Alcohol Withdrawal in Bryan, TX
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome occurs when you stop drinking after you've developed a dependence on alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal in Bryan is best undertaken through medical detox, which is the first step in a high quality alcohol rehab program.
What Causes Alcohol Withdrawal?
Alcohol dependence is not the same as addiction. Addiction is characterized by changes in brain function related to the memory, reward, and learning centers of the brain, affecting thought and behavior. This leads to compulsive alcohol use despite the negative consequences it causes in your life, from relationship and health problems to legal and financial troubles.
Dependence, on the other hand, is characterized by withdrawal symptoms that set in when you stop using alcohol. When you heavily abuse alcohol, your brain changes the way it functions chemically in order to compensate for the presence of alcohol in the body.
At first, alcohol enhances the neurotransmitter GABA, which is responsible for feelings of calm and wellbeing, and it suppresses the activity of glutamate, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of excitement. That's why you feel relaxed and uninhibited when you drink. But chronic, heavy alcohol use causes the brain to suppress GABA (calm) activity and increase glutamate (excitement) activity in order to try to maintain equilibrium and compensate for the effects of the alcohol.
These changes in chemical function lead to tolerance, which is characterized by needing larger doses of alcohol in order to get the desired effects. As you consume more and more alcohol, the brain continues to change its function to compensate. At some point, brain function may shift so that it now operates more comfortably when alcohol is present than when it's not. Then, when you stop drinking, normal brain function rebounds. GABA activity quickly and dramatically increases, and glutamate activity quickly decreases. This rebounding brain function causes withdrawal symptoms to set in.
How Treatment for Alcohol Withdrawal in Bryan Helps
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal may range from mild to severe, depending on how much alcohol is in your system at the time you quit drinking and other factors.
Mild symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are still very uncomfortable and include nausea and vomiting, headache, and insomnia. In many cases, people who try to quit drinking on their own and experience withdrawal symptoms will go right back to drinking simply to make the discomfort stop. Treatment for alcohol withdrawal in Bryan is medically supervised and involves medications that are administered to relieve the symptoms of withdrawal, increasing your comfort and your chances of successful detox.
But comfort isn't the only reason to choose treatment for alcohol withdrawal. In some cases, alcohol detox can be dangerous or even fatal. According to a study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, 6.6 percent of people who are hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal syndrome died. Medically supervised detox is essential for your safety during withdrawal. Our center for medical detox in Bryan offers 24/7 medically monitoring of the patient to help ease their withdrawal symptoms and keep them safe.
A Timeline of the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal
Alcohol withdrawal starts between two and 12 hours after the last drink. Symptoms of early withdrawal include:
- Tremors
- Anxiety
- Profuse sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- Insomnia
Between 12 and 24 hours after the last drink, hallucinations may occur. These are generally mild, and those who experience them know that they're only hallucinating. Hallucinations usually stop after 48 hours.
Between 24 and 48 hours after the last drink--or earlier, in severe cases--withdrawal seizures may occur. If you've undergone detox before, your risk of developing seizures is higher. Alcohol withdrawal treatment centers are equipped to intervene with medication in the event seizures occur.
Between 48 and 72 hours after quitting alcohol, a dangerous condition called delirium tremens, or DTs, may occur. Symptoms of DTs include:
- Disorientation and confusion
- Severe anxiety
- Hallucinations that are indistinguishable from reality
- Seizures
- A spike in blood pressure, heart beat, and breathing rate
- A low fever
- Severe tremors
DTs are fatal for five percent of people who experience them, and swift medical intervention is essential when DTs occur. Treatment for alcohol withdrawal in Bryan can save your life.
Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment Programs Are Not the Same as Addiction Treatment
Addiction and dependence are treated differently. Treating alcohol dependence is purely physical and involves medications that reduce the severity of symptoms while traces of alcohol leave your body so that brain function can return to normal and the dependence can be broken.
Treating an addiction is far more complex, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and long-term successful recovery typically requires professional treatment. Alcohol treatment helps you address the underlying issues behind the substance abuse, such as family dysfunction or a history of trauma, and it helps you replace harmful thought and behavior patterns with those that are healthier. It helps you find purpose and meaning in life, and it helps you learn to have fun and enjoy life without alcohol.
Withdrawal is only the first step in treatment, and it should be followed immediately by a high quality alcohol rehab program that offers a number of traditional and complementary therapies to help you send your addiction into remission for the long-term. Call us at (877) 804-1531 to learn more about our addiction treatment programs in Bryan.