Alcohol addiction can be complicated to overcome. Many addicts return to alcohol because they can not handle the painful withdrawal symptoms. This is why alcohol detox is so beneficial to alcohol abusers, as it allows them to battle alcohol addiction comfortably.
This article will examine the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal that your body goes through during alcohol detox.
What is Alcohol Detox
Alcohol detox is the sudden and planned stopping of alcohol in an abuser’s diet. It is almost always medically supervised to monitor the patient’s health. Often, the patient is given other drugs to taper off their alcohol dependence and reduce the withdrawal symptoms when quitting alcohol.
The Symptoms Of Alcohol Withdrawal
Anxiety: Many alcohol abusers experience high anxiety levels during times of withdrawal. This could be from a chemical imbalance caused by the brain’s overreliance on alcohol or that they were self-medicating their anxiety with alcohol in the first place.
Shaky Hands: Alcohol reduces your brain’s production of chemicals that soothe your nervous system. When one starts abusing alcohol frequently, their brain stops releasing these chemicals. So during alcohol withdrawal, your nerves are imbalanced, and your hands start shaking.
Vomiting and Nausea: Alcohol leads to an imbalanced brain that over and under produces chemicals to balance the effects of the alcohol. When the alcohol is no longer, the brain will still function as it is, leading to nausea and even vomiting.
Trouble Sleeping: All the symptoms above make it very hard to go to sleep and the urge to get one more drink inside your system.
Fevers: Fevers are the body’s way of fighting off infections. When your brain becomes dependent on alcohol and is suddenly taken away, it may perceive the sudden change to its chemical balance as infection and start producing a fever.
Racing Heart: A rapid heart rate is a common symptom of alcohol withdrawal as it usually correlates to increased blood pressure.
Confusion: If the alcohol abuse is severe, confusion and hallucinations may occur. Medical supervision is necessary for these extreme cases.
The Benefits of Alcohol Detox
Medically supervised alcohol detox allows alcohol abusers to get clean while reducing or removing the withdrawal symptoms listed above. Often the withdrawal symptoms are so painful that abusers are physically unable to quit their alcohol dependence. In those cases, medically supervised detox may be their only way of getting clean.
Additionally, medically supervised alcohol detox offers patients additional resources needed to get on the road to recovery, such as mental health counseling and group therapy sessions. Unfortunately, removing the poison isn’t the only step in getting clean; tackling the underlying issues leading to addiction is necessary. A detox center can offer the support needed to live a clean and healthy life.
Alcohol Detox Can Get You Started On The Path To Recovery
Alcohol withdrawal can be a painful and lonely experience, and unfortunately, it is only the start of the recovery process. However, with medically supervised alcohol detox, you can ease the withdrawal process and get the resources to assist you on the path to recovery.