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. 

Alcohol’s Effects Over Time

In 2017, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that over 14 million Americans were dealing with alcohol use disorder. As a result, these people had to deal with alcohol’s effects both in the short- and long-term. In fact, there are many different ways in which alcohol can effect your body. Knowing these effects can help your determine when it might be time to cut back on your drinking…

Alcohol’s Effects: The Short- and Long-Term

Short-term

Alcohol’s effects in the short-term are probably the most well-known. These effects tend to usually show up when someone has more than one drink per hour. However, it depends on many factors, such as a person’s age, weight, gender, and overall health. Some of the more milder effects can include flushed skin, dulled vision, and trouble with coordination and concentration.

However, there are some more severe short-term effects to watch out for. These can include vomiting, lower body temperatures, and passing out. Lowered inhibitions might be one of the most dangerous short-term effects. This can cause a person to make some pretty poor decisions while they’re under the influence.

Long-term

Alcohol’s effects in the long-term can take some time to show up. Unlike short-term effects, the long-term ones gradually happen over time as you drink. They are especially prevalent in heavy alcohol drinkers. These are the drinkers who drink nearly every day, and usually in heavy amounts.

Long-term effects tend to show themselves in potential physical and mental health issues. These can include memory loss, high blood pressure, and cancer in places like the mouth, throat, and stomach. The most common place to see these effects in is the liver. Liver damage is all too common in those who experience the effects of long-term drinking.

Possible benefits?

Recently, there has been some study into if some of alcohol’s effects can be positive. For instance, alcohol’s social use makes some see it as a valuable tool for helping people relax and talk to one another. Some studies also think alcohol could be linked to things such as lower risks of heart attacks, stroke, and diabetes. 

However, this only applies to moderate drinking. Excessive drinking will only cause you problems. Also, don’t start drinking and think you’ll receive these benefits. Not only are they not 100% confirmed, but there are healthier, safer ways to achieve similar results. 

Alcoholic Behaviors

Alcoholism affects people across all spectrums of the population. Rich, poor, male, female, straight, gay, young, old… No matter the person, you have likely been touched by alcoholism in one way or another. Whether your experience be with a parent, a friend, a child, or a spouse— we have all had our brush with this disease, and it can be extremely difficult to witness. However, sometimes it can be difficult to diagnose. Especially when you are extremely close to the person affected, it can be hard to recognize alcoholic behaviors. When you’re in a relationship with someone, alcoholism can be damaging to those connections in both the short and the long run. So, what can we do to make ourselves aware of potential warning signs? It starts with understanding alcoholic behaviors. 

Alcoholic Behaviors in Relationships: The Effect

Before we understand alcoholic behaviors in relationships, you must first understand alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease that affects both mental and physical health. When you’re facing alcoholism, it can often be difficult to consider the collateral damage. In many cases, that collateral damage will be the relationships that they once held close to them. If you suspect alcoholism in someone close to you, it can lead to your thinking critically, and questioning, certain behaviors. 

Trust 

Trust is the foundation of all intimate relationships. If there is no trust, it can be difficult to form a healthy relationship— as well as to know when your partner is being honest with you. When your partner is struggling with alcoholism, or has before, it can be difficult to trust when you see patterns arise. They’re late getting home, you haven’t heard from them in hours, they got into an argument at a gathering, or they’re sleeping in all day. Alcoholic behaviors are slightly different to every person who encounters them, and we know the people close to us better than anyone. 

Financial issues 

One of the largest telltale signs of alcoholism is the financial impact. Alcoholic behaviors often encourage spending money, either on alcohol or impulse. In fact, it ins’t uncommon that someone struggling with alcoholism will steal money to support their habit. In doing so, you might find that you’re struggling to pay bills, and financial support things that were once easy to manage. 

Parenting 

Parenting is no small job. Furthermore, when you’re facing alcoholism, it is common to put your disease over your job as a parent. There are many instances where you’ll see a child falling to the wayside in exchange for their parent’s disease. It is not purposeful, or meant to hurt the child. However, it is an inevitable result. As the partner of someone exhibiting alcoholic behaviors, and struggling to defeat them— it can be difficult to witness the effect it has on your children. 

When facing alcoholic behaviors in a spouse or loved one, you might be wondering what you can do to help them. However, your options are limited. Draw attention to the issue, express your concern, and offer to take them to a meeting, rehabilitation center, or a counselor. Ultimately, the rest is up to them and their want to make a change. We offer our condolences for this difficult time and encourage you to offer a hand. Sometimes recovery starts with support.