Alcohol Detox and Withdrawal

Withdrawal is a physically and psychologically uncomfortable experience — so much so that many heavy drinkers will continue drinking, despite the negative consequences, because it helps them avoid withdrawal. Withdrawal occurs because continued and excessive alcohol use eventually interferes with the brain’s natural functions, disrupting neurotransmitters that send messages to your central nervous system. The primary neurotransmitter tied to the production of feelings like relaxation is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA also helps produce endorphins in the brain, which produce a sense of well-being. Excessive alcohol use causes a GABA imbalance, resulting in negative physical and mental symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:

• Headaches
• Heart palpitations
• Seizures
• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Confusion

Alcohol abuse also affects dopamine, the neurotransmitter linked to the body’s reward system. This pleasure center regulates your energy, enjoyment and motivation. Dopamine also assists with the body’s sense of attention, motor coordination, cognition and mood. Alcohol releases dopamine, triggering some of the happy feelings addicts crave. As the body begins to build a higher tolerance to alcohol, the brain becomes more dependent on the substance for feel-good neurotransmitters. When a long-term heavy drinker suddenly stops drinking, dopamine production also halts, causing physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.

Other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome include:

• Tremors
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Confusion
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Sweating
• Fever

Some alcoholics going through withdrawal may experience a very severe set of symptoms, called delirium tremens. Delirium tremens most commonly occur in those who drink in excess daily for months or even years.

Delirium tremens symptoms include:

• Altered mental functions
• Deep sleep
• Fear
• Seizures
• Sudden mood changes
• Excitement

The severity of withdrawal symptoms can depend on many variables, and therefore is different from person to person. Such factors include how long the person has been abusing alcohol, the quantity of alcohol they consume, how frequently they drink, their history with addiction to other substances, polydrug use, family addiction history, and physiological makeup, such as gender, weight and age. It is important to contact a medical physician if you begin to feel any withdrawal symptoms after you stop using alcohol, as withdrawal symptoms can become life-threatening if not treated appropriately.

The process is triggered when an addict stops drinking alcohol. As the liver metabolizes ethanol and moves the drug through a person’s system, withdrawal symptoms will begin. It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours for the body to absorb one serving of alcohol into the bloodstream. Alcohol can be detected in the urine between 12 and 24 hours after consumption, however, because the liver can only metabolize about .25 ounces of it per hour.

Most alcohol detox programs last anywhere from a few days to more than a week, with withdrawal symptoms usually subsiding within seven or more days of the program. However, alcohol cravings and other minor side effects may continue for some time after detox.

• Disorientation
• Confusion
• Vivid hallucinations
• Extreme tremors
• Autonomic hyperactivity, including shortness of breath, sweating, dry mouth and palpitations
• Rapid heart rate or tachycardia
• Agitation

Fatal complications from delirium tremens include oversedation, respiratory arrest, cardiac arrhythmias and aspiration pneumonitis, which occurs when a person inhales toxic substances into the lungs, resulting in infection.

You may be at risk for delirium tremens if you:

• Are middle aged or a senior citizen
• Have experienced seizures during previous alcohol withdrawal
• Have a co-occurring mental illness
• Have abnormal liver function
• Experience intense alcohol cravings
• Have abused alcohol for an extended period of time
• Have experienced delirium tremens before

Delirium tremens can be difficult to diagnose, as some symptoms are similar to those of acute alcohol withdrawal. However, acute alcohol withdrawal is rarely deadly, while alcohol withdrawal delirium can be lethal in up to 15 percent of cases. If you undergo detox at an accredited detox facility with experienced addiction professionals, such as those at The Recovery Village, you have a greater chance of experiencing a safe alcohol withdrawal. Delirium tremens often require advanced pharmacotherapy, and in extreme cases may even require a stay in a hospital’s intensive care unit.

Alcohol withdrawal can cause many deadly symptoms, including:

• Heart palpitations
• Heart arrhythmia
• Kidney dysfunction
• Liver dysfunction
• Seizure
• Seizure-related head injury
• Delirium tremens
• Hallucinations
• Increased heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Hyperventilation

Detox can be dehydrating to the body as it uses any means — most notably vomiting, diarrhea and sweating — to expel alcohol and its toxins. Alcohol in and of itself is also a dehydrating substance. Combining an alcohol user’s pre-existing dehydrating qualities with withdrawal-related dehydration can easily induce seizures and even prove lethal.

There are two ways to detox — cold turkey, or all at once, or by gradually lowering alcohol dosages, called tapering. Most people who choose to detox on their own at home resort to the cold turkey method. However, cold turkey detox can be dangerous, as the onset of withdrawal symptoms is more severe. In the face of the alcohol detox symptoms, the person going through detox may end up relapsing and putting themselves in danger of alcohol poisoning.

Professional medical detox is the safest option when it comes to stopping drinking. At The Recovery Village, we monitor patients 24/7 to ensure their pain during withdrawal is managed, their vitals are at healthy levels and they are not experiencing any life-threatening symptoms.

The primary risks during detox include dehydration and delirium tremens. Severe dehydration can lead to seizures, which can easily become lethal, especially if they occur in a home environment. Delirium tremens can also lead to cardiac arrhythmia and respiratory failure, which can be fatal if left untreated.

Following detox, you will be ready to begin treatment for alcohol addiction. The Recovery Village offers many different treatment options including inpatient and outpatient rehab. Rehab is a proven treatment method for alcohol addiction because it addresses both the physical and psychological sides of the disease.