Author: James Anderson

Withdrawal: Types, Symptoms, Treatment

Over time, however, the body builds a tolerance to alcohol, and a person may have to drink more and more to get the same feeling. Meanwhile, the brain is producing more and more neurotransmitters, making a person further imbalanced. While safe withdrawal may be possible at home, medical intervention may be needed to provide medications and life-saving support. Many people in recovery also find support groups to be a helpful resource to lean on. Withdrawal happens when a person who has become reliant on a substance discontinues the use of that substance. While most cocaine withdrawal symptoms go away after a week to 10 days, some symptoms may last years.

For example, it could just be a headache or difficulty sleeping, or it may result in death. For most people, alcohol withdrawal symptoms will begin to subside after 72 hours. If you are still experiencing withdrawal symptoms after three days, talk to your healthcare provider.

Treatment

Some people can do this on their own, but many benefit from extra support during the first few months to avoid relapse. The duration of your withdrawal symptoms depends on the substance you used, along with the length and intensity of your addiction—typically, just a few days, but weeks or months in some cases. As with anxiety and depression, fatigue is common and normal for people withdrawing from drugs and alcohol.

Risks and Complications

Learn more about substance use and withdrawal, symptoms, treatment, how to cope, and how to help someone going through withdrawal. Keep in mind that alcohol detox is only the first step, and additional treatment—including medication and individual or group counseling—is a must if you want to maintain your sobriety. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons—in particular, costs and insurance coverage—of the type of treatment with your family members and primary care physician. One of the most important things you can do is simply be there for your loved one during this difficult time. Just by being present and available, you can provide them with great support.

Alcohol Detox for Withdrawal

Therefore, it is important to seek professional support if any mental health concerns emerge when going through nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol withdrawal (alcohol withdrawal syndrome) is a range of symptoms that can happen if you stop or significantly reduce alcohol intake after long-term use. If you’ve used alcohol, heroin, meth, or other substances for only a short time or have taken only small doses, you might not experience withdrawal. Other risk factors include previous episodes of severe alcohol withdrawal. The first symptoms—and maybe the only symptoms—you experience may resemble a bad hangover. She adds that withdrawal can also occur after a significant reduction in alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Withdrawal Stages and Severity

Fatigue is also a common symptom of depression and an after-effect of anxiety. You also might feel tired from the many thoughts and emotions that can overwhelm you when you don’t have alcohol or drugs to numb them. Physical symptoms of anxiety can make you feel as if something scary is happening. Your breathing and heart rate might increase, sometimes to the point where you feel you can’t catch your breath or that you’re having a heart attack, even though you’re not. Millions of people join support groups to help stop drinking and stay stopped.

Treatment for withdrawal includes support, care, and medications that can ease symptoms and prevent possible complications. Tapering is a process of slowly decreasing the use of a substance, such as a prescription medication, over time to prevent withdrawal. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are available to help decrease or stop using some substances.

Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

  1. For people at low risk of complications, an office visit to your primary care provider, along with at-home monitoring and virtual office visits, may suffice.
  2. They can help you make a plan to safely withdraw from a substance, give you treatments to ease withdrawal symptoms, and offer resources for extra support.
  3. If you abruptly stop or decrease your intake of the substance, your body is once again thrown off balance and symptoms of withdrawal may result.
  4. According to Hilary S. Connery, MD, PhD, the clinical director of the division of alcohol, drugs, and addiction at McLean Hospital in Boston, withdrawal medications are suitable for most people.
  5. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

People at high risk of complications should enter a short-term in-patient detox program. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from mild but annoying to severe and life-threatening. Abruptly withdrawing from a more serious drug, such as a depressant or opioid, can be life-threatening. That’s why it’s essential to talk to your provider before you stop using a substance you’ve used for a long time. In these cases, your provider may recommend you undergo a medical detox. Although you might be tempted to tough out withdrawal symptoms by yourself, it’s not worth the risk.

Although marijuana is commonly believed to not be harmful, 47% of people who use the substance regularly experience withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms can be severe, including a return of symptoms of depression, so it is important to talk with a doctor before stopping these medications. When you quit nicotine, you can expect physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. Those can include cravings, headache, cough, anxiety, irritability, and mental fog. The symptoms will begin within hours of quitting and may last a few weeks. Steps you can take at home include getting plenty of rest, eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, and trying relaxation exercises.