If your chronic alcohol abuse is past the point of all control, it might make you feel hopeless. Many people who struggle with alcoholism mistakenly believe that they’re doomed forever. However, this is simply not true. There are quality substance abuse treatment programs available that can help you get through the uncomfortable alcohol withdrawal process and ready to tackle your rehabilitation. You can change your life entirely, and a top-rated rehab center is a place where those changes can begin to take shape.
Alcohol and Dependency
In moderation, alcohol consumption isn’t a bad thing. Some people can drink recreationally and never develop a problem. For others, however, occasional drinking progresses into excessive drinking. People who engage in binge drinking–consuming four or more drinks for a woman or five or more for a man, all consumed within about two hours–are far more likely to develop a drinking problem.
The problem doesn’t stop there. Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to dependency. Once a dependency develops, putting an end to drinking becomes extremely difficult.
Alcohol Withdrawal
Even when individuals make the decision to quit drinking, alcohol withdrawal symptoms create a roadblock to recovery. The more individuals drink, the more tolerant their bodies becomes to the substance. The brain also becomes dependent on alcohol to function and feel “right.”
Even in the middle of active addiction, when alcohol effects start to wear off, the dependent user may begin to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms that range greatly in severity from mild to lethal. These symptoms typically begin to appear within eight hours of the last drink.
Alcohol withdrawal affects people differently. Certain factors determine the severity of withdrawal symptoms. Some of these factors include:
- Volume and frequency of alcohol consumption
- Genetics
- Pre-existing co-occurring mental disorders
- Medical history
Typically, there are four withdrawal stages:
- Stage 1 (mild) – The first stage starts about eight hours after the last drink. Individuals experience various symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, nausea, abdominal pain and/or vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, and depression.
- Stage 2 (moderate) – The second stage begins between 24–72 hours after the last drink and includes increased blood flow, body temperature, and respiration. Individuals may also experience an irregular heartbeat, mental cloudiness, profuse sweating, irritability, and increased mood swings.
- Stage 3 (severe, also known as delirium tremens) – Usually occurring around 72+ hours after the last drink, the final stage can involve hallucinations, fever, seizures, and extreme confusion and agitation.
Help for Alcohol Addiction
If you’re unable to quit drinking on your own, there’s effective treatment available that can help you to achieve the positive results. Our facility Memphis Recovery in Memphis, Tennessee, offers quality addiction treatment that can assist you with getting clean and learning life skills to help you maintain your sobriety. You don’t have to live a life ruled by alcohol any longer.
We offer various treatment programs, including:
- Adult Treatment Program
- Intensive Outpatient Program
- Partial Hospitalization Program
- Dual Diagnosis and Trauma Therapy
No matter how lost you feel in the cycle of alcohol abuse, we can help you to turn your life around and regain control over your behavior and choices.
The Help You Need is Available Now
Don’t wait until your alcohol problem has caused more chaos and unnecessary destruction in your life. Memphis Recovery in Memphis, Tennessee, has the treatment programs and tools that you need to successfully conquer your demons. If you’re ready for a new beginning, we’re excited to help you reach your goals. Call us today at 901-272-7751 for more information and to get started on the path to life lasting recovery.
Alcoholism has been a significant problem in the US for decades, if not centuries. A lot of people enjoy doing what anyone over 21 can do without impunity as long as they follow specific rules and laws. For some people, easy access offers the perfect opportunity to hide in a bottle of booze when life gets tough. Experts call it alcoholism. As bad as alcoholism is to the problem drinker and often the people around them, the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be just as dangerous. Let’s investigate further.
The Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal
There’s a perfect reason why doctors and addiction treatment professionals work hard to discourage drinkers from quitting “cold turkey.” That reason is direct exposure to some terrifying and dangerous alcohol withdrawal symptoms. In the worst cases of alcoholism, long-term addiction is evident, and the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening. For example, here’s a typical list of alcohol withdrawal signs:
- Anxiety and depression
- High blood pressure and racing heart rate
- Profuse sweating
- Tremors and convulsions
- Nausea and vomiting
- Confusion and hallucinations
- Sleeping issues like insomnia
The onset of withdrawal will usually occur within the first 8 hours of the drinker’s last drink. The worst of these symptoms of alcohol withdrawal will happen within the first three days, hopefully clearing up by the end of the first week.
Treating Alcohol Withdrawal
When someone checks into our alcohol rehab in Memphis TN, we immediately assess their current circumstances. As a non-profit organization, ability to pay is not a criteria for admission. Instead, we want to focus on getting the client on the road to recovery from alcohol addiction.
In many cases, the first step in the treatment process will be a detox program. Before the client is going to be able to focus on therapy, they need time to clear their symptoms of alcohol withdrawal as well as residual cravings. Better yet, they need to do this as safely as possible.
A medically-monitored detox process places the client under the care of the facility’s medical staff. The goal of detox is to let the client get past their alcohol withdrawal signs as naturally as possible. If they should encounter danger or discomfort, then a doctor could step in and prescribe relief medications.
Once the detox program has worked its magic, the client should be ready to move on to counseling. During counseling, the clients will need to commit to openness and honesty with their therapist. Anything less and the entire therapy process will end up being for naught. If the client is open and honest, then they’ll learn a lot about themselves and their alcoholism disease.
As therapy progresses, the client should gain knowledge about the causes of their drinking problem. This information will eventually provide the basis for the client being able to develop better coping skills. It’s these coping skills that will provide a line of defense against triggers and temptation. If the clients have the ability to combat their issues, then relapses should not occur.
What We Do at Memphis Recovery
We firmly believe all of our clients deserve the best care possible. For that reason, we use a variety of treatment options to create a custom treatment program for each client. To the end, our services include:
- Long-term inpatient care
- IOP and PHP as step-down programs
- Dual Diagnosis treatment – addiction issue only
- Holistic treatment options like music and art therapy
- Strong focus on family counseling
Please don’t let your drinking problem take everything you have. From the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal to aftercare programs, help is available at Memphis Recovery. For more information about our services, we want you to contact one of our staff members at 901-272-7751.
One of the main reasons that people with alcoholism don’t try to get sober is the withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be so harsh and uncomfortable that many people decide it’s easier to keep drinking. The good news is that if you’re dealing with alcohol withdrawal, you don’t have to go it alone. Alcohol rehab centers can help, but you need to understand why withdrawal happens in the first place.
Where do the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal Come From?
The human body is always trying to keep some sort of balance in order to function properly. Once you introduce any substance in excess, the body has to adjust accordingly to regain equilibrium. The problem is that when you continue to drink heavily, having alcohol in the system becomes the new normal. However, as soon as the alcohol begins to metabolize, your body doesn’t know what to do and it goes into withdrawal.
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are due to a variety of different reasons, both physical and mental. When the alcohol begins to metabolize in your system, the neurotransmitters in the brain begin to misfire. This misfiring creates a wide range of symptoms that are difficult to keep under control if you don’t have help. Some of the most common symptoms of withdrawal from an alcohol addiction can include:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Body tremors
Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal are Dangerous
Without the proper medical attention, the symptoms of withdrawal are not only uncomfortable, but they can be dangerous. During withdrawal, your heart rate and blood pressure can elevate to very dangerous levels. The other issue is that long-term alcoholism also damages and weakens your heart. This weakening means that without medical supervision, you’re at a greater risk of heart failure. Supervised detox can help prevent such tragedies.
How Does Detox Help with the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal?
When you’re tired of living your life as a slave to alcohol, the first step to getting help is going to a medical detox. At a medical detox, you’ll have the medical treatment and supervision that you need to be safe and comfortable. This supervision is crucial for your safety as well as your chances of staying sober. By minimizing your symptoms of withdrawal in detox, you’re far more likely to stay sober.
Medical detox helps you by having doctors and nurses on staff who fully understand alcohol withdrawal symptoms. During detox, doctors will prescribe medications that will help ensure that your heart rate and blood pressure are under control. There are also medications that can help to reduce anxiety and prevent the possibility of seizures. All of the medications help make the withdrawal process as comfortable and safe as possible.
Once your detox is complete, Memphis Recovery is here to help you on your road to recovery from alcoholism. We’re a fully qualified addiction treatment center that is passionate about helping you succeed in sobriety. We offer a wide variety of treatment programs and give you the attention that you need and deserve. Our goal is to help provide you with the tools you’ll need to face life successfully and stay sober.
Some of the various programs we offer here include:
If you’re tired of struggling with the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal alone, Memphis Recovery wants to show you a new way. You can find out more about our addiction treatment program by simply giving us a call today at 901-272-7751.
The longer a person abuses an addictive substance, such as alcohol, the worse his alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically are once he stops using. Although withdrawal is often an uncomfortable process, many people get through it without suffering serious health problems.
However, people who are dependent on drinking, especially long-term alcoholics, can have severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Knowing this, is what sometimes prevents someone from getting help. Just thinking about withdrawal causes anxiety, but going through the detox process can be a lifesaver.
The Importance of Detox
Detoxification, or detox, is ridding the body of all addictive substances, or toxins. It’s the first step toward recovering from addiction. Detox isn’t a long process, but it’s very important.
A person can’t successfully rehab if she’s still using. Her mental and physical states won’t be in the right condition to process the rehab experience. Detoxing in a qualified facility is the recommended course of treatment, as trying to detox at home (without medical supervision) can be dangerous.
Timeline and Typical Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
If the thought of an uncomfortable–even painful–detox has kept you from seeking treatment, you’re probably wondering how long it takes for alcohol to leave your body. Maybe you’ve even tried to detox before, only to relapse when the symptoms became unbearable.
A typical timeline for alcohol withdrawal symptoms looks like this:
- Several hours after the last drink: About eight hours or so after taking that last drink, the shakes may start. A person will feel anxious and may be hot and sweaty. Nausea and confusion are also common.
- First one to three days: This is when alcohol withdrawal symptoms are the most intense. Some people experience severe symptoms, such as delirium tremens (the DTs) or hallucinations. Other, milder symptoms include irritability and increased respiration.
- After the first week: Alcohol withdrawal symptoms will gradually subside. Once seven days have passed since the last drink, most people feel much better physically. However, that doesn’t mean a person is “cured.” What it means is that he’s ready for the next phase of recovery.
Someone who abuses alcohol for years or decades can have severe withdrawal symptoms, some of which are life-threatening. He shouldn’t attempt at-home detox. There are many facilities that can help a person go through the detox process, safely and comfortably. Depending on the detox center, clients may receive medical assistance in easing the worst of their symptoms.
A Place to Heal
Are you tired of the damage that alcohol addiction does to you or a loved one? You can leave drug and alcohol abuse behind with help from a qualified treatment facility like Memphis Recovery Center.
You’re an individual, and you deserve treatment that addresses your specific needs. Our compassionate, dedicated staff believes in treating each client as a unique person. We work hard to personalize treatment so that everyone receives the most appropriate care.
The Recovery programs we offer include:
- Alcohol rehab
- Partial hospitalization program
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Youth treatment program
- Family therapy program
Addiction touches more than the person using. It also impacts her family members. Our facility provides a strong family therapy component, which allows you and your loved ones to heal together. All of you can get the education and support you need as you move forward in your recovery.
Don’t let alcohol withdrawal symptoms scare you away from recovery.You and your loved ones deserve a healthy, happy you, and we’re ready to partner with you on your road to recovery. Call us at 901-272-7751 for more information.
