Alcohol Detox Symptoms; Dealing with Withrawal Symptoms Safely During Alcohol Detox

Alcohol detox symptoms are not pleasant. I experienced these many times during my life due to a severe alcohol dependence that nearly destroyed me. Luckily I managed to escape addiction three years ago, but I can still easily remember my previous alcohol withdrawal symptoms; these ranged from the physically unpleasant to high levels of anxiety and fear.

SevereAlcohol detox symptoms are often referred to as delirium tremens (or the DTs) and these are dangerous. If there is any risk that your alcohol withdrawal symptoms could develop into delirium tremens then you really need to have medical supervision during your escape from addiction. Many people have died from the DTs so it should never be treated lightly. If you have a long history of alcohol dependence then delirium tremens is more likely to happen. Medication can help people pass safely through the DTs; the most usual symptoms are hallucinations and high anxiety, but there is the risk of seizures.

It is always advised that anyone wishing to escape alcohol dependence should go and see their doctor. I have handled the alcohol detox symptoms myself quite a few times but it is really risky and I wouldn't advise it. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually begin 5-10 hours after your last drink; most of us drunks had to deal with this every morning and this explains why the first drink is so important. The first signs that I would experience that the process occurring would be fuzzy thinking, high anxiety, and a real urge for more alcohol.

It can take a week to ten days to escape the worst of alcohol detox symptoms. Personally, I tended to make it through the worst of it in about five days, but my thinking would be still fuzzy for a while afterwards. My final addiction treatment took place in a Thai temple called Wat Thamkrabok and the herbs that they gave me daily meant that my symptoms were minor and over in only three days.

I have found that while they were all unpleasant alcohol detox symptoms were easily bearable, and so worth it for the great life that can come afterwards. Most of the things you will experience during your first days of recovery are no worse than the average day of a drunk.

The most difficult thing that I needed to deal with during my move away from alcohol dependence was the craving to drink again. A useful technique that I used to handle this was mindfulness. This is a meditation method that involves looking at your thoughts without identifying with them. This means observing the mind thinking "I want to drink" without identifying it as being you; the aim is to just observe your thinking like a TV show without taking any of it personally. You can also observe the symptoms of withdrawal in a similar way.

Escaping alcohol dependence will not only save your life but it will give you a life that you can really enjoy. You should treat your passage through it as you would a dose of the flu; it is a bit inconvenient, but it will pass. If you do get any symptoms of delirium tremens(agitation, convulsions, or fever) then get help immediately. Don't go through withdrawals alone.

Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000764.htm