Everything You Should Know About Alcohol Detox

It is essential to understand that alcohol is the first step you should take after stopping consumption. At the same time, if you have alcoholism issues or drug issues, you should start with a drug detox which will help you flush it from your organism.

Of course, you should handle severe withdrawal symptoms that will last approximately two weeks after the last drink. However, it can last much longer depending on the level of alcoholism. After a detox, you can focus on other aspects of recovery, including support options, counseling sessions, therapies, and other activities.

Remember that alcohol is a depressant that starts will not make you addicted after first consumption. You need to drink for months or even years to achieve the addiction.

Afterward, your brain will stop producing chemicals and receive them until you consume alcohol, which means you will become dependent on it. Therefore, when you stop with it, you will need time to adjust.

That leads to severe withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, fever, headache, hallucinations, and irregular heartbeat, among others.

Some people are afraid and nervous about the withdrawal symptoms, so they decide to continue drinking. Even though the effects of alcoholism may not affect you with severity, you should know that some people can experience severe pain.

At the same time, withdrawal symptoms can change aggressively and quickly, which is why you should do it under medical supervision. Therefore, it is vital to find a rehab facility to help you manage potential health issues with proper medications.

That way, you can focus on recovery and get better as time goes by. If you wish to stop drinking, you should contact the help you need for the process. However, in the further text, we will talk about different symptoms and effects of alcohol detox.

Symptoms of Alcohol Detox

The detoxification comes with numerous phases that can range from mild to life-threatening. Everything depends on the severity or longevity of AUD or alcohol use disorder, which will affect the symptoms you will experience throughout the process.

For instance, if you have been drinking for years, you will experience significant withdrawal symptoms such as delirium tremens, and seizures.

Minor symptoms can vary from person to person, including:

• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Anxiety

On the other hand, severe issues are:

• Disorientation
• Extreme hallucinations
• Seizures
• Tremors
• Delirium tremens in worst cases

Even though it is not as common as others, delirium tremens can happen after you stopped from drinking. It can start between two and five days after a drink, leading to life-threatening problems.

According to statistics, five percent of people who stopped drinking can develop this problem. You should click here to learn more about alcoholism.

Since the severity can range, we recommend you find professional medical supervision during the first few weeks. It is crucial for people that have a history of medical conditions such as heart or lung diseases.

Finding a treatment provider means they will track your heart rate, blood pressure, and other issues to ensure that you do not enter a life-threatening stage. You should talk with them about symptoms, especially if you are in pain.

Timeline

You should know that withdrawal symptoms can happen after a few hours of your last drink, which means you can handle them during the first week. Mild issues can last a few weeks, but they can affect your wellbeing for months afterward.

We cannot provide you the timeline about the exact side effects that you will experience, but the statistics and general perspective have created a general outline of the detox process.

• Up to 12 Hours – The first symptoms are mild, while they can reach the worst state possible for some people. In most cases, they include shaking, anxiety, headaches, irritability, and nausea.
• First Day – After twenty-four hours, side effects may become severe and increase gradually. Apart from the ones you had after a few hours of consumption, other issues may feature hand tremors, disorientation, and seizures.
• Second Day – The most painful symptoms will continue during the second day. You may get other issues, including panic attacks and hallucinations throughout this phase because your body will get rid of all alcohol from the system.
• Third to Seventh Day – The following days of the week will include appearing and disappearing side effects depending on numerous factors. It is a phase in which you may enter a life-threatening symptom that may consist of delirium tremens, among others.
• After First Week – After the first week of detoxification, some symptoms will start to reduce. Even though some of them are persistent and may last for a few weeks, you should know that you can treat them with proper medication. After you reduce the severe problems, you can experience PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome). It is a prolonged issue that will last afterward. We are talking about low energy, anxiety, delayed reflexes, trouble sleeping, and many more that may last between a few months and a year.

Enter this guide: https://www.wikihow.com/Quit-Drinking-Alcohol to learn how to stop drinking with ease.

As you can see from everything mentioned above, the most uncomfortable problems can happen between ten and thirty hours after the last drink. However, they will reduce by the fiftieth hour.

Keep in mind that delirium tremens happens to a low number of alcoholics, while thirty percent of them can develop Aspiration Pneumonia. Therefore, you will need professional help to prevent and deal with severe issues.

During inpatient rehab, you will consume meds to prevent serious issues. They will help your body chemicals to remain in balance while reducing chances for further complications.

During inpatient treatment, you will receive these medications:

• Benzodiazepines
• Naltrexone
• Disulfiram
• Acamprosate

That way, you will prevent potential issues from happening, which may affect your overall health.