Quitting Alcohol Cold Turkey: Dangers, Effects & How to Do It The Recovery Village Columbus Drug and Alcohol Rehab

However, severe symptoms may lead to fatal complications and could necessitate medical interventions and treatments. It is always important to consult a healthcare professional before quitting to receive guidance, support, and health monitoring during withdrawal. Being under the supervision of a healthcare professional can mitigate any of the risks that come along with quitting alcohol. At Avenues Recovery, we have experience in helping people through alcohol withdrawal.

What Substance Abuse Specialists Do and Why It Matters

Once your withdrawal symptoms subside, you can focus on other areas of recovery, such as therapy, counseling, and support group sessions. Eating healthy foods, trying to get exercise, and getting enough sleep can help reduce some withdrawal symptoms, such as mood swings. If you take prescription medication, continue to take it as directed.

Sudden alcohol withdrawal may trigger seizures, delirium tremens (DTs), and heart complications. Medical supervision is recommended to reduce risks and manage symptoms safely during detox. During medical detox, healthcare professionals monitor the individual’s vital signs, manage symptoms, and provide medications to help alleviate discomfort and prevent complications. Benzodiazepines are commonly used to manage alcohol withdrawal symptoms due to their sedative effects on the central nervous system. Other medications, such as antipsychotics and anticonvulsants, may be used to address specific symptoms such as hallucinations or seizures.

Alcohol Withdrawal Timeline: What to Expect

We can leverage our resources and team to help you reduce and eventually end your alcohol use. Find rehab for yourself or a loved one by speaking with a treatment provider. Alcohol slows down the central nervous system (CNS), so regularly exposing your brain to alcohol changes your brain chemistry. Your brain eventually stops creating certain chemicals that it receives from alcohol, leading to alcohol dependence and addiction. Quitting drinking improves hydration levels, reducing headaches and dry mouth.

Mental Health and Loneliness

So, when alcohol is suddenly removed, the balance is thrown into chaos. The results are often anxiety, depression, overstimulation and, in severe cases, seizures and delirium tremens. The Sinclair method is an alternative, evidence-based approach to reducing alcohol intake that involves the treatment medication, naltrexone.

The safety of this method largely depends on the individual’s level of alcohol dependence and overall health. Some people think tapering can be a safer way to finally get your heavy alcohol use under control. Benzodiazepinesare often the first treatment doctors suggest for alcohol withdrawal. Doctors will monitor your symptoms and risk for alcohol withdrawal complications. Rarely, more severe effects such as seizures, delirium tremens (DTs), and even death can occur if not properly managed. These risks are heightened due to the sudden absence of alcohol’s depressive effects on the nervous system, which can cause the body to go into a hyperaroused state.

• DTs can cause serious physiological symptoms such as spikes in blood pressure, severe tremors, severe mood swings, and seizures.
• Alcohol withdrawal happens when a person suddenly stops drinking after an extended period of heavy alcohol abuse.
• You may experience a mix of physical and emotional symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, and physical discomfort.
• Quitting alcohol can be dangerous, especially if done alone and abruptly.

Alcohol Detox Medications

However, one of the simplest ways to reduce alcohol consumption is to gradually lessen the number of drinks consumed with medical supervision. If you try to quit cold turkey without any form of medical advice or assistance, the symptoms could become severe or dangerous. Triggers are situations, feelings, or people that may induce a strong desire to drink. Understanding and recognizing your triggers is essential for maintaining sobriety. While it may not always be possible to avoid triggers, you can develop coping strategies to manage them effectively. While quitting cold turkey can be effective, it is not always safe for everyone.

Symptoms intensify and a wave of overwhelming anxiety becomes an unbearable weight, physically removing their sense of control. In a panicked rush to escape the chaos, they return to alcohol, not because they want to be drunk, but to return to the feeling of normalcy. As a point of interest, the phrase going cold turkey has roots stretching back to the early 1900s. The expression was used in an article in the 1921 Canadian newspaper The Daily Colonist.

Healthcare providers and treatment specialists agree that alcohol withdrawal, when the addiction is severe, is always safer when it isn’t done alone. Some people might be lucky enough to only experience mild effects when quitting drinking, but for most who have drunk heavily for years, going cold turkey can be life-threatening. Three to seven days into your withdrawal from alcohol, you may continue to experience mild withdrawal symptoms, similar to the first 24 hours of withdrawal. You may begin to feel more normal, but your body may still exhibit mild physical withdrawal symptoms. Some people are nervous about quitting drinking because they worry about the withdrawal symptoms during alcohol detoxification.

Tips on How to Quit Drinking – Cold Turkey or Slowly

Quitting cold turkey is a significant challenge, especially for individuals with severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) or a long history of heavy drinking. The process can pose serious health risks due to the sudden absence of alcohol in the system, which the body may have become dependent upon. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) does not follow a typical timeline due to the many variables that affect withdrawal.

• Furthermore, quitting cold turkey may increase the likelihood of a severe relapse due to the lack of accountability and support during the withdrawal phase.
• AWS can also lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and malnutrition, which can have serious medical complications.
• AWS can present as mild to severe symptoms, including delirium tremens (DTs) or alcohol withdrawal delirium (AWD), which can be fatal if not treated appropriately or promptly.
• Some people experience symptoms such as insomnia or mood changes for a few weeks or even months after stopping drinking alcohol.
• You may begin to feel more normal, but your body may still exhibit mild physical withdrawal symptoms.

What Happens When You Quit Alcohol Cold Turkey?

People who have successfully tapered from alcohol before may be especially likely to benefit from this strategy. It may sound like a bold and determined move to quit alcohol abruptly and to never return. Going headlong into alcohol cessation, without tapering down and without any outside support, there will likely be risks that cannot be avoided. In general, the longer you’ve been addicted and the larger the amount of alcohol you usually use, the more important it becomes not to detox alone. If you or a loved one suffers from alcohol addiction, let our expert staff at Avenues Recovery guide you to recovery. We have helped over 30,000 people fight the battle of addiction, and we can help you too.

Detoxing is the beginning of any alcohol addiction treatment, and it involves flushing alcohol out of your body. Recovery is not a solo journey, and it is essential to seek support from family, friends, support groups, and addiction treatment centres. Many rehab centres offer comprehensive addiction treatment programs and therapies that address the root causes of addiction and empower individuals to achieve lasting recovery. These programs may include aftercare, intensive outpatient programs, and individual therapies quitting drinking cold turkey such as cognitive-behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy. After you stop drinking heavy, regular amounts of alcohol, your nervous system needs time to adjust. That can cause uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms, which can sometimes be life-threatening.

Blackout Drunk: Signs, Effects, and How to Stop It

Staying hydrated, eating nutritious meals, and getting plenty of rest are vital for your body to heal and recover during the initial stages of sobriety. Get rid of all beer, wine, and liquor, as well as any products that contain alcohol, such as rubbing alcohol and vanilla extract. If throwing everything away feels too hard, give it away to a friend or family member. You might also receive other medications along with benzodiazepines. You can take these medications by mouth, or your doctor may give you a longer-acting version of one of these drugs by IV in the hospital. Once you leave an inpatient program, you’ll be connected to resources you can continue to use, such as support groups or doctors or therapists in your area.

For many, this foundation means ongoing support through alcohol rehab, where both physical and emotional needs are met safely. Start your recovery journey with peace of mind, knowing your care is covered. Avenues Recovery is a community-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center with locations across the United States.