Alcohol Withdrawal: Symptoms, Stages, and Safe Treatment Options

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects nearly 28.9 million Americans. It is a condition that is characterized by heavy, uncontrolled drinking. One of the most prominent signs of AUD is the presence of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. In fact, more than 50% of people with AUD struggle with alcohol withdrawal, and in extreme cases, it can turn life-threatening as well.

In this blog, we shall take a closer look at alcohol withdrawal, the stages, and the different treatment options.

Alcohol withdrawal refers to intensely unpleasant symptoms you experience when you reduce or stop alcohol consumption after prolonged use. Typically, this is the case if you struggle with heavy, uncontrolled drinking or AUD. When the body does not receive the same amount of alcohol as it is normally used to, you can experience alcohol withdrawal.

Alcohol withdrawal can affect you both physically and psychologically. In fact, alcohol withdrawal is one of the reasons why quitting alcohol use becomes very difficult. Therefore, seeking professional help becomes central to your recovery and a sober life.

A person can experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms between 6 and 12 hours after reducing or stopping alcohol intake. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can vary from mild to severe, depending on the person and the extent of alcohol use.

The mild to moderate symptoms are as follows:

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Wakefulness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Sweating
• Upset stomach
• Tremors, also known as shakes

The severe symptoms are as follows:

• Fever
• Heavy sweating
• Increased breathing rate
• Heart palpitations
• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Hyperthermia
• Delirium tremens (characterized by confusion, psychosis, excessive sweating, seizures, rapid heart rate, and hyperthermia).

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these severe symptoms, it is crucial to seek medical care immediately.

The stages of alcohol withdrawal are as follows:

With prolonged alcohol use, your brain becomes dependent on it to function normally. As alcohol is a depressant, it slows down your central nervous system (CNS). So, your brain has to work harder to keep its effects at bay and keep your body functioning.

When you quit drinking after prolonged heavy use, your CNS struggles to adjust and regulate itself as quickly. Without alcohol to suppress its activity, it becomes overstimulated, leading to withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol withdrawal is a dangerous, life-threatening condition in itself. The risks and complications of alcohol withdrawal are as follows:

• Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome - It is the persistence of withdrawal symptoms even after the body has healed from the other effects of alcohol. Protracted withdrawal syndrome leads to anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep troubles that can even last for over a year.
• Seizures - These are severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms and occur in nearly 5% of the untreated cases.
• Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome - It results from thiamine deficiency and leads to memory troubles and other cognitive impairments.
• Cardiovascular Problems - Heart problems like arrhythmia can arise from alcohol withdrawal.
• Delirium Tremens - DTs is a life-threatening condition that develops between 1-4 days after the last drink. It is characterized by severe mental changes and has a mortality rate of up to 37%.

While alcohol withdrawal can be managed at home, the risk of severe symptoms, relapse, or fatality makes reaching out to professional help crucial.

Regardless, here are some steps you can follow while at home:

• Remove anything related to alcohol from your home - this can be the drinks or any other paraphernalia. You need to avoid those who use/abuse alcohol as well.
• Reach out to your healthcare provider and be in contact with them even as you withdraw. They prescribe medication and a diet, and follow them to a tee.
• Have a strong social support network around you that can care for and support you as you withdraw. They can also distract you when you need it.
• Take care of yourself. Eat a nutritious diet, engage in physical exercise, and practice other healthy living practices like meditation, mindfulness, or yoga. You also need to keep your body hydrated; therefore, keep drinking water at regular intervals.

Treatment options for alcohol withdrawal are comprehensive and aim to reduce withdrawal symptoms, prevent complications, and treat alcohol use disorder.

The first step to treating alcohol withdrawal is detoxification (detox). Under medically supervised conditions, the alcohol content in your body is gradually reduced to minimize and manage the withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes, you can detox at home as well, but you will need to coordinate with the medical services.

Medication plays a crucial role in treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms and easing the detox process. Medication management involving carbamazepine, gabapentin, and benzodiazepines is prescribed.

While detox and medication management play a role in reducing and managing the symptoms, the underlying reason for alcohol withdrawal is AUD. AUD needs to be treated with medication-assisted treatment or MAT (a combination of medication and psychotherapy) for lasting recovery.

The psychotherapeutic interventions include:

• Motivational Interviewing (MI) - The goal of MI is to instill the motivation required to change drinking-related behaviors. Your therapist will seek to reduce your ambivalence toward drinking and enhance your motivation to change.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - CBT identifies and changes the maladaptive thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns that lead to heavy, controlled drinking. It also equips you with healthy coping skills to manage alcohol-related triggers and temptations.
• Mindfulness Therapy - Mindfulness keeps you connected with your present. You learn to respond to triggers in a healthy manner instead of resorting to drinking or other self-destructive behaviors.
• 12-Step Recovery Programs - Informal peer groups like Alcoholics Anonymous follow a 12-step recovery program where members come together, encourage one another, and take responsibility for their recovery. 12-step recovery programs are a crucial aspect of ongoing care and social support.
• Medication-Assisted Treatment - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved naltrexone and acamprosate for the treatment of AUD. Topiramate and gabapentin can also be used to reduce cravings.

The NuView Treatment Center offers comprehensive outpatient care through partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP), tailored to your unique recovery needs. We offer personalized behavioral therapies and medication management tailored to your unique needs and recovery goals, as we believe in making behavioral health care as relevant as it is effective. We also provide holistic therapies like meditation, mindfulness, and yoga to incorporate a better lifestyle in this journey toward lasting recovery.

Moreover, we believe in making behavioral health care easy for everyone, so we offer evening programs so that one does not have to put their life on hold to focus on their recovery. We also offer personalized internet-based care or telehealth services to ensure that even those living in remote and underserved areas receive the care they deserve.

If you wish to speak to an informed expert regarding alcohol use disorder treatments, reach out to NuView today! Call us at (323) 307-7997 or email us at info@nuviewtreatment.com.

1. What happens when you stop drinking alcohol?

When you stop drinking alcohol after prolonged use, you can experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These are unpleasant symptoms and can turn life-threatening in extreme cases.

2. How long does it take to withdraw from alcohol?

Alcohol withdrawal can begin as quickly as 6 hours after the last drink and can last anywhere up to 7 days or longer.

3. What is one of the first signs of withdrawal?

One of the first signs of alcohol withdrawal can be confusion, agitation, and mild to moderate tremors.

4. What's good for alcohol withdrawal?

Medically supervised detox is beneficial in treating alcohol withdrawal. Even medications like carbamazepine, gabapentin, and benzodiazepines are useful in its treatment. Meanwhile, for severe symptoms, hospitalization might be required.

5. Can you prevent alcohol withdrawal?

Yes, alcohol withdrawal can be prevented. It is the outcome of heavy and prolonged alcohol use, so limiting alcohol use to moderate or social drinking can prevent alcohol withdrawal.