The Alcohol Withdrawal Process
When you’re suffering from alcohol addiction, deciding to overcome your substance abuse is essential. However, you must manage this process safely and effectively because you will likely experience specific symptoms related to withdrawal shortly after you stop drinking alcohol. This process is one of the leading reasons why part of your treatment for alcohol addiction should always include a detox program.
It’s key to understand the alcohol withdrawal process you will experience during this stage of your recovery. A person begins to experience withdrawal symptoms because their body has gotten so used to consuming alcohol that their body will go into shock when they stop, resulting in withdrawal symptoms. The impact of your withdrawal symptoms will significantly depend on the severity of your addiction, including the length of time you have been struggling with your addiction and how much you drink regularly.
The good thing about the withdrawal process is that it’s not something that will last indefinitely. On average, you will experience the worst of your withdrawal symptoms within the first few hours of your time in detox, and they will begin to subside by the end of the week. However, those first few days and hours could be potentially dangerous, so you should never go through the withdrawal process alone, and you should not attempt to quit drinking cold turkey.
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
There are several alcohol withdrawal symptoms that a person may experience when they are going through the withdrawal phase. Some of the more common types of withdrawal symptoms include:
- Shakiness
- Fatigue
- Cravings
- Nausea
- Stomach issues
- Breathing problems
- An increase in anxiety
- Depression
- Seizures
These withdrawal symptoms can make it almost impossible for you to properly care for yourself during this period. However, when you’re experiencing a combination of these withdrawal symptoms, you could put yourself in a potentially deadly situation.
How Long Does Alcohol Withdrawal Last?
One of the questions that commonly come from a person struggling with alcohol dependence revolves around how long they will need to spend in detox. In most cases, the answer to that question revolves around the severity of your substance use disorders. However, in general, a person who experiences alcohol dependence will need to spend at least seven days detoxing. However, this period could be extended if you suffer from severe alcohol addiction. However, if you’re only suffering from mild symptoms to mid-range symptoms, you should be able to complete your detox and transition into a comprehensive inpatient treatment or outpatient addiction treatment program after that point.
Dealing With Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
Dealing with alcohol withdrawal symptoms is something that can be overwhelming. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may feel as though there is nothing that you can do to care for yourself. Although it’s impossible to determine the types of withdrawal symptoms you may experience during this time, you should never try to tempt fate and face these symptoms alone.
Don’t Deal With Alcohol Withdrawal Alone
A deadly mistake that you can make when treating alcohol withdrawal is thinking that you can manage the withdrawal and treatment phase by yourself. Any addiction, whether it be alcohol addiction or drug addiction, can make you feel as though you’re utterly alone in what you think or what you feel. However, when you decide to allow other people to help you throughout your journey, you will find that overcoming the demon that is addiction is not something that you need to face alone.
Allow Yourself to Rest
As you’re working through the different symptoms you may experience during alcohol detox, you must give yourself ample time to rest. You can do this in many different ways. For example, listening to music can help you relax and start to process all of the progress you’ve made up to this point. Watching television, reading a book, and finding ways to stay focused on your alcohol or drug addiction treatment goals are excellent ways to help yourself through this process.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
If you’re suffering from addiction, you may have gained weight or lost weight during this period. For example, if you struggle with alcohol addiction, you may steer away from eating because you may think that you cannot get as intoxicated as you may want to. Therefore, once you’re able to establish your sobriety, you should always develop healthy eating habits. This process will help keep you fueled and focused on the steps you need to take not only during the time you’re in addiction treatment but also after.
Get Exercise
Did you know that exercise is something that naturally produces endorphins which is something that can help you to feel healthier both physically and psychologically? Often, when a person is struggling with addiction, they tend to fall into bad habits that impact other health situations. If you opt to partner with Muse Treatment Center, we will give you access to our team of personal trainers, which will help you establish healthy habits and patterns. This is something that you can maintain long after you’re done with your addiction treatment.
Stay Hydrated
Alcohol is a substance that can naturally dehydrate your body. Therefore, you must establish a habit of drinking enough fluids so that you don’t risk becoming dehydrated at any point in your addiction recovery. Many people think that grabbing a soda is a good option because it’s something to drink. However, the healthiest choice you can make is reaching for water to stay hydrated.
For more information on what to expect while detoxing alone, check out our blog:
https://musetreatment.com/blog/quitting-alcohol-cold-turkey-what-to-expect/
Alcohol Detox at Muse Treatment in Los Angeles
At Muse Treatment Center, we offer not only alcohol detox but also provide a variety of addiction treatments that will help you overcome your addiction safely and effectively. Our addiction treatment team has helped countless people who have struggled with substance abuse. We can provide you with a comprehensive detox program to help you manage the severe symptoms during this stage of your recovery.
It’s important to remember that working through an alcohol detox program is only the first step in your addiction recovery. While detoxing from alcohol is essential, it’s only the first step in a journey that will last you for the rest of your life. The next step is to commit to an addiction recovery program that will help you address the root cause of your substance abuse. This is done through an inpatient treatment program or an outpatient program. If you completed an alcohol detox program, you might feel more comfortable transitioning into an inpatient treatment program. This is because inpatient treatment provides you with the same around-the-clock treatment and care you experienced during your detox plan. You will have the opportunity to live on the campus of your treatment facility of choice while exclusively focusing on yourself and your recovery. Also, residential treatment gives you the chance to interact with other people working through their addiction recovery program, which can help you develop your own system of support, which is critical when you’re in treatment.
Another type of treatment program offered to an alcohol abuser is an outpatient program. An outpatient program can come in many different forms. For example, you could take advantage of an intensive outpatient treatment program or commit to a general outpatient program. The main difference between these options is that an intensive outpatient treatment program requires a higher weekly hourly commitment than a general outpatient program. You will still work closely with your addiction treatment team to develop a plan that helps you to make the most out of your time in treatment. However, it’s something that will be more individually tailored to suit your needs.
Are you ready to commit to addiction recovery? If the answer is yes, the Muse Treatment Center team is here to help you. We support every client to develop individualized treatment plans that will help them make the most out of their lives by leaving addiction in the past. When you’re ready, we encourage you to reach out to us about our detox and treatment programs and speak to our intake team at (800) 426-1818.
