Alcohol Addiction: Withdrawal Symptoms

Alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer contain a substance called ethanol that acts as a depressant. At low doses, alcohol ingestion makes the user feel relaxed. As dosage increases, effects include sleepiness, dizziness, loss of motor coordination and impaired cognition. Overdose leads to coma, respiratory depression and death. The activity of the nervous system is regulated by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Ethanol exerts its effects by increasing the activity of an inhibitory neurotransmitter known as gamma amino butyric acid, or GABA.
Prolonged alcohol use causes the body to compensate for the increase in GABA’s inhibitory activity by making cells hyper-sensitive to an excitatory neurotransmitter called glutamate. As a result, users who stop drinking abruptly experience withdrawal symptoms. The severity of symptoms is correlated to the length of time that a person has been alcohol dependent and the amount of alcohol that a person is accustomed to having in her system. Some symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be severe and even life-threatening, so seek professional medical help if you have this problem.
Anxiety and Insomnia
People with an alcohol dependance often feel restless or irritable when they attempt to quit drinking. Additionally, it may be difficult to fall asleep or remain asleep.
Sweating, Shaking and Racing Heart
Alcoholics who stop using alcohol experience an increase in autonomic nervous system activity. This results in excessive sweating–even in the absence of physical activity–muscle tremors at rest and a fast heartbeat.
Nausea and Vomiting
People who are addicted to alcohol often lose their appetite when they stop drinking. Nausea and vomiting can make consuming anything other than alcohol unappealing. However, fluid intake is important to prevent dehydration; this is especially true for someone who is vomiting.
Hallucinations
Prolonged use of alcohol causes the nervous system to adapt by altering the way it communicates with the body, including the way it receives and responds to sensory information from the visual and auditory circuits. Alcohol withdrawal can result in visual or auditory hallucinations and confusion. This is sometimes called “delirium tremens” or DTs.
Seizures/Convulsions
Prolonged heavy drinking can cause the nervous system to change so dramatically that it can’t control itself in alcohol’s absence. This results in an overabundance of excitatory signaling between neurons, a condition that manifests itself as a seizure. Muscle convulsions are the result of hyper excitability of the motor component of the nervous system.
Depression
Recovering from an addiction is emotionally demanding and the physical withdrawal symptoms can make recovery even more difficult, leading to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous aim to help in the recovery process by bringing users together to share insight and experiences.
Your approach to quitting alcohol is not going to be exactly the same as the next person. However, there are many things you can do to find yourself on the right path to a better life in the near future. Once you are alcohol free you can really begin to enjoy your life!