Alcohol Detox: Understanding Recovery

Alcohol detox is the first stage of sobering up and treating alcoholism. However, it can also be the most challenging. The symptoms can make it very difficult to stick with. However, knowing the timeline can help you know what to expect if you plan to detox…

Alcohol Detox: What’s The Timeline?

First 6-12 hours

The alcohol detox timeline can start as soon as two hours after your last drink. However, many begin to experience symptoms within the first 6 to 12 hours. These can include headaches, anxiety, and irritability. Still, these initial symptoms can be pretty mild. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean more serious symptoms can’t pop up. For instance, you could also experience nausea and shakiness. Plus, the other symptoms could progressively get worse. These first few hours are mainly about preparing for the road ahead.

Day one

Day one of your alcohol detox is when things really begin to ramp up. The symptoms you experienced during those first initial hours will still be there, at a higher level of intensity. However, you can expect to have a couple new ones thrown into the mix.

Some of these new symptoms can include feeling disoriented, hand tremors, and even seizures. This is where it can help to have friends or family nearby to give you some help. They can help make sure you’re safe and ensure you remain hydrated while you get ready for the tougher days ahead.

Week one

The rest of your first week of alcohol detox is going to be similar to the first day. The biggest change will be new symptoms and the varying intensity of them. For example, hallucinations and panic attacks become common as your body continues to rid alcohol from it’s system.

This period is when these symptoms could potentially become life-threatening. If you feel at any point that your symptoms go from being painful to potentially dangerous, you should seek out medical attention. Not only can they help get your symptoms under control, but they can help you with your detox process.

After your first week, you’ll be happy to know the most severe part is out the way. You might experience some symptoms in the upcoming weeks, but they’ll be minor compared to before. Now, you’ll be able to focus on the rest of your treatment plan. 

Binge Drinking Definition: Understanding Habits

When it comes to drinking, everyone has times where they go a little overboard. However, what happens when that becomes a bit too common? When this happens, it could be an example of binge drinking. The binge drinking definition seems quite clear. However, when you drink on a regular basis, the line can easily blur. Therefore, it’s important to understand what this kind of drinking is can help you realize when your drinking might be going a bit too far…

Binge Drinking Definition: What Is It Really?

The definition

The binge drinking definition is essentially when someone drinks well over the “standard” amount in a short period of time. This amount is different for men compared to women. For men, this amount is having five or more drinks in the span of two hours. However, the amount for women is having four or more drinks in the same time span.

Something that confuses some people is how this kind of drinking differs from alcohol use disorder. The largest factor is that binge drinking is about how much you drink at one time, not constantly. Still, it can definitely increase the chance of someone developing an alcohol addiction. 

Reasons

On the surface, it might be confusing as to why people engage in binge drinking. After all, it appears that it’s just not worth the risks involved. However, there are several different possible reasons for why a person might decide to binge drink. While the binge drinking definition tells you what it is, the definition does not cover why…

For example, a lot of parties tend to involve alcohol. As people’s inhibitions lower while they drink, they may be more likely to drink in excess. Some people also might binge when using alcohol to cope, in order to “forget” their troubles. Sometimes, it might be just as simple as someone trying to “one-up” someone by drinking more than them.

Side-effects

By nature, the binge drinking definition outlines that there are some side effects of taking part. For example, you can expect to get a pretty bad hangover from all the alcohol you’ve drank. You might also experience nausea, blurred vision, and dehydration among other issues. However, these are some of the lesser side-effects.

The more serious side effects include issues like alcohol poisoning. You also increase the chances of developing alcohol-related health problems. These can include damage to the mouth, throat, stomach, and liver especially. Plus, as mentioned before, you also increase the risk of developing an alcohol addiction. 

Depression and Alcohol

People drink for any number of reasons. Whether they want to have fun with friends, relax after a long day, or ‘drown their sorrows’ when things aren’t going well— there are healthy and unhealthy ways to consume alcohol. When you’re having a hard go at it, alcohol can become a crutch you use to get past those major life stressors. Therefore, alcohol and depression have the potential to go hand in hand for many people. But, how do they affect one another? And what comes first? 

Depression and Alcohol: the Chicken and the Egg 

There are studies which show that one-third of people who deal with serious depression, also deal with alcoholism. In many cases, depression comes first— and then alcohol becomes a means of escape. However, there are also instances where alcoholism comes first— and depression becomes an issue as a result of not being able to fight your urges. 

Adults versus Teens/Children 

The stresses of an adult life can absolutely lead to alcoholism and depression. However, it is actually quite common in children and teens as well. Teens who have major depression are twice as likely to start drinking than teens who have not. Adults typically have a stronger understanding of what it means to be an alcoholic. Furthermore, they understand the damage it can do in your daily life. 

However, teens often haven’t had those same brushes with alcoholism. Alcohol, and drinking, is new, exciting, and the effects have a strong appeal. Especially when facing depression as a child, the urge to drink and escape that can be strong. 

Alcohol is a depressant 

What many people don’t understand about alcohol and depression, is that alcohol is a depressant. While it can provide a great escape from the tough times, drinking heavily and frequently can lead to more intense episodes of depression. Not to mention, next day anxiety after heavy drinking is quite common— which can only hurt your depression. 

In short, alcohol and depression go hand in hand 

When you’re suffering from alcoholism, or depression— one or the other can come quite naturally as either a coping mechanism. When suffering from depression, healthy behaviors can go a long way in battling that depression.