How to Deal with the Physical Withdrawal from Alcohol

Giving up alcohol after daily and habitual heavy drinking is going to have an effect on your body. The alcohol detox will create some fairly unpleasant withdrawal symptoms as the body adjusts to going without, and the first few days can be pretty bumpy. Alcohol abuse creates a physical dependence in the body in addition to any mental addiction and when giving up, it's as well to be aware of the symptoms that can arise.

How bad you are depends on the level and length of your addiction. For those who have extreme and/or long term habits, residential rehab is probably going to be a good option, as medical support for the early stages of withdrawal could be advisable.

But for most, giving up at home is a safe and successful method. It's just important to be prepared.

Going 'Cold Turkey'

The quickest way to get the horrid bit over and done with is to just stop. It's going to be a rough ride for a few days, but it means getting on with the rehabilitation and recovery much quicker.

For most people quitting, the kind of withdrawal symptoms you can expect will be anxiety, shakiness, nausea or vomiting, irritability and depression; and trouble sleeping which can mean bad dreams, insomnia and tiredness.

Very heavy users or long term addicts can expect the same, but added to that there might be fever, hallucinations, confusion, ranting and even in the worst case convulsions.

Of course it goes without saying that if you expect to experience the worse symptoms it's a good idea to be somewhere where you can get the best medical treatment possible.

Cutting Down

Cutting down your alcohol intake before giving up will definitely make the final stopping a bit easier. But beware of letting this go on too long as the volume can start to creep up again. The best way to cut back is to give yourself a time limit and stick to it.

Giving Up at Home

This is the way most people give up and it's fine to do so - just be prepared. Clear the house of booze, take some time off work and see your GP for sleeping tablets and medication to help with the anxiety and shakes. Rent a load of DVDs and strap yourself in! Go shopping and get plenty of sweet fruit juice too - alcohol has a high sugar content and one of the causes of bad shakiness is sugar withdrawal, so you can help this by having sugary drinks. Once you're past the first couple of bad days, sleep when you can, get plenty of rest and try to eat healthy food.

Giving up in a Residential Centre

If you are one of those who is going to suffer quite badly when giving up then it's a good idea to be somewhere where medical experts can monitor you. Talk to your GP about this - if you can't afford residential treatment there are often subsidised opportunities for extreme cases.

Being under the watchful eye of addiction and recovery specialists will mean you are cared for and medicated to ensure that the withdrawal symptoms are managed. It can be pretty rough for a few days and the horror of going through that can be assuaged if the patient is aware that they are in good hands.

Don't Give Up Giving Up

If at first you don't succeed… don't give up. Many reformed alcoholics will have had several goes at quitting and it's very common for it to take a few tries to stick. Take each day as it comes, try to stay strong, and avoid temptation.