Alcohol Withdrawal Guide: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options

The more people in your personal network that you trust to support your journey, the more likely you are to be successful. The duration of the alcohol shakes varies from person to person. Several factors impact the duration, including how severe the dependency on alcohol is for the particular person having the shakes. When the alcohol is completely taken away then this adrenaline and its cousins are left to run rampant in the brain. This leads to raised blood pressure, raised pulse rate, rapid breathing, fever, hallucinations, seizures and D.T.s.

How am I going to stop drinking alcohol?

You can set yourself up for success by talking to your healthcare provider, getting support from friends and family, and learning to manage cravings and triggers. With the right support and encouragement, it's possible to safely stop drinking alcohol — and for good.

For serious alcohol use disorder, you may need a stay at a residential treatment facility. Most residential treatment programs include individual and group therapy, support groups, educational lectures, family involvement, and activity therapy. Your doctor can give sober house you personalized advice on how to stop drinking safely. There are also medications that can make it easier and safer to stop. If you have a really hard time quitting, you may benefit from an addiction treatment center, or a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous.

Follow-up care

Further, if you start to develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms during the taper, your doctor may instruct you to pause or slow the taper as a result. These factors can make one person’s taper last longer than another person’s taper. If you drink heavily on a regular basis, it can be dangerous to stop alcohol cold turkey. For this reason, you should not suddenly quit drinking without talking to your doctor. The consequences of quitting alcohol cold turkey can be serious and lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which can be fatal in severe cases.

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In the United States, for example, most people would be checked into a rehabilitation facility to assist them in the process. The amount you drink will depend on the amount of medication you will be prescribed. Very heavy drinkers will need to start on a high dose, which will be reduced over a maximum period of around ten days.

Residential treatment programs

Build a sober social network – If your previous social life revolved around alcohol, you may need to make some new connections. It’s important to have sober friends who will support your recovery. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community. When you drink, sip slowly and take a break of 30 minutes or one hour between drinks.

how to cut back on alcohol without withdrawal

Usually, there are three ways for a person to withdraw from alcohol. Either, they go ‘cold turkey’ and stop completely, which isn’t recommended if you’ve been drinking heavily for a prolonged period as it could push your body into shock and can even be fatal. Another way is to stop drinking gradually by reducing your consumption over a number of days. However, some might find it easier to switch to medication to aid withdrawal under medical supervision. As little as five minutes of advice from a GP can reduce alcohol consumption by 30%, especially for people who are in the mild to moderate dependence category.

How Long Will Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Last?

It’s characterized by a frenzy of activity in the nervous system, and physical symptoms like high blood pressure, a fast pulse, fever, and sweating. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol abuse, we can help. BlueCrest Recovery Center takes a whole-person approach to treatment, considering not only a person’s physical needs but also their emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. Addicted individuals often express feelings of anxiety, fear, and stress. These negative emotions can intensify withdrawal symptoms like tremors.

how to cut back on alcohol without withdrawal

Preparing and anticipating questions will help you make the most of your appointment time. Your health care provider or counselor can suggest a support group. Seizures can occur within 6 to 48 hours, while hallucinations can occur within 12 to 48 hours after drinking is reduced or stopped, says Dr. Nolan. This is considered a medical emergency because it can lead to permanent brain damage.

Sleep deprivation or low-quality sleep affects your weight by increasing stress hormones that make it more difficult to burn fat. Alcoholics Anonymous’s 12-step movement has a long history dating back to the 1930s, when there was very little available in the way of real alcohol treatment. There is relatively little research on AA and much of that has been conducted from within the organisation. The known outcomes are modest – the success rate is estimated to be around 10% and the dropout rate appears high.

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