You’ve come to a pivotal crossroad, that juncture when you take the reins and decide to change your life. You’ve decided it’s time to seek treatment for a drinking problem. You may be wondering, “Is it safe to quit alcohol cold turkey, to put it down and stop?” The answer is a firm “no,” because quitting alcohol on your own without medical oversight is never advised. To learn about alcohol detox and withdrawal, how it unfolds and what to expect, please read on.
What Happens When an Alcoholic Stops Drinking Alcohol?
Someone with a long history of alcohol abuse has probably developed alcohol dependency or addiction. Once the brain has made alterations in response to chronic exposure to alcohol, it becomes dependent on the substance. Therefore, when someone with alcohol use disorder stops drinking, their brain and body display signs of instability. These are known as withdrawal symptoms, or the body’s attempt to adjust to the absence of alcohol.
Alcohol withdrawal is tricky. Each person’s detox process will look a bit different from another’s because of several factors that influence symptom severity. These factors include:
- How long has the alcohol addiction lasted
- How much you drank on average each day
- How many failed attempts at detox there’ve been
- The state of your general health
- The presence of a mental health issue
- Your age
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms will range from mild to severe based on which of these factors are present. The detox timeline is also influenced by them. The main concern for someone undergoing detox is the unpredictable nature of alcohol withdrawal, and the risk of delirium tremens (DTs).
Why is it Unsafe to Quit Alcohol Cold Turkey?
Quitting alcohol cold turkey is likely to cause your body to enter a highly unstable state. This is due to emerging withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms tend to appear within six to twelve hours of the last drink.
Without having medical support present, you would most likely not be aware of your vital signs. These are the basic measurements of your heart rate and blood pressure that, during withdrawal, can send off warning signs.
When you are not being monitored during detox, these symptoms are not addressed. As a result, any of the following adverse events can occur:
- Elevated blood pressure. A spike in blood pressure during alcohol withdrawal is common, and must be monitored to prevent hypertensive urgency or emergency.
- Seizures. Tonic clonal, or grand mal seizure can occur during withdrawal, which can lead to loss of consciousness.
- Delirium tremens. The DTs affects a small subset of people who have a long history of alcohol abuse. DTs may cause severe confusion, seizure, and coma.
What Is the DTs?
The DTs are severe withdrawal symptoms that may arise on days 3-4 of the alcohol detox. About 5% of those approaching alcohol detox are at a higher risk of developing DTs. However, of those who do experience DTs, 15% of those who didn’t obtain medical care will die from it.
Certain risk factors can prepare the detox team for this possibility, one of them being numerous failed attempts at sobriety. Still, the DTs can emerge unexpectedly and present a medical emergency. Is it safe to quit alcohol cold turkey? No, and now you know why.
Symptoms of the DTs may include:
- Paranoia
- Extreme anxiety
- Racing heart
- High blood pressure
- Seizures
- Night terrors
- Severe mental confusion
- Hallucinations
- Coma
- Death.
In the event of DTs emerging, the medically trained detox team will procure immediate emergency care.
How to Safely Quit Alcohol with Supervised Detox
Alcohol detox is highly variable, meaning there is a wide variance of symptoms and timelines. Still, there is a typical 3-stage pattern to alcohol detox and withdrawal:
Stage One: Emerging symptoms. Once the alcohol is stopped, within hours the body begins showing signs of distress. This is caused by the brain attempting to adjust to the absence of alcohol and to rebalance. Symptoms of the first 24-hours of detox may include:
- Tremors
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sweating
- Headache
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
Stage Two: Peak symptoms. On days 2-4 the symptoms will reach their peak intensity. This is the most challenging phase of detox and may feature the following symptoms:
- Mental confusion
- Agitation
- Heart palpitations
- Racing heart rate
- High blood pressure
- Fever
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Seizures
- Hallucinations
- Delirium tremens
- Coma
Stage Three: Declining Symptoms. On days 5-7, most withdrawal symptoms begin to subside. Symptoms in this final phase may include:
- Mood swings
- Brain fog
- Symptoms of depression
- Nervousness
- Cravings
- Sleep disturbances
After Alcohol Detox and Withdrawal: Treatment
After you have successfully completed the detox phase of recovery, you’ll begin the treatment phase. Treatment uses a multi-pronged approach involving various therapies, classes, and holistic elements. These activities are designed to help you change the thought and behavior patterns that fueled the alcohol addiction. They include:
- Individual therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness therapy help guide transformative behavioral changes that help break addiction habits.
- Group therapy. Group therapy offers a chance for peers in recovery to share about their personal experiences and challenges, and nurture support.
- Family therapy. Family groups help the whole family unit heal and move forward together as their loved one enters recovery.
- Medication. Medication-assisted treatment can be appropriate for individuals in recovery for alcoholism. Naltrexone is a non-narcotic medication that helps reduce cravings and relapse risk.
- Education. While in treatment, you’ll learn how alcohol impacts the brain and how addiction develops. Strategic relapse prevention planning can help you manage triggers.
- Wellness therapy. Choose a rehab with access to a gym and outdoor recreational activities. To restore health in recovery, healthy meals and nutritional counseling is a must.
- Holistic therapy. Holistic and experiential activities add nuance and layers to the therapeutic process. These activities might include yoga, art therapy, massage, and acupuncture.
Pacific Bay Recovery Residential Inpatient Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Pacific Bay Recovery offers the highest standard of care for the treatment of substance use disorders, including alcoholism. Our comprehensive program provides all levels of care, including medical detox, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and aftercare.
We specialize in extended treatment plan durations, including 90-days in inpatient rehab followed by 21 months of outpatient treatment. If you’re wondering if it’s safe to quit alcohol cold turkey, please don’t attempt it. Reach out to us today at (619) 350-8220.
