by Guest » Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:26 pm
Most people who give up alcohol suddenly end up experiencing mild to moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms as a result of the body reacting to the sudden withdrawal of something that it was used to or dependent on. The term alcohol withdrawal syndrome is used for describing the whole group of symptoms that occur as a result of sudden withdrawal from alcohol after a prolonged period of consumption.
Almost everybody who stops drinking after a long period of alcohol consumption or those who are heavy or frequent drinkers of alcohol will experience some or the entire varied group of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from the mild and the moderate to the extreme and the severe. Therefore, it is generally advised that you consult a medical practitioner before giving up alcohol all of a sudden. This is because while you might get away with just a few mild and easily controllable symptoms, you might also end up suffering from severe ones, and nobody can predict how exactly an individual’s body will react to sudden withdrawal.
Mild to moderate physical alcohol withdrawal symptoms include being physically sick, headaches, nausea, sweaty hands, loss of appetite, palpitations, a pale complexion, enlarged or dilated pupils, insomnia, involuntary movement of the eyes and eyelids, shaky hands and excessive perspiring. If you are about to give up or have just given up consuming alcohol, then you are about to encounter some or all of these mild to moderate physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
A person who quits alcohol not only experiences these physical symptoms but will also suffer from several mild to moderate mental or psychological symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. To mention just some of these symptoms will include mood swings, nervousness or anxiety attacks, irritability and emotional instability, weariness, trembling, depression, a lack of ability to think clearly and cohesively and repetitive nightmares or bad dreams.
Most of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms that are mentioned above can be easily treated with outpatient monitoring and medication. However, there are a number of severe withdrawal symptoms that require that the patient is admitted to a health facility and monitored and treated round the clock.
We will now move onto the really serious symptoms due to alcohol withdrawal which can include involuntary muscular contractions, perturbations, hallucinations and high fever. There is an even more serious disorder called delirium tremens which can lead to hallucinations and a confused state of mind. In more extreme cases it can cause black outs and temporary memory loss resulting in not being able to remember past events.
Conclusion: In case you or someone else close to you is experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms, then it is advised that you consult a medical practitioner as soon as possible. The practitioner will let you know about the severity of your alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and treat you accordingly. Most probably, you can be treated with some prescribed medication that you can take on your own, but in case the symptoms are severe then you would need to be admitted to a medical facility for treatment.
The majority of affected people end up reverting back to alcohol as the withdrawal symptoms are just unbearable. So make sure that you get proper medical assistance to your condition as the advice given is so important and will help you to stop falling back into the evil of alcoholism.
Last bumped by Anonymous on Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:26 pm.