Alcohol withdrawal symptoms occur to people who are chronic heavy drinkers and suddenly stop drinking. It is a good idea to quit drinking, especially when it endangers your health and life. But the proper precautions have to be taken when the drinking stops and the detoxification process begins. Detox is what happens to the body when it is no longer receiving its regular intake of alcohol in the case of alcoholism. The symptoms can be mild or moderate or become severe enough to cause convulsions and hallucinations, depending on how heavily the person has been drinking.
Step 1
Check into an alcohol treatment center or see a doctor when you decide to quit drinking. You will be given an exam to check various bodily functions including heart rate, breathing, eye movements, shakiness and other conditions that may indicate inpatient treatment is needed. You may be given medication to calm the detox effects. The doctor will advise treatment and provide support to succeed in efforts to quit drinking, the American Academy of Family Physicians explains. It may be recommended that you need inpatient treatment, or outpatient care may be sufficient. Inpatient treatment means your condition is serious enough to stay in the facility and be monitored while you are recovering and going through withdrawal for up to a week or more. Outpatient treatment is for people who go for initial treatment and can detox at home while going for regular therapy at the facility, or staying in touch in case of emergencies.
Step 2
Watch for the symptoms as you go through detox. Mild symptoms may include nervousness, shakiness, anxiety, irritability, depression, fatigue, difficulty thinking clearly, headaches, sweating, nausea, loss of appetite, insomnia, rapid heart rate or abnormal movement of the eyelids. Severe symptoms include agitation, fever and delirium tremens that may involve visual hallucinations and convulsions. People who suffer from severe symptoms should be under the constant care of health-care professionals in a facility.
Step 3
Keep in close contact with a medical professional or treatment facility if you are not being monitored for inpatient treatment, or even after you leave a facility following treatment. If alcohol withdrawal symptoms remain a concern you may want to call the doctor or treatment center immediately, or rush to the emergency room. When you are recovering at home, it is a good idea to have a friend or relative close by to help you in case you need to be taken somewhere for treatment. If your problem is that serious, however, the safest place to be is under the care of medical professionals until you have recovered from withdrawal symptoms.
Step 4
Undergo rehabilitation treatment. Withdrawal symptoms may begin within eight to 12 hours after the last drink and last for 48 to 72 hours, or go on for more than a week, according to the National Institutes of Health. Rehab treatment should follow and may include everything from support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous to group therapy. It is important that a recovering alcoholic continue rehabilitation treatment following detoxification in order to avoid going back to their harmful lifestyle.
