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.
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.
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.
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.
Treating Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
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.
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. 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.
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:
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.
With detox complete, 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.
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.
