Treating Alcohol Withdrawal

What Is Alcohol Withdrawal?

Alcohol withdrawal occurs when an alcoholic person is suppressed from drinking alcohol. Suppressing it abruptly will create a combination of physiologic and psychologic response that is manifested by the alcoholic person

What Causes It?

Alcohol withdrawal are common in adult who are obsessed with alcohol intake. It may also happen to the puberty stage in which teenagers are starting to explore their independence and get too used to drinking alcohol. The main cause of it is sudden termination of the alcohol which the body of the alcoholic cannot tolerate. Consistent intake of alcohol in large amounts can distort a person and may ruin his ability to carry out his daily tasks.

A person can be considered Alcoholic which is described as excessively divulging alcohol when the amount of alcohol intake that he or she takes in in a day would already reach 2-6 pints of beer per day, that’s 4 oz of alcohol.

Things To Be Careful About

Health providers can check for these signs and symptoms to confirm whether the person being assessed is indeed experiencing withdrawal:

Tachycardia (fast heartbeat, >100 beats per minute)

Tachypnea ( fast respiration >20 cycles per minute)

Pyrexia (Increase in temperature)

Arrythmias (abnormal heart beats)

Hand and body tremors

Anormal eye movement

Internal bleeding

Dehydration

Impaired liver function

A confirmatory test that would screen the blood can be performed as well.

Treatment

The goal in treating every alcoholic is to provide immediate relief from the symptoms brought about by alcohol withdrawal. By doing so, further complications can be prevented and a long term rehabilitative therapy can be started.

Hospital stay is most probable for persons who are undergoing the treatment for alcohol withdrawal. This is to make sure that close monitoring is done to the client so that the person’s needs can be addressed immediately in cases of emergency. The person’s vital signs and body’s fluid’s and electrolytes are the main concern that are given much attention in patients recovering from alcohol withdrawal.

Treatment Modality

Close monitoring of the client is necessary to make sure that when the symptoms rapidly worsens, emergency measure can be performed to stabilize the client’s condition. Downers also known as CNS depressants can be given to minimize the symptoms that are experienced by the client. Usually they come in the form of sedatives, and are often administered in moderate to large doses. Maintaining the client calm for a week or two is necessary. This is done by moderately sedating him or her until they have fully recovered from the withdrawal symptoms.Treatment may require maintenance of a moderately sedated state for a week or more until withdrawal is complete.

Benzodiazipines is the usual drug of choice in keeping the client well sedated for a long period of time.

It is the responsibility of the health care provider to monitor the client closely for possible signs of delirium tremens. When Hallucination alone occurs without other withdrawal symptoms associated, it should be reported immediately since it not common.

The client should be screening for other medical conditions that maybe associated with alcoholism. Problems like blood clotting disorders, alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic neuropathy, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, chronic brain syndromes and malnutrition should be watched out for.This may aggravate the condition of the client.

It is highly recommended to Rehabilitate the alcoholic client. This is to further prevent the client from regressing back to his or her alcoholic state, thus promoting lifetime wellness.

What To Expect

Symptoms for alcohol withdrawal usually arise at around 12 hrs form the last intake of alcohol. It is to be expected that the symptoms will be high with 48-78 hrs from the last intake, and this will usually persist for a week or even more. Diurnal variation, fatigue and sleeping pattern changes may take 3-12months to shake away.

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What is Alcoholism Withdrawal?

There is a serious condition that is associated with the disease alcoholism that is called, alcoholism withdrawal. This condition occurs after a person with the disease alcoholism drinks excessively over a long period of time and then suddenly alcohol is not available or alcohol is denied. There are physical and psychological symptoms of alcoholism withdrawal that range from mild to severe and can even be life threatening. A person should not go through alcoholism withdrawal without medical monitoring as not monitoring the health condition of the individual going through alcoholism withdrawal could result in serious health situations that could end in death.

These withdrawal symptoms usually begin about twelve hours after the last drop of alcohol has been consumed. Alcoholism withdrawal symptoms will peak in two to three days and may last for as long as a week or more in duration. The individual may undergo sleep disturbances, fatigue, mood changes and others that may last for up to twelve months or even longer. Alcoholism withdrawal is serious business and must not be undergone alone or without medical assistance and monitoring. If you know someone who is experiencing withdrawal symptoms it is best to get them to an emergency room or alcohol treatment center where they can receive the medical assistance they need to go through the process safely.

Mild to moderate physical symptoms of alcoholism withdrawal may include:

• Headache
• Pulsating
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Tremors

Mild to moderate psychological symptoms may include:

• Anxiety
• Bad Dreams
• Depression
• Difficulty thinking
• Fatigue
• Feeling Jumpy
• Feeling Shaky

Severe Symptoms:

The severe symptoms of alcoholism withdrawal include abnormal loss of skin color, blackouts, confusion, clammy skin, convulsions, and dilated pupils in the eye, hand tremors, involuntary eyelid movements, and also rapid heartbeat. These severe symptoms can occur anytime after 12-hours from the last alcoholic drink.

It is important to call 911 or contact emergency help if the person is having seizures, is hallucinating, has an irregular heartbeat or a rapid heartbeat, or is severely confused.

Medical treatment:

While in the hospital heavy sedation may be required to lessen the severity of the symptoms. It may take a week or longer for the person to be under sedation in order for the withdrawal symptoms to be over.

If the individuals suffered from hallucinations antipsychotic medications may be administered. If the person had seizures anticonvulsant medication may be given.

Long-term preventative treatment will start to begin a period of time known as detoxification where alcohol is to be avoided and this usually involves the individual being placed in an alcoholism rehabilitation facility or treatment center if not already in one.

Alcoholism withdrawal is a serious condition for a serious alcohol problem and must be treated with the care that is required in order to insure the safety of the individual going through the alcoholism withdrawal.