What Happens If You Detox From Alcohol Without Medical Help?
There’s no doubt that alcohol can severely harm a person, leading to liver and organ damage, cardiovascular problems, and struggles with mental health, in addition to many other things. However, it’s maybe not as well known that the act of suddenly quitting drinking can be extremely dangerous and even become life-threatening for someone who is struggling with alcohol addiction. If you have questions about what to do, such as how long a person stays in rehab for treatment or can I go through alcohol withdrawal alone, it’s important to understand the process of quitting drinking after addiction and how to navigate this crucial period of time safely.
Table of contents
» Why Does the Body React Strongly During Alcohol Withdrawal?
» How Long Does Alcohol Detox Usually Take?
» Why Is Alcohol Withdrawal Considered Dangerous?
» What Treatments and Medications Are Used in Medical Detox?
» Key Takeaways on Can I Go Through Alcohol Withdrawal Alone
» Resources
Why Does the Body React Strongly During Alcohol Withdrawal?
Alcohol withdrawal is something that can happen to anyone who has been drinking heavily for an extended period of time. If their body has become accustomed to having a constant or nearly constant presence of a high amount of alcohol, and they suddenly quit drinking entirely.
This significant change can disrupt their entire system, and it can cause strong reactions in various bodily systems as a result. That’s why, if you’re wondering, can I go through alcohol withdrawal alone, the truth is that it can be extremely dangerous to try just to tough it out and quit cold turkey alone.
Let’s explore what’s happening when someone goes through alcohol withdrawal:
- Neurotransmitter Imbalance: If someone is addicted to alcohol, they’ve become dependent on and accustomed to the effects of this central nervous system depressant. Over time, their brains have adapted to alcohol by increasing certain neurotransmitters, including glutamate, to compensate for the depressant effects.
- Continued Imbalance Without Alcohol: However, if they suddenly quit having alcohol in their system, these adjusted levels of neurotransmitters continue, and that can wreak havoc on their basic functioning.
The effects of this neurotransmitter imbalance can become extremely distressing and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, in some cases, people suffering from alcohol withdrawal can experience severe and dangerous symptoms that can become life-threatening. Possible symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
- Tremors or Shakes: Because the brain continues to overreact but no longer has the depressant of alcohol, a person in withdrawal can have uncoordinated signals going from the brain to muscles. This is what causes symptoms like shaking or tremors.
- Anxiety: Without alcohol in the system, the overactive brain of a person in alcohol withdrawal can become agitated, especially in areas of the brain that regulate stress response and emotions. This can lead to struggling with things like anxiety, irritation, and low mood or depression.
- Physical Responses: Alcohol withdrawal can include things like dangerously high or low blood pressure and heart rate due to the overly activated neurotransmitters in the brain no longer being balanced out by alcohol.
Other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can include:
- Fatigue
- Mood swings
- Nightmares and difficulty sleeping
- Sweating
- Headaches
- Appetite loss
- Nausea and vomiting
- Clammy skin
- Dilated pupils
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing on things
How Long Does Alcohol Detox Usually Take?
The effectiveness of long-term drug rehab often is reliant on the person first undergoing medical detox. During this brief period of time—usually just a few days or up to two weeks—medical and addiction treatment specialists offer round-the-clock medical care, monitoring, and medications to help the person more comfortably and safely get through the worst of withdrawal symptoms, allowing them to become physically stabilized and ready to focus on doing the work of addressing their mental and physical aspects of addiction in a rehab program.
It’s natural to wonder how long alcohol detox will take. The truth is that it can vary considerably based on many circumstances and individual factors, such as the person’s drinking history, other medical or mental health conditions they have, their overall health, and the amount of damage to the brain or organs that has already happened from drinking. Still, some general guidelines can help you understand what to expect during the timeline of alcohol withdrawal:
- Initial Withdrawal Symptoms: Within eight hours after the last drink.
- Peak of Withdrawal Symptoms: One to three days after the last drink.
- Acute Withdrawal Symptoms: Typically, these will be resolved within four to five days after the last drink.
- Lingering Withdrawal Symptoms: Several weeks or even months after the last drink.
This means that getting through the worst possible withdrawal symptoms, including tremors and changes to heart rate and blood pressure, will typically happen just three to five days after the last drink. While that seems like a nice and short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, many people struggle with the fact that post-acute withdrawal symptoms can linger for many weeks or even months, such as anxiety, depression, cravings to drink, insomnia, and extreme fatigue.
Even months later, the person might struggle with concentrating on tasks or feeling “normal”—even though they’ve gotten through the worst of withdrawal. This lingering nature of symptoms can make it challenging to get through day-to-day life and, sadly, can be a major contributor to relapsing after quitting drinking in an attempt to feel better again. The good news is that help is available to help you navigate these complicated feelings and stay on track toward long-lasting recovery.
Why Is Alcohol Withdrawal Considered Dangerous?
If you’re wondering can I go through alcohol withdrawal alone, the truth is that it’s very dangerous to try to do this alone, and it can even become deadly in certain circumstances. Severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be highly distressing, making the person feel mentally and physically ill while also making it difficult to sleep, rest, concentrate, or feel anything other than anxious, depressed, or irritated.
However, the most dangerous problems go beyond just feeling unwell—especially in the case of delirium tremens, a life-threatening condition that can happen after abruptly quitting drinking. Symptoms of delirium tremens include hallucinations, extreme mental confusion, and disorientation.
Someone who is going through acute alcohol withdrawal can also suffer from seizures, erratic heart rate and blood pressure, cognitive impairment, and other severe conditions that can be extremely dangerous. That’s why it’s so important to turn to medical and addiction treatment experts for help when you’re going to quit drinking.
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What Treatments and Medications Are Used in Medical Detox?
There are many ways that experts who offer a medical drug detox program can help someone get through the worst of alcohol withdrawal. Treatments include:
- Round-the-clock monitoring of blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and other vital stats.
- IV fluids to remain hydrated.
- Medications like sedatives or benzodiazepines are used to keep the person calm and comfortable during the peak of withdrawal symptoms.
- Nutritional supplements to help the person recover from vitamin and mineral shortages after long periods of heavy drinking.
Key Takeaways on Can I Go Through Alcohol Withdrawal Alone
- Alcohol withdrawal is a series of symptoms that can happen when someone suddenly quits drinking.
- Withdrawal symptoms include many distressing and uncomfortable things, such as anxiety, irritability, upset stomach, sleep problems, and mood swings.
- Alcohol withdrawal can also cause dangerous and potentially life-threatening symptoms like delirium tremens, seizures, and heart problems.
- Can I go through alcohol withdrawal alone? It’s not recommended because of how dangerous withdrawal can be, especially without medical support.
- Medical detox programs can help people get through the worst of withdrawal symptoms and stabilize so they’re ready to focus on treating their addiction.
If you or someone you love is struggling with alcohol addiction, WhiteSands Treatment Center can help offer you a better, healthier future. With the proper support, medication, and treatments, it is possible to put alcohol behind you once and for all so you can enjoy the better life that you deserve. Call our Florida addiction rehab facilities at 877-855-3470 today to learn how to get started.
Resources
- MedlinePlus – Alcohol Withdrawal
- National Library of Medicine – Complications of Alcohol Withdrawal
- National Library of Medicine – Neurochemical Mechanisms of Alcohol Withdrawal
- Harvard Health Publishing – Alcohol Withdrawal
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.
About the Author
Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
