Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

How Treatment Centers Help You Overcome Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome Safely

Once a person’s body becomes accustomed to large amounts of alcohol on a daily basis, the brain and body cannot function normally without alcohol in the system. This condition can develop in matter of weeks in cases of frequent binge drinking or when consuming large quantities on a daily basis.

Under these conditions, cutting back or abstaining from alcohol can bring on alcohol withdrawal effects within six to 12 hours time. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome develops in cases where a person stops drinking altogether.

According to the University of Iowa, alcohol addiction develops out of a pattern of uncontrolled drinking that causes considerable damage to a drinker’s physical and psychological health. Considering the level of physical dependency at work, alcohol withdrawal syndrome can bring on serious aftereffects, especially in cases where a person has other health problems.

For these reasons, most people require professional treatment help to overcome alcohol withdrawal syndrome safely. Alcohol treatment centers specialize in offering the types of physical supports needed to ease a person through the distressing symptoms that arise from alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

Treatment centers can monitor your symptoms throughout alcohol withdrawal.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, alcohol exerts an inhibitory or depressant-like effect on the central nervous system. Stopping alcohol use after long periods of excess consumptions causes a rebound effect to take place in the brain. This rebound creates a state of hyper-excitability, known as alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

In effect, brain chemical processes overcompensate for the lack of alcohol in the system, which gives rise to the physical symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal.

Symptoms most likely to develop include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Tremors
Profuse sweating
Increase in body temperature

Treatment for Alcohol Withdrawal

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can appear in anywhere from 13 to 71 percent of people entering detox treatment with seizure episodes affecting an estimated 15 percent of people during the detox stage.

Depending on the level of the addiction, alcohol withdrawal syndromes are considered minor or major in severity. Standard medication treatments used include benzodiazepine drugs, which produce sedative-type effects. Benzodiazepine drugs commonly used include Librium and Ativan. Sedative drugs directly counteract the brain’s rebound effect during the early stages of detox.

Treatment for Major Withdrawal

Years of alcoholism will inevitably produce severe symptoms as the alcohol withdrawal syndrome unfolds. Major withdrawal, also known as delirium tremens begins around three to five days after a person stops drinking.

People affected by major withdrawal will display the following symptoms:

Elevated blood pressure
Mental confusion
Visual and auditory hallucinations
Extreme agitated behavior

At this level of alcohol consumption, most people develop medical conditions as a result of long-term alcohol abuse. Nutritional deficiencies are also present.

Considering the severity of symptoms associated with major withdrawal, treatment typically requires benzodiazepines administered in injection form. Anti-psychotic medications are also given to provide relief from psychotic-type symptom, such as hallucinations and extreme agitation.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome can place a person in considerable distress and be life threatening in cases of major withdrawal. Alcohol treatment centers offer the safest route when long-term alcohol disorders are at work.

More Treatment & Detox Articles

How Bulimia Treatment Improves Your Health

With weight loss or avoiding weight gain as the primary goal, bulimia drives many women (and a few men) to take drastic measures to attain an “ideal” body weight. According to Harvard Health Publications, an estimated one out of every 100 women will develop bulimia in their lifetime, whereas bulimia rates for men equal one-tenth….

Adverse Consequences of Binge Drinking

In the United States, a standard drink is one that contains about one-half an ounce of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in 12 ounces of regular beer, 10 ounces of wine cooler, 8 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine or one-and-a-half ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor….

Is 12-Step Treatment Right for You?

Are you thinking about going into treatment for drug or alcohol addiction? If you’re thinking about taking the first step to getting sober and you’re not sure if 12 step treatment is right for you this should clear up some of the questions that you have. Although 12-step treatment is not for everyone, this method….

Remember all the risks of binge drinking

Drinking heavily is not uncommon in Pullman. Whether it’s because of our age, peer pressure or some other reason straight out of the D.A.R.E. program, it happens. And while I’m sure you’re well aware drinking too much equals a hospital visit, there are a slew of other issues you should be aware of before going….

Plans for minimum alcohol price

The government’s top medical adviser has drawn up plans for a minimum price for alcohol which would double the cost of some drinks in England. Under the proposal from Sir Liam Donaldson, it has been reported that no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol they contain. It would….