When a heavy drinker suddenly stops drinking alcohol, he or she frequently suffers from alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as feeling nervous, depression, headaches, and rapid heart rate.
With or without professional alcoholism treatment, these symptoms can take days or weeks before the body returns to "normal."
Many different approaches are available for treating alcoholism withdrawal. While some of these therapeutic methodologies employ medications, many, in contrast, do not.
It can be pointed out, in fact, that according to the research literature, the safest way to treat mild withdrawal symptoms is without medications.
Such non-drug detoxification therapies are effective because they employ comprehensive social support and screening all through the withdrawal process.
Other non-drug detox approaches, furthermore, use vitamin therapy (especially thiamin) and "good" nutrition for treating mild withdrawal symptoms.
Mild to Moderate Withdrawal Symptoms
The following typifies mild to moderate physical withdrawal symptoms that normally take place within 6 to 48 hours after the last alcoholic drink has been consumed:
- Involuntary movements of the eyelids
- Loss of appetite
- Tremor of the hands
- Enlarged or dilated pupils
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Pulsating headaches
- Sweating (especially on the palms of the hands or on the face)
- Abnormal movements
- Rapid heart rate
- Sleeping difficulties
- Clammy skin
- Looking pale
Severe Withdrawal Symptoms
The following is a list of severe symptoms that commonly occur within 48 to 96 hours after the last alcoholic drink:
- Visual hallucinations
- Muscle tremors
- Convulsions
- Severe autonomic nervous system overactivity
- Delirium tremens (DTs)
- Fever
- Seizures
- Black outs
- Muscle tremors
Reference :
http://www.alcohol-treatment-info.com
