. Over time, your body starts needing this drug to function. As people become more dependent on a drug, their tolerance for it rises. This increased tolerance translates into needing more of the substance to achieve the same results. When they invariably try to quit, the body goes through withdrawal.
On the other hand, addiction is marked by behavioral changes due to the person’s brain biochemistry being altered. Addiction typically leads to people making bad decisions to get hold of the substance they crave. Dependence is part of addiction. You can spot someone becoming dependent on alcohol by their shift from moderate to excessive drinking.
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Moderate drinking usually means one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men. Excessive drinking refers to drinking done by someone under the age of 18, a pregnant woman, or heavy/binge drinking. For women, binge drinking translates to four or more drinks in a row. For men, it’s five or more. Heavy drinking works out to eight or more glasses a week. Men who consume fifteen or more drinks in a week can be considered heavy drinkers. Excessive drinking doesn’t necessarily translate into addiction, however. It’s a sign that the person may be headed that way. For loved ones, it could be a signal that the person should cut back on their alcohol consumption to avoid becoming addicted.
Alcohol is one of the oldest drugs known to man. Beer and wine were among the first things that civilization invented. Back then, consuming these beverages was safer than drinking water. Today, the opposite is true. The CDC states that liquor is responsible for over 95,000 deaths per year in the United States. In the modern world, alcohol consumption has become a social thing. People use liquor as a social lubricant. They tend to drink to relax and forget. If you’re a person who consumes alcohol heavily, you’d feel the effects of stopping.
Liquor provides the feeling of calm and euphoria by increasing the effects of a neurotransmitter called GABA. As a side effect, alcohol also decreases the production and effectiveness of glutamate. As your body becomes more tolerant of alcohol, it becomes more difficult for it to increase GABA and decrease glutamate on its own. The result is that it produces less GABA and more glutamate. As you stop drinking, your stop impacting your body’s ability to use GABA and glutamate. Your body’s still producing excess glutamate and only a little GABA. When you stop drinking, then you start feeling shaky and anxious. If you consume excessive alcohol, you’d have even more severe symptoms, such as seizures, tremors, and high blood pressure.
Addiction can be traced over a series of periods, starting when the person stopped consuming alcohol and culminating when they’re no longer suffering adverse effects.
Minor symptoms occur during this window. The person is most likely going to suffer anxiety and shakes. There may be some vomiting and headaches as well, depending on the amount of alcohol they’ve consumed. Usually, persons who are addicted start drinking alcohol within this window.
This window sees the symptoms start to become more severe. Usually, individuals who suffer from alcohol use disorder seek out liquor anywhere they can find it during this period. Without the alcohol, they face minor tremors and hallucinations. They will usually realize they’re hallucinating and that their mental images are different from reality.
Hallucinations become wilder and less discernible from reality. This blending of real and imaginary may also lead to paranoia and increased anxiety in the individual. Tremors may become complete grand mal seizures at this point. This period is typically when the symptoms of withdrawal peak.
In a majority of cases, recoverees will start to feel better slowly. The worst of the symptoms will gradually fade, and there will be a return to normal body functions. Anxiety and hallucinations will depart. In extreme cases, this window is when the most severe withdrawal symptoms set in. Doctors may need to be present to ensure the recoveree gets through it.
After the first 96 hours, most symptoms have faded. Life-threatening symptoms have similarly stopped. Some symptoms may remain for up to a year, but generally, the individual is free to continue their lives.
When you stop consuming liquor, withdrawal symptoms start to kick in; This may happen within the first eight hours after your last drink. Most alcoholics don’t get to eight hours without having a drink, and so avoid these symptoms altogether. They get progressively worse for between 24 to 72 hours after the last drink and then slowly return to normalcy. Severe withdrawal symptoms may persist for longer in some people. Some of the most common symptoms of liquor addiction withdrawal are:
These common symptoms are typical in everyone going through withdrawal. However, as people who are excessive drinkers enter withdrawal, they might go through what is known as delirium tremens, colloquially known as “the DTs.” Luckily, only 3% to 5% of heavy drinkers experience this condition. If it’s left untreated, this withdrawal symptom can become fatal. In rehab centers, there’s usually a trained medical team available to deal with emergencies. They can help someone going through the DTs to remain calm. Rehab centers can help recovering people overcome even this condition. The symptoms of delirium tremens are:
Appropriate treatment is needed if the recoveree is to survive.
There are several different methodologies that doctors and medical staff use to diagnose withdrawal. Usually, doctors will rely on a medical exam and the patient’s medical history. If someone shows a history of heavy liquor consumption, specific symptoms can be explained by withdrawal. The primary diagnostic criteria that medical personnel may rely on are:
The type of treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. More severe incidences require more intensive care.
The lowest level of symptoms might make it viable for someone quitting excessive drinking to go through the process at home. Even in these situations, the best option for the recoveree is to have someone close to them monitor their condition. If symptoms become severe, they should call an ambulance to take them to a health center or hospital. Even if you plan to go through withdrawal at home, you should still visit your doctor ever so often to ensure that your body is in proper working order. During the early days of liquor addiction withdrawal at home, your doctor may prescribe painkillers or prescription drugs to help you cope. You’ll also be tested for other medical problems stemming from your alcohol use.
If you go through severe withdrawal, you may need to be hospitalized. If you’re in an observation room as a rehab center, the staff on duty will be able to monitor your vital signs in case things take a turn for the worse. You’ll probably have fluids injected intravenously to prevent dehydration. If you’re slipping in and out of consciousness, the doctor will also use the IV to deliver medicine. These medicines are used for managing seizures and treating other complications that may arise from withdrawal.
Alcohol dependence and addiction can be a heavy load to bear. Because it’s so prevalent in society, avoiding alcohol is nearly impossible. Unlike other dangerous drugs, it’s also legal. There aren’t any social stigmas against consuming liquor. The easy availability of the substance makes it so much harder to quit. However, if you’ve been through liquor addiction withdrawal once, you remember the feeling for a long time. Even so, it takes a concerted effort to avoid consuming alcohol even after leaving it behind.
Withdrawal typically happens as part of detoxification. Alcohol is a drug, and your body needs to get rid of it entirely before you can begin to recover. Withdrawal is a significant part of detoxification. The body slowly recovers its natural functioning after getting rid of the alcohol from your system completely. Depending on the type of consumption and how often you use the substance, detoxification may go on for some time. Luckily, trained professionals can help you deal with symptoms. Most times, they don’t have to help and are simply there as observational staff.
The best way to deal with alcohol withdrawal over the long term is to stop drinking altogether. Many rehab centers offer therapy and counseling to help recoverees get over their dependence. Therapy sometimes happens in groups. For those new to a facility, however, their sessions are usually done in person. Depending on the severity of the addiction, the center may recommend having you as an inpatient. In this approach, you would have to stay at the facility full time. You would be isolated from liquor and anything that might lead you back into substance use. You’d also get the benefit of counselors that will help you understand the reasons behind your addiction as a means of treating it.
Outpatient clinics are also an option available to recoverees. In an outpatient facility, individuals can schedule their sessions while still holding down a job and a social life. These individuals have more control over their dependence. Usually, through therapy, they can remain sober and even help others overcome their dependency. Outpatient clinics form one of the most successful methods of long-term recovery. However, there’s no solid timeline on when you’ll recover from your substance use disorder. Getting and staying clean is just the first step. Friends and family can help you set goals and reach them.
Full recovery only occurs after you are no longer driven to engage with the substance. When you get to this point, being around the substance and others that use it doesn’t affect you anymore. When the substance no longer has a hold on your actions and decisions, you will have succeeded in overcoming this problem. Looking for a rehabilitation center to help you is a crucial step in liquor addiction recovery. Consult Rehabs Of Armerica today to learn more about which rehab centers near you offer liquor recovery services. It’s up to you to get your life back on track.
Charles F. has been an active part of the Florida recovery community for over 5 years. He began as a behavioral health technician at an addiction treatment facility in Ocala, Florida and has since begun training as a Licensed Addiction and Chemical Dependency counselor in Boca Raton. Charles’ passion involves the promotion of recovery and helping spread the hope of recovery to as many readers as possible!
