Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. When an alcoholic stops drinking, he'll experience withdrawal symptoms, caused by excitation of the nervous system that no longer has its usual dose of alcohol to calm it down. Mild withdrawal symptoms are common. Severe ones are less common, but because of the possibility of developing life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, it's often advisable to undergo detox in a hospital, under medical supervision.
Mild Symptoms
Withdrawal symptoms start several hours after the alcoholic takes his last drink. Mild symptoms include sweating, a rapid heart rate and changes in blood pressure. The patient may feel generally ill and nauseous. He may have difficulty thinking clearly. Irritability, insomnia and mild shakiness are common.
Moderate to Severe Symptoms
Hallucinations may occur, indicating the development of more severe withdrawal. They occur roughly between 12 hours to three days after the last drink. Hallucinations can be auditory or visual. Despite having hallucinations, the patient is "with it," and is oriented to where he is and who he is. Other symptoms include severe tremors and vomiting. Seizures may occur. Typically, these are generalized seizures, which cause loss of consciousness and convulsive movements on both sides of the body. As "Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry" explains, about one-third of those with seizures may go on to develop the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal.
Delirium Tremens
Delirium Tremens is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal. It usually starts about three days after drinking cessation. Symptoms include high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, sweating, disorientation and confusion--some of which may occur in mild withdrawal, but in DTs they are much more severe. Additional symptoms include fever, seizures and agitation. Delirium Tremens is a life-threatening condition that requires treatment in the intensive care unit. The risk of mortality with modern treatment has decreased form about 40 percent at the start of the 20th century, to about 5 percent, as stated by a publication from the University of Iowa.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Alcoholism - Treatment for Alcohol Withdrawal
- "Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry"; Virginia Sadock and Pedro Ruiz; 2009
- University of Iowa: Healthcare-P&T News: January/February 2001 Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal; James J Amos et.al; Jan-Feb 2001
