Alcohol is a socially acceptable drink, but it works fine as long as you stick to a couple of drinks per day or less. Go more than this and you are in a danger zone. Continue drinking more and you become an addict.
Then, you need rehab. One such center is Kansas drug rehab which takes care of alcoholic addicts at various stages.
Ladies and gentlemen, you, no longer, have control over your drinking. Now, it’s alcohol that controls you. As a result, people face terrible withdrawal symptoms when they decide to stop drinking.
This is because alcohol has altered your brain chemistry. Your brain now needs alcohol to function normally. Your body has adapted to this toxic liquid inside it.
You may think: “if my body has adjusted so well to alcohol, I might as well continue to drink! What’s the harm then?”
There IS harm in continuing to drink.
The harm inflicted by the continued use of alcohol
Alcohol is known to damage the liver, kidneys, and contribute to heart diseases and disturb blood sugar levels.
Alcohol causes irreversible damage to the brain in the long run. You can reverse the damage if you seek alcohol withdrawal treatment on time.
In addition, alcoholism disrupts your professional and personal life. No family is happy living with an alcoholic. As you go deeper into alcoholism, you miss work and other life responsibilities. You are more attracted to the irrelevant and “bad” things in life.
So, it is unwise to think you can continue to drink without facing the repercussions.
Withdrawing from alcohol – three phases
When you stop drinking without medical help, this is what happens:
Phase 1
The first symptoms appear 6-24 hours after your last drink. For some people, they begin in just a couple of hours, while in some, they may begin after 24 hours. It depends on the severity of your addiction.
You feel:
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Headache
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
Phase 2
Symptoms intensify after 24 hours without drinking. It becomes too hard to cope with them. It’s wise to contact an alcohol addiction treatment center for professional help.
You may get:
- Increased heart rate
- High blood pressure
- Increased body temperature
- Seizures (this may happen after 24 hours)
- Hallucinations
Phase 3:
This is the most dangerous phase, as the symptoms can be life-threatening.
They include:
- Delirium tremens
- Tactile hallucinations in which you may feel itchy, numb, or burning sensation
- Some people feel bugs crawling over their skin!
Benefits of taking professional treatment
When you enroll in a drug rehab program you are saved from getting overwhelmed by the symptoms in each phase. Doctors in the rehab team provide specific medications to ease the symptoms and help you de-addict.
It is better and safer to quit drinking under medical supervision rather than do it all alone at home.
