Withdrawal from alcohol can look different depending on amount consumed, time span of drinking, physical dependence/addiction, and cold turkey vs. tapering. The following symptoms may occur when going through a detox:
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- Insomnia: For many hardcore drinkers, going to sleep means “passing out.” It takes the body some time to adjust to sleeping without alcohol.
- Sweating: For the first couple of days to the first couple of weeks, you’ll be sweating profusely. As your body works overtime to rid itself of toxins, leftover alcohol and its byproducts that are stored in your lymph nodes will begin to seep out through the pores of your skin.
- Fatigue: You may feel so tired that you cannot get out of bed in the morning. If you have been using alcohol for a long time, you may feel weak and tired. Your body and brain will likely need lots of rest while purging the toxins.
- Nightmares: Without alcohol your brain is not only more active but also in panic mode. Many people deal with nightmares, bad dreams, or crazy dreams. One of the most common nightmares among alcoholics is the terrible recurring dream where you’ve relapsed.
- Absent-mindedness: The first thing to go during detoxification is the mind. It starts to wander. Short-term memory misfires. The simplest tasks will require much more effort than usual.
- Irritability: The smallest things may irritate you into a full-blown rage. Little annoyances can set you off. This is a result of changes in GABA functioning.
- Anxiety: The amount of anxiety people experience from alcohol withdrawal can be extreme. This may be due to changes in neurotransmitter levels (specifically GABA) as a result of extensive alcohol use.
- Concentration problems: It is very common to experience foggy thinking and lack of concentration when you withdraw from alcohol. It may seem impossible to focus on schoolwork and/or job-related tasks.
- Depression: If you feel severely depressed now that you have stopped drinking, this is relatively normal and is in part due to neurotransmitter changes in the brain. As your brainwave functioning and neurotransmitters reestablish homeostasis, your mood should lift.
- Appetite loss: A large percentage of people will notice that their appetite changes during alcohol withdrawal. If you notice that you are lacking appetite, understand that it’s merely a withdrawal symptom. Over time as your body resets itself, your appetite should come back.
Although these symptoms may be troublesome while you are going through them, they will pass. You didn’t get here overnight and you’ll need some time to adjust to being sober. Over time, your brain and body will reset itself and you’ll feel better and better.
While addiction can be a devastating disease, with the right help it’s possible to successfully learn the tools necessary to live free of addiction. Through individualized programs tailored to meet your needs and help you recover from addiction, New Start Detox assists through the detoxification process as well as facilitating the next phase of recovery. Call (833) 433-0448 today.
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