Alcohol Withdrawal Guide: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options

People at high risk of complications should enter a short-term in-patient detox program. Remember you are facing a difficult challenge during alcohol withdrawal, but you are not alone. There are many resources available to help, including peer support groups, counseling, therapy, and inpatient rehabilitation.

  • With treatment, severe symptoms can take up to a week to fully resolve, explains Dr. Nolan.
  • During initial treatment, a person may receive a higher dosage of benzodiazepines to reduce symptoms and the urge to drink alcohol.
  • These conditions include gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, intracranial hemorrhage (acute bleeding in the brain), and liver failure.
  • Also, consider these risk factors for any patient presenting with seizures of unknown etiology.
  • While receiving treatment, healthcare providers will want to monitor you continuously to make sure you don’t develop life-threatening complications.

It affects about 50% of people with alcohol use disorder who stop or significantly decrease their alcohol intake. AUD is the most common substance use disorder in the U.S., affecting 28.8 million adults. When someone drinks alcohol for a prolonged period of time and then stops, the body reacts to its absence. This is https://ecosoberhouse.com/, and it causes uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms. Alcohol dependence, also known as ‘alcoholism’ or alcohol addiction, is serious and can lead to a range of health problems. People who are dependent on alcohol may experience a strong, often uncontrollable, desire to drink and feel they’re unable to function without alcohol.

Who is more at risk for severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms?

It also provides an overview of the alcohol withdrawal timeline process and when to discuss your drinking with your healthcare provider. Approximately one in 10 people with alcohol withdrawal syndrome are affected by seizures.7 If left untreated, up to one in three of these patients go on to experience delirium tremens. AUDs are common in patients referred to neurological departments, admitted for coma, epileptic seizures, dementia, polyneuropathy, and gait disturbances.

alcohol withdrawal

When you engage in chronic heavy drinking, your brain adapts to the presence of alcohol in your blood to maintain homeostasis (a balanced state). As your brain grows accustomed to higher blood alcohol concentration levels, it starts to rely on alcohol to function properly. Try to remember that you don’t have to feel shame about your experience. AUD is very common, affecting an estimated 76.3 million people worldwide.

Conditions

Oral chlordiazepoxide and oxazepam are very commonly used for the prevention of withdrawal symptoms. Other drugs often used to manage symptoms include neuroleptics, anticonvulsants like carbamazepine, and valproic acid. Other common household substances can also contain a significant amount of alcohol if ingested in large quantities, including mouthwash and cough syrup. Some of these items may also contain a high content of salicylates or acetaminophen, so consider checking aspirin and acetaminophen levels in patients presenting with alcohol withdrawal.