Breaking Free: Overcoming Alcohol Withdrawal with Resilience and Coping Techniques

Alcohol withdrawal, or alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), is the painful physical process your body goes through when you try to quit drinking alcohol or when you are unable to drink alcohol for whatever reason. Your body will become used to the constant presence of alcohol if you drink it regularly. Stopping alcohol cold turkey can cause unpleasant and perhaps life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Whether you’re thinking of quitting drinking and want to know what to expect, if you’re currently suffering alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or if you’re trying to assist a friend or family member in staying clean, we’ve compiled some information on how to handle these challenges. Informing yourself about the stages of alcohol withdrawal and ways to cope with them will serve you well in the long run.

Alcohol Abuse

Stages of alcohol withdrawal symptoms

Most of us have been drunk at least once in our lives. Even though we are most familiar with the health effects of alcohol, there are actually health effects if cutting it, too. Several variables influence the physical changes that occur when an alcoholic person stops drinking. The severity of acute alcohol withdrawal varies from person to person based on the extent to which they are physiologically dependent on alcohol.

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As described by the American Academy of Family Physicians, there are typically three phases of withdrawal. Among these are:

• Stage 1 (mild) – Headache, sleeplessness, anxiety, hand tremors, gastrointestinal abnormalities, and heart palpitations
• Stage 2 (moderate) – symptoms include those seen in mild stage cases as well as moderate hypertension or fever, disorientation, and fast, irregular breathing.
• Stage 3 (severe) – The symptoms of stage 3 (severe) include the symptoms of stage 2 (moderate) as well as visual or auditory hallucinations, convulsions, confusion, and poor focus.

Delirium Tremens

DT, or delirium tremens, is a hazardous complication of alcohol withdrawal. Extreme disorientation, confusion, delusions, vivid hallucinations, fever, sweating, tachycardia, and even psychomotor agitation are among the symptoms that may accompany delirium tremens. Symptoms of delirium tremens, which can be fatal, often arise 72 hours after the onset of other alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The potentially dangerous condition of delirium tremens demands prompt medical care. To avoid complications, the right treatment is crucial. If you start experiencing any of the listed symptoms, get help immediately.

How to cope

If you experience withdrawal, getting aid to cut back or quit drinking may require medical intervention. It will aid you in determining the most effective strategy for quitting alcohol, together with the necessary assistance, which may involve using prescribed medication to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Seizures during alcohol withdrawal can cause lifelong harm or death. Thus, this medicine may be necessary for those with severe alcohol dependence. However, you will also have to do some personal work to alleviate your symptoms. Here’s how to cope with AWS.

Get support

To succeed in kicking the booze habit, nobody should have to go through it alone. There are various resources available to assist you in reducing your alcohol consumption and coping with your alcoholism, such as:

• Therapy – A variety of therapies exist for those struggling with alcoholism, as different approaches work better for different people. For instance, some people thrive in a community of like-minded peers, while others may feel more comfortable keeping their problems to themselves in a group setting.
• Self-help organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) provide a safe space for members to open up about their struggles with substance abuse and get encouragement from others in a similar situation. Individual meetings with a therapist are part of AA’s 12-step facilitation treatment program (this is suited to those who are not yet comfortable speaking in a group setting).
• Family therapy – Because alcoholism affects more than just the alcoholic or their immediate family, seeking treatment as a group is important. Through family therapy, loved ones may learn more about alcoholism and how they can best help someone in their family who is making an effort to cut down on or quit drinking.

Read Also: Is There Really a Safe Amount of Alcohol to Consume?

Adjust your lifestyle

It’s crucial to steer clear of anything that can urge you to drink again while you go through withdrawal. Stay away from gatherings where alcohol is likely to be consumed, such as parties and other occasions where you know it will be present.

Tell your loved ones that you can’t be around them while they’re under the influence of alcohol. Avoid potentially dangerous environments like pubs, nightclubs, and athletic events where alcohol is sold for the greatest results.

Avoid your drinking buddies

Distancing oneself from facilitators and drinking enthusiasts is crucial while attempting to overcome alcohol withdrawal. Those people don’t want you to clean up your act. Most people will try to downplay the seriousness of your addiction. While you go through detox, they could even try to give you a drink. At this moment, it’s advisable to break ties with these individuals completely.

Keep yourself occupied

Relapse is more likely to occur under pressure or when there is a lot of free time on one’s hands. The severity of withdrawal symptoms can be mitigated psychologically, and the chance of recurrence is reduced when one stays occupied. Remembering things by writing them down or developing good routines can also assist.

Practice mindfulness

Meditating and focusing on the here and now can reduce anxiety and satisfy cravings. The practice of mindfulness has been demonstrated to help people exercise more self-control and reduce impulsivity, both of which are useful skills to have while attempting to manage a stressful situation that may serve as a trigger. Since alcohol makes you age faster, it is possible that practicing mindfulness during recovery can bring some of the youth back into you. Yoga and other mind-calming activities like meditation, deep breathing, and walks in nature are common components of a mindful practice.

Ride the wave

Intense cravings characterize alcohol withdrawal. Instead of attempting to battle desires, learning to “urge surf” is a valuable notion of becoming familiar with. The goal is to acknowledge the impulse and work through it without giving in to it. This aids in both therapeutic activity and recovery.

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Keep a diary

Keeping a journal of your alcohol consumption (if any) and related facts – such as the time of day, the approximate number of units you consumed, and the location, may be beneficial. It would be best to write down your feelings both at the moment and after. Keeping a journal of your emotions, thoughts, and the contexts in which you drink can help you identify drinking patterns and uncover the underlying causes of your drinking behavior.

Find a hobby

If you decide to give up alcohol, you’ll suddenly find that you have a great deal of spare time on your hands. You may be surprised to see how much time you invested in using alcohol, planning to use alcohol, getting alcohol, and recuperating from intoxication. Investing in something worthwhile and useful is usually a smart idea. Can you think of a past interest that you’d want to revive? Or maybe you have a new hobby you’d like to try? Now is the best time to go ahead and try it.

Inform a professional

Check with your doctor about prescription options for alcohol withdrawal management before attempting to stop drinking or reduce drug use on your own. Blood pressure drugs, benzodiazepines to reduce anxiety and enhance mental health, and anticonvulsants to prevent seizures and relieve other symptoms of the nervous system may all be prescribed by your doctor. Still, the specifics will depend on your age and medical history.

Diazepam, a sedative that decreases anxiety and relaxes the muscles, may also be prescribed by your doctor to help you go through the stages of alcohol withdrawal safely. See your doctor if you have any concerns about using any of these drugs. Keep in mind that alcohol withdrawal might cause flu-like symptoms if the withdrawal is particularly severe. So you need to be taking care of your well-being.

Pick up a book

If you’re experiencing the need to drink, pick up a book. They may provide a wonderful escape and help divert you. Reading a book is another method of diversion, along with going for a stroll and listening to music. To read for the sake of reading is a noble pursuit, so do it!

Consider detoxing at a facility

Another option is to enter a professional detoxification center, especially if you have suffered severe stages of alcohol withdrawal before. Short-term inpatient therapy is provided at detox centers, where withdrawal symptoms are thoroughly monitored, and medication is given if necessary.

Detoxing at a medical facility removes you from your typical environment, making it less likely that you may go for alcohol to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. You may enter detox at any time, not only during a crisis. People do it of their own free will and report it daily.

Stay active

In addition to eating well and getting plenty of rest, being active can help you get through alcohol withdrawal. Although it may be tempting to stay in bed and wait for the minor symptoms to subside, being active during alcohol detox might help improve your mood and sleep quality and flush the alcohol out of your body.

Being in shape doesn’t require long-distance running or a membership to a fitness center! A daily stroll or a few sets of at-home exercises will do. You should see a doctor if your symptoms worsen or don’t go away even slightly.

Read Also: War: Soldiers Exposed to Combat Have a Higher Risk of Becoming Alcoholics

Final words

The stages of alcohol withdrawal can seem scary. However, the fear of alcohol withdrawal should not prevent you from attempting to stop drinking. The first few days without alcohol might be difficult, but there are therapies and drugs that can assist. You can rely on others for help rather than attempting it alone. You’ve got this!

References

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2004/0315/p1443.html