Alcoholism Withdrawal: The 3 Most Common Symptoms

Going through an alcohol detox program involves alcoholic experiencing alcoholism withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the person and the severity of the addiction, the withdrawal symptoms can be mild or life threatening. That is why receiving proper treatment while undergoing alcohol detox is very important.

Severity of withdrawal symptoms is dependent on the severity of the alcohol addiction. A higher dependency on alcohol is likely to bring about severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The three most common symptoms of alcoholism withdrawal are:

Cravings. Perhaps the most common of all alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Craving is the acute need for a recovering alcoholic to drink. As the individual begins to deny themselves the drink, the cravings continue to become very intense. Most alcoholics, who try to recover on their own, give up at this point and take back to drinking rather than continue to fight the cravings. That’s why alcoholism withdrawal programs insist on group therapy sessions and participating in support group sessions.

Uncontrollable Shakes. This is a fairly common alcoholism withdrawal symptom as well. Besides this, a person when going through alcohol detoxification can also experience anxiety, nausea, headaches, increased blood pressure, and rapid heartbeat. These symptoms maybe uncomfortable but they are not life threatening. And they make staying away from alcohol very difficult.

The DTs. These occur within the first six to 48 hours of entering the alcoholism withdrawal program. Usually starts off as visual hallucinations and may include hallucinatory smells and sounds too. The hallucinatory spell may last from a few hours to a few weeks. An alcoholic may also experience seizures or convulsions, these can be dangerous and the patient will require medical intervention. DT stands for delirium tremens. Some other signs of DTs are disorientation, hallucinations, hyperactivity, and cardiovascular disturbances.