If you’ve ever had too much to drink, you know what it feels like to have a hangover. Most people can tolerate this occasionally. But problem drinkers experience it all the time, and it’s not so much just a physiological reaction. They are experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms triggered by a change in brain chemistry. Repeated bouts with alcohol withdrawal symptoms can indicate a serious problem, up to and including an alcohol-use disorder. If you or a loved one are going through withdrawal, it may be time to seek professional help from an alcohol addiction treatment center such as Atlanta Detox Center.

Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Why does drinking lead you to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms? Quite simply, it’s because you have trained your brain and your body to expect its “fix.” Excessive drinking triggers chemical changes in the brain. Without alcohol to feed it, your body reacts by taking you through various withdrawal symptoms, which can be mild or severe. These symptoms include:

• The “shakes”
• Nausea/vomiting
• Brain fog or headache
• Interrupted sleep
• Anxiety or agitation
• Increased heart rate/blood pressure
• High fever
• Seizures

If you experience these withdrawal symptoms, contact a facility like Atlanta Detox Center for help. We are equipped with the tools necessary to support you through this process.

How Long Does Alcohol Withdrawal Last?

The duration of alcohol withdrawal varies greatly based on factors such as the degree of the alcohol dependence, the amount of time the individual has been drinking, their overall health, and whether they have previously experienced withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal usually start a few hours after the last drink and extend for several days or even weeks. There are many phases to the symptom timeline and intensity.

Alcohol withdrawal timeline phases include:

• 6 to 12 hours after the last drink: Early symptoms start, including anxiety, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and insomnia.
• 12 to 24 hours: More severe symptoms may develop, such as disorientation, hand tremors, and seizures.
• 24 to 48 hours: The risk of seizures peaks during this period. Hallucinations may occur, including tactile, auditory, and visual hallucinations.
• 48 to 72 hours: Delirium tremens (DTs) can develop, and are characterized by severe agitation, confusion, fever, rapid heartbeat, and high blood pressure. This period carries the highest risk of life-threatening complications.
• 3 to 7 days: Acute symptoms begin to subside, but some individuals may continue to experience milder symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and mood swings.

Prolonged withdrawal symptoms, commonly referred to as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), can occur in certain individuals beyond the initial withdrawal phase and can persist for several weeks or even months. Anxiety, insomnia, and mood swings are a few examples of these symptoms. Medical monitoring at our detox centers in Atlanta, GA, is crucial for alcohol withdrawal patients to successfully treat symptoms and lower the risk of serious complications.

Can Alcohol Withdrawal Kill You?

Yes, alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, particularly in severe cases. The most dangerous stage of alcohol withdrawal is known as delirium tremens (DT), which typically occurs 48 to 72 hours after the last drink. DTs are characterized by sudden and severe mental or nervous system changes, such as confusion, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, fever, and severe agitation. Without proper medical intervention, complications from DTs, such as seizures, heart attack, or stroke, can lead to death. The risk of fatality increases in individuals with a long history of heavy alcohol use, co-existing medical conditions, or inadequate nutrition.

During alcohol withdrawal, professional support at our Atlanta drug detox is essential to treat symptoms and avoid potentially fatal complications. Treatments may include benzodiazepines to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, as well as supportive care to maintain hydration, nutritional support, and vital sign monitoring. Hospitalization could be required in some situations to offer critical care. Therefore, to safely navigate the withdrawal process and reduce the hazards involved, anyone trying to stop drinking after a while should seek competent medical advice.

Symptoms of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is an equal opportunity destroyer, touching the lives of young and old from all walks of life. Unfortunately, there’s no set number of drinks that make you an alcoholic. That designation is based on how alcohol causes changes in your quality of life — the problems you experience as a result of drinking and how you handle them.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are certainly one of the signs. Other symptoms of alcoholism include:

• Continuing to drink even though it’s causing severe problems in work, in relationships, in school, with the law or with your health.
• Organizing your life around outings involving alcohol.
• Promising to stop but failing to be able to do so.
• Cravings.
• Missing work, school or other obligations.

No single symptom alone is likely to indicate a problem. But if several begin to appear and they are matched up with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, it might be time to reach out for help from a drug and alcohol detox center.

Treating Alcoholism

It’s difficult to admit when drinking has become a problem, either for yourself or someone you love, even in the face of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes, the reluctance stems from the fear of the unknown — of what treatment at our Atlanta alcohol detox center involves. Take solace in the fact that tens of thousands of people go through treatment each year with positive outcomes.

The goal of treatment is to get you back to sobriety, and it has a series of predictable stages. Treatment typically begins with a medical and psychological evaluation to set a baseline for everything that’s to follow.

Depending on the severity of your situation, the next step may well involve detox, where doctors monitor you as you stop drinking. The goal is to keep you comfortable and help you manage your way through withdrawal.

Following detox, you’ll enter therapy. Working with a trained counselor, you will seek to understand yourself better and develop new and stronger coping skills.

The final stage is aftercare support and our alumni program. Sometimes alcoholism recurs, but you can reduce the risk of that from happening through the support of peers and other programs.

The First Step to Sobriety

The abuse of alcohol poses significant problems in an individual’s life, but it’s more than that — it affects families, too. If you or a loved one is experiencing repeated alcohol withdrawal symptoms, it might be a good time to seek professional assistance. Our team at Atlanta Detox Center is geared to help you every step of the way, from intake to aftercare. We offer all forms of treatment, including an alcohol addiction treatment program.  We also provide other services through our drug detox center,  heroin detox center, and our alumni program for aftercare support to reduce the risks of relapse.

Call us at 844-658-0927  today for a confidential consultation and to confirm insurance coverage options for yourself or a loved one.