Alcohol Withdrawal: What Is It?
When you are living with an active alcohol addiction, your body becomes physically dependent on alcohol to be able to function throughout the day. Once you are physically dependent on alcohol it can create significant side effects should you attempt to stop drinking. As you attempt to limit or end the number of drinks per day you are consuming, your body and brain will be attempting to readjust to functioning without the influences of alcohol within your central nervous system.
These side effects, more commonly known as alcohol withdrawal syndrome, will produce uncomfortable, sometimes painful, symptoms that range from mild to moderate, and in some cases severe, depending on the severity of your alcohol abuse. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome has the potential to trigger life threatening symptoms including delirium tremens, seizures, and other severe symptoms and health complications that should be monitored by medical professionals. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome often develops after a person engages in excessive drinking for a prolonged period of time.
Signs of Alcohol Withdrawal
Each individual will experience varying levels of withdrawal symptoms depending on your history with alcohol consumption. If you have a history of excessive drinking, you may experience severe withdrawal symptoms, whereas, someone who has recently begun their alcohol consumption or engaged in binge drinking may experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms. No matter the intensity of your withdrawal symptoms, the highly trained medical professionals within alcohol detox will assist in keeping you safe and comfortable throughout your inpatient treatment and detox program.
People with alcohol withdrawal will experience the following signs and symptoms of aws:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shaking
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Tremors
- Disorientation or confusion
Some severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome are:
- Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
- Seizures
- High blood pressure
- Excessive sweating or high body temperature
- Hallucinations either auditory, tactile, or visual
- Delirium Tremens
Alcohol Withdrawal Timeline
The onset of withdrawal symptoms of alcohol detox will often occur within 2-10 hours since your last alcohol consumption. Within 6-10 hours after you last were drinking alcohol, you will begin to feel mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms. Within 48 hours, patients will feel the peak of their withdrawal symptoms which can produce severe symptoms and intense craving for alcohol. With the proper medical support and clinical management from the staff within alcohol detox, patients are able to safely overcome the physical aspect of alcohol dependency.
Typically, within the first few days or weeks after you have stopped drinking, you will experience acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms. This refers to the withdrawal symptoms that a heavy drinker would typically experience after they quit drinking. During acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome, patients are at higher risk for experiencing the life-threatening symptoms of delirium tremens, losing consciousness, or having an onset of seizures.
After you have moved through the acute withdrawal symptoms, there are some individuals that will experience post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). Common post-acute withdrawal symptoms are:
- Irritability
- Low energy
- Difficulty sleeping
- Memory concerns
- Delayed reflexes
- Dizziness
- Clumsiness or becoming accident prone
- Chronic nausea and vomiting
- Strong craving for alcohol
How Serenity Oaks Treats Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
At Serenity Oaks, we strive to provide our patients with a safe and comfortable alcohol detox process by using the top rated evidence based addiction therapy methods and protocols to support you in overcoming your alcohol addiction. Using a combination of traditional medical detox protocols combined with holistic treatments, the team at Serenity Oaks will support you in managing any uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms to ensure that you are able to remain comfortable and relaxed throughout your alcohol detox process. Our addiction therapists will support you in finding alternatives for positive experiences while fostering personal growth and self awareness about your alcohol addiction.
Contact Serenity Oaks at (833) 720-0708 to hear more about the specific alcohol detox protocols used within our treatment center and get yourself on the path to sobriety today.
