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What happens when you detox from alcohol “cold turkey”? Read about alcohol withdrawal symptoms and the safest way to detox from alcohol. If you’re a heavy drinker, your brain and central nervous system now depend on alcohol. They require it in order to function normally. You’ve likely found this to be true when you wake up in the morning and feel you need a drink to get your day started. Quitting alcohol cold-turkey is a form of detoxing done without the supervision of medical detox professionals at an alcohol addiction treatment center. Many people believe they can detox safely at home, but your body ridding itself of alcohol can be a dangerous process. While your body learns to function without alcohol, you suffer the effects of sudden deprivation of what your body used to depend on.
When you go from drinking frequently and/or in large amounts to not drinking at all, you’ll experience withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms range from mild and uncomfortable to deadly. When regular and heavy drinkers stop drinking, the body compensates for the depressive effect of alcohol. This is done by increasing hormones and brain chemicals such as serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine. If you stop drinking alcohol cold-turkey, your body floods with high levels of these chemicals in an effort to re-establish balance and normal functioning without alcohol. The severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms depends on factors such as:
Approximately 50% of people who are addicted to alcohol have severe withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. These symptoms generally set in six hours after your last drink. They can only be effectively eased with medical assistance.
Besides insomnia, headaches, diarrhea, and irritability, common symptoms of alcohol detox and alcohol withdrawal include:
An alcohol withdrawal seizure is often the first sign of alcohol withdrawal. It usually involves convulsions and involuntary muscle contractions. Withdrawal seizures can occur within six to 48 hours of your last drink. Without medical treatment, multiple seizures occur in 60% of people. The time between the first and last seizure is usually less than six hours.
About 30% to 40% of people who experience seizures get delirium tremens, also known as DTs. Considered a medical emergency, DTs typically occur 24 to 48 hours after the last drink. They’re characterized by:
Without medical assistance, delirium tremens can put you at risk for:
In many cases, DTs cause death.
As part of delirium tremens, your heart beats erratically. Unusual shifts in breathing, temperature, and circulation can contribute to a racing heart. You may also experience blood circulation issues such as high blood pressure.
These symptoms may linger for a week after quitting alcohol cold-turkey. They occur as your brain tries to rebalance chemicals without alcohol, which it’s become dependent upon.
Alcohol is a diuretic that increases your urine output and can increase sweating. You may already be dehydrated going into alcohol withdrawal. You may get even more dehydrated due to vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dangerous electrolyte imbalances. This can throw off your central nervous system, causing:
The amount of alcohol it takes to cause withdrawal symptoms varies from person to person. Even brief binge drinking or heavy drinking can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, dehydration, nausea, and gastrointestinal issues the next day. Heavy drinkers and binge drinkers are most at risk for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) reports drinking levels as:
If you have an alcohol use disorder (AUD), you’re at an even greater risk of experiencing alcohol withdrawal while quitting alcohol cold-turkey. You may have an AUD if you meet two or more of the following criteria:
The safest way to detox from alcohol is in a medical detox setting with trained physicians, nurses, and other detox specialists. Here’s what alcohol detox is like in an addiction treatment center:
Addiction treatment should always follow alcohol detox. Treatment helps you understand the biological, emotional, and social reasons you drank. You’ll learn what triggers you to drink and develop healthy coping skills. You’ll also benefit from the support of addiction professionals and sober peers.
Regular alcohol abuse causes chemical changes that alter the way your brain functions and lead to very uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and powerful alcohol cravings. These cravings can feel impossible to resist when you don’t have the proper medications and support to ease them. That’s why it’s extremely challenging to simply quit drinking alcohol cold-turkey and not relapse. Additionally, quitting alcohol cold-turkey can prove deadly. Handling alcohol withdrawal symptoms on your own isn’t safe. Even if you think friends or family can help, only trained professionals have the skills to safely assist you through the detox process. Self-detox can be fatal. Rely on medical staff and detox specialists who work for drug and alcohol detox center programs to safely and comfortably get you past this difficult first hurdle on the path to recovery.
For more information on alcohol detox or to start the detox process, call Promises Treatment Centers at 866.852.0605 today.