Tranquiliser medications such as lorazepam and diazepam also raise GABA levels, helping to manage the withdrawal symptoms in a safe and controlled way. Instead, they will encourage you to wane off slowly and may provide medication to assist you with the process. A doctor can help you to avoid quitting alcohol ‘cold-turkey’, which means abstaining from alcohol immediately, with no time to adjust. They will offer you space to talk about your problems and will provide strategies to help manage the complex thoughts and feelings that underlie any addiction. Your doctor may refer you to a psychologist who can help with the psychological aspects of addiction. In the first instance, it is always advisable to discuss your drinking concerns with a GP. It is not safe to quit drinking on your own, but there is a lot of support out there to assist you on your journey. You also cannot to drive whilst undergoing alcohol withdrawal. This will help with the feelings of nausea. It is important to maintain fluids and to eat regularly, even if you don’t feel like it. This should gradually improve over 3-7 days as your body adjusts. Withdrawal symptoms will be their worst for the first 48 hours, as the alcohol leaves your system. In severe cases, delirium tremens can be fatal.Psychosis (seeing or hearing things that are not there).More common alcohol withdrawal symptomsĪround 1 in 20 people with alcohol withdrawal symptoms will go on to develop a set of severe symptoms known collectively as delirium tremens (DTs for short) (3). Before you know it, you are addicted to alcohol and may find it difficult to get out of this cycle. Many people understandably fall into a pattern of regular drinking to prevent uncomfortable and dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms start between 3-12 hours after your last beverage and cause a strong urge to drink alcohol again. It would be dangerous for you to quit drinking alone without medical support. Once you are at this point, it is likely you are addicted to alcohol, which presents a significant risk to physical and mental health and requires careful handling. In medical terms, this is described as substance dependence. If no alcohol is consumed, GABA levels remain low and you will experience withdrawal symptoms. We call these detox effects withdrawal symptoms.īecause your brain will be used to high-alcohol volumes, you will feel intense cravings for alcohol as the brain tries to balance itself. If you suddenly stop drinking, this can cause rapid fluctuations in these neurotransmitters, which can affect the nervous system. This means that alcohol affects the neurotransmitters dopamine and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). Detox and the effects on the bodyĬhronic alcoholism can cause a change in the brain’s neurochemistry. ![]() We always advise that you discuss any concerns you have about your drinking habits with a doctor or health professional. It is not advisable to detox from alcohol on your own as there are significant health risks that can come from alcohol withdrawal. What is alcohol addiction?Īlcohol addiction, also known as alcoholism or alcohol dependence, is a type of substance use disorder that involves the overconsumption and overreliance on alcohol, and it requires medical intervention to overcome safely. If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to alcohol, the safest way to quit drinking is under the care of a health professional who can monitor your health and provide appropriate medicine and support. In fact, the sudden absence of alcohol in the body can cause detox symptoms that can range from minor to symptoms that present a significant risk to your health. Although many people use campaigns like this as an opportunity to change their relationship with alcohol, you might be surprised to learn that for someone struggling with alcoholism, it can be dangerous to quit drinking too quickly. ![]() The latest campaign from MacMillan Cancer Support, “Go Sober for October” encourages people to quit drinking for a month to raise money for cancer.
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