If you struggle with alcohol, you may know a thing or two about alcohol withdrawals. If not, then let us help you understand them a bit more. They are dangerous, and they can literally lead to a situation where your body begins to shut down. You should only ever detox from alcohol under careful medical supervision. If you were to ever try and detox from alcohol on your own, it could cause things like seizures, comas, and death. You need to make sure you attend a rehab center that can help you with the process. Come here to Alcohol Screening Arizona – we can help.
Understanding the Timeline of Alcohol Withdrawals
An alcoholic knows their body pretty well. They know if they go too long between drinks, they feel it – literally. Their body begins to struggle, and they have trouble functioning. This is because their body is already going into alcohol withdrawals. This starts within a few hours of having their last drink. After just 6-8 hours, the body begins hurting. This can include things like stomach pain and headaches. Then, the anxiety will kick in. Once these symptoms are there, the addicted individual will likely notice insomnia as well, since their body is struggling to get them to take just one more drink.
Once they hit 24 hours without a drink, the body begins to decline in its ability to function. Their heart rate will go up along with their blood pressure. They will likely notice that their body temperature also increases. Most people struggle with confusion during this phase. They may also have wild or erratic heart rhythms, and possible breathing as well. Most people experience what are called tactile hallucinations, which is where you feel things that are not there. This can include bugs crawling across your skin, feeling like you are on fire, or feeling an intense itching that will not go away. Some also hear things that no one else around them can hear during this time.
By 72 hours after their last drink, they often begin hallucinating. This is sometimes mild, or sometimes it leads to what is known as DTs. Seizures can happen during this stage of alcohol withdrawals, along with severe agitation and fever. Most of these symptoms will subside by the time one week of no drinks comes along. However, most people do not make it that long.
What Can Happen During Alcohol Withdrawals?
The scariest part of alcohol withdrawals for most people is the fact that their body can stop functioning altogether. Alcohol is different than most drugs. Aside from the fact that most people think it is a safe drug to take, they also don’t understand how it changes the body. When you drink alcohol, it actually convinces your body that you need it to survive. Your mind functions only because the alcohol is there. Without the alcohol in there, the mind forgets what it is supposed to do. This can lead to forgetting that you need your heart to beat, or forgetting to take a breath when there is a lack of alcohol. Unfortunately, when you do not have messages being sent to your heart reminding it to beat, it becomes quite difficult to sustain life.
Another problem that comes along with alcohol withdrawals is what people commonly call DTs. This stands for Delirium Tremens. What these are, are super-intense hallucinations. Your mind and your body get so wrapped up in these hallucinations that you are unable to distinguish between them and reality. For most people, DTs only last a short time (under 24 hours). However, that is not the case for everyone. Some people experience them for days, and even fall into other ailments as a result. This can include things like Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which can lead to irreversible brain damage. It is incredibly important that if you are going through alcohol withdrawals that you get help sooner, rather than waiting.
How to Manage the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawals
When you go into an alcohol treatment program, you will get help managing your symptoms during alcohol withdrawals. We do not want you to go through this alone. However, there are things that you can do to make sure your withdrawals are as easy as possible. The easier they are on you, the sooner you get back to feeling better. Here are some ways that you can ease your way through some of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms:
- Make sure to stay hydrated. Getting dehydrated will only exacerbate what you are going through. Make sure to drink plenty of water, and add in other clear liquids when you feel up to it. The water will keep the nausea away, while still allowing you to stay hydrated as you move forward through your symptoms.
- If you feel shaky, sit down or lie down. Tremors are common during alcohol withdrawals. The more agitated or worried you get, the worse they can get. If you find yourself getting shaky, take a moment to sit down and relax. It will help the tremors pass more easily, and keep you from falling and getting hurt.
- When you get confused, ask us for help. There are times where confusion hits, and it may be difficult to remember what is going on. We can help you with that. Simply ask us to help you with whatever task you are doing, and we will do what we can to help. If you are not sure if something is real or not, ask us that, too. We can help you distinguish between reality and any possible hallucination if we know you need the help.
- Eat something regularly. We understand you may not feel up to eating much. The stomach upset that comes with alcohol withdrawals can get intense. However, by not eating, you actually make it worse. Instead of sitting there feeling hungry, but not wanting to eat, find out what we have that can be light enough on your stomach to give you some sustenance.
Stopping Alcohol Abruptly is Never a Good Idea
You never want to go through and stop drinking on your own. This is especially true if you are a heavy drinker. Your body becomes physically dependent on the alcohol in it to function. If you neglect to give your body what it needs to keep functioning properly, it will shut down. This could leave you facing something as serious as a coma or even death.
There are alcohol rehab centers for a reason. Here at Alcohol Screening Arizona, we specialize in helping people overcome alcohol withdrawals. We have extensive experience helping people just like you come to grips with their alcohol addiction, and overcome it in an easy, and safe environment. You should never go through any type of detoxing or withdrawals on your own. It simply isn’t safe. Let us help you make the process safer for you, plus easier on you.
Getting Help with Alcohol Withdrawals Gives You More Hope For a Sober Future
If you are one who understands how serious your addiction to alcohol is, but you are not sure if you will be able to remain sober, don’t worry. By going through a detox and rehab program,
Come in and see what we can offer you in terms of your sobriety. See what benefits you get from a therapy program where you get to learn about yourself. Do you know what your triggers are that make you want to drink? Are you sure about what caused your alcohol addiction in the first place? Most people do not know the answers to these questions. Not knowing the answers can make you more susceptible to relapse. If you know your triggers, you know what to stay away from. Likewise, if you know what caused the initial addiction, you can avoid that event in the future, so you do not wind up falling into the same trap.
There is More to Rehab Than Making it Through Alcohol Withdrawals
There is tons of evidence to back up the fact that the more support you have when giving up an addiction, the longer you have the potential to remain sober. Here at Alcohol Screening Arizona, we want to see you succeed in your new sober life. We want to help you achieve the goal of sobriety, and to stick with it. Going through alcohol withdrawals is rough. However, you do not need to go through any of it alone. We are here, ready and waiting to help you, we just need you to take the first step. Reach out to us by calling 602-687-9481. Find out why we stand out as one of the premier rehab facilities in Arizona for yourself.