By As the death of actor Nelsan Ellis showed, quitting drinking abruptly can be dangerous to your health if you don’t receive proper Alcohol Withdrawal medical guidance. For some substances, such as opioids, the withdrawal symptoms are so severe that they create significant motivation to continue using them. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as a chronic brain disorder. Addiction doesn’t happen from having a lack of willpower or as a result of making bad decisions.
Lifestyle Quizzes
Generally, those with mild alcohol abuse problems will experience fewer symptoms. The effects they experience are likely to be less intense and resolve faster. Alcohol withdrawal has various symptoms depending on the severity of a person’s abuse. These symptoms can be divided into physical and mental effects.
- Factors like age, overall health, and the severity of addiction all play a role, but the duration and intensity of alcohol use are the biggest drivers of risk.
- Without treatment, addiction can cause serious health issues, even death.
- Anyone who has had a hangover has experienced these symptoms to some degree.
Symptom-Triggered Treatment
Many involve a combination of group psychotherapy (talk therapy) and medications. You may also receive other medications or treatments for related health issues, like IV fluids for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances or antinausea medicines if you experience vomiting. It’s difficult to predict who will and who won’t experience alcohol withdrawal — and how severe it will be. Alcohol (ethanol) depresses (slows down) your central nervous system (CNS).
- Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take any opioid-containing medicines for pain, cough or colds, or diarrhea.
- Progression to delirium tremens may follow seizures in some cases.
- Use of these substances can lead to substance use disorders (SUDs) — but not always.
Mental Health Treatment Alongside Addiction Recovery
Withdrawal symptoms typically begin within hours of the last drink and progress through stages of increasing severity. Mild symptoms include headaches, anxiety, sweating, tremors, and nausea. Moderate symptoms involve confusion, hallucinations, agitation, and elevated blood pressure and heart rate.
- The DTs can cause life-threatening complications, such as irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, seizures, and loss of consciousness.
- Though they can feel horrible, these symptoms are not life-threatening and typically resolve in about two to seven days, Volpicelli says.
- It’s also important to seek treatment if you experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop on your own.
- This section answers some frequently asked questions about alcohol withdrawal.
Treatment for alcohol use disorder
If you consistently consume significant amounts of alcohol, your CNS gets used to this effect. Your CNS must work harder to overcome the depressant effects of alcohol to keep your body functioning. Some people experience prolonged withdrawal symptoms, like insomnia and mood changes, that can last for weeks or months. Seek medical attention if you have tried to stop drinking on your own and are experiencing any of the above symptoms. This medication may worsen depression and cause thoughts of suicide. This can happen at any time but is more common after first starting treatment and after a change in dose.