People who quit alcohol overnight tend to suffer from mild to moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms caused by the body’s reaction to not receiving something that it had grown to become dependent on. The actual meaning of alcohol withdrawal syndrome is what actually describes the resulting symptoms the body encounters when cutting off the alcohol supply after an extended period of consumption.
Virtually everyone who quits drinking after an extended period of consuming alcohol or even heavier or frequent alcohol drinkers will encounter either some or many alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The varying types of alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from moderate to extreme and then severe. That is the reason that you should always consult your medical practitioner before taking the step of quitting alcohol overnight. The major factor being that although you may be lucky and get away lightly, the situation is unpredictable and you could end up suffering a really severe reaction.
Should you be thinking about giving up alcohol or even if you have already made the move, then you are probably about to experience some form of mild to moderate physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Moderate physical alcohol withdrawal symptoms include vomiting and headaches, nausea, clammy hands, poor appetite, insomnia, palpitations, a pale complexion, enlarged or dilated pupils, involuntary movement of the eyes and eyelids, shaky hands and excessive perspiring.
A person who quits alcohol not only experiences these physical symptoms but will also suffer from several mild to moderate mental or psychological symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. To mention just some of these symptoms will include mood swings, nervousness or anxiety attacks, irritability and emotional instability, weariness, trembling, depression, a lack of ability to think clearly and cohesively and repetitive nightmares or bad dreams.
Outpatient monitoring and medication are quite adequate to treat the majority of alcohol withdrawal symptoms previously mentioned; but when it comes to severe withdrawal symptoms, patients will have to be admitted to a medical clinic such as The Haven Detox for 24 hour treatment and monitoring.
The more common severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms include delusions, fevers, involuntary muscular contractions and constant perturbations. An extreme symptom, called delirium tremens (the d.t.’s) is the condition whereby a person suffers from regular hallucinations and is in a confused state of mind. It may even cause black outs, or memory loss, leaving you unable to recall neither distant nor recent events.
I would conclude by saying that if either you or somebody close to you is suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms, then you should consult a medical practitioner immediately. You will be informed about the severity of the condition and accordingly treated. The most likely treatment will be prescribed medication which you can administer yourself, but should it be a serious condition then you will no doubt have to be admitted to a treatment clinic.
The majority of affected people end up reverting back to alcohol as the withdrawal symptoms are just unbearable. So make sure that you get proper medical assistance to your condition as the advice given is so important and will help you to stop falling back into the evil of alcoholism.
