Withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism treatment at home and with traditional methods

Withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism occurs with frequent abuse of alcoholic beverages. Each time the addicted person begins to drink more and more alcohol. Withdrawal syndrome is characterized by the presence of mental and physical health disorders.

Sometimes, this condition can be confused with a hangover, but the development mechanism and symptoms of both pathologies are different. Because of this, treatment methods differ from each other. Almost every person who is dependent on alcohol-containing liquids has experienced withdrawal symptoms. This usually happens at moments when the patient suddenly decides to give up the addiction.

Alcohol and drug withdrawal

What is withdrawal? Withdrawal is the psychopathological and neurological symptoms that occur in response to refusal of the usual dose of a narcotic substance. The fact is that with regular consumption of alcohol, at some point a reconfiguration of the body’s biochemical regulation occurs. The drug begins to be perceived as part of the metabolism. And, of course, with a lack of substances entering the body, withdrawal begins. At the same time, if the addict does not wait out the withdrawal period and uses the drug, the withdrawal symptoms are significantly suppressed. This is why people fall into binge drinking or cannot get off the needle when it comes to drugs.

Withdrawal syndrome after quitting alcohol manifests itself quite clearly. Withdrawal symptoms are generally similar for all drinkers. It must be distinguished from a regular hangover in order to draw conclusions whether a person is suffering from alcoholism or not.

If there is abstinence, the problem is already quite serious, since the person has formed a physiological dependence that reinforces the psychological

Withdrawal syndrome: quality treatment

Normalization of nutrition

In the treatment of such an ailment as hangover, restoration of normal nutrition plays a significant role. During a long-term binge, a person does not feel the need for food. Alcohol has a high calorie content, but since alcohol does not contain nutrients, the body is depleted, burning internal reserves.

During the period when an abstinence crisis sets in, the patient finds it difficult to eat normally, his stomach rejects food. Therefore, in the first two to three days a person needs to drink broth, vegetable fruit drinks and fruit juices. You can make nutritional and vitamin mixes. For example, mix the juice of raw beets, carrots, apples and add grated lemon and honey.

Read also: Tablets that cause aversion to alcohol

Then vegetable and fruit purees, boiled meat, and eggs are introduced into the diet. Food is taken in small portions, but often. To increase your appetite, drink a glass of plain water with lemon juice a couple of times a day. This drink quickly removes toxins.

In the second week, during the recovery period, more high-calorie sweet foods are served, as well as a lot of fruit.

How to distinguish withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism from a hangover?

1. Differences in the type of alcohol withdrawal experienced by an alcoholic

The symptoms of a hangover and withdrawal are similar in many ways. We will talk about them below. But the cause of withdrawal syndrome when giving up alcohol is the desire to drink another dose of alcohol.

Treatment of withdrawal symptoms must be gradual. Many people ignorant of biology believe that it is best to isolate the drinker from alcohol in principle. However, a sudden step to quit drinking can provoke a number of undesirable consequences, including cardiac arrest. This does not mean that you need to let a person drink until he passes out again at the moment of abstinence, but it is also categorically not recommended to deprive him of a minimum dose of alcohol.

2. Differences in attitudes towards alcohol

With alcoholism, a person develops a stage of stable tolerance to alcohol. Tolerance is generally understood as the tolerance of alcohol and the state of a person after drinking it. If with normal sensitivity a person only needs to drink half a liter of beer to feel dizzy and euphoric, then with alcoholism a person can drink a lot until he feels at least some kind of stable unpleasant state, when he no longer wants and cannot drink any more.

It is impossible to predict how long withdrawal symptoms last. Most often, people do not have time to find out, washing down their condition with another portion of alcohol. In general, with chronic alcoholism, the state of withdrawal syndrome can last up to 14-20 days. Most people simply cannot endure this torment.

Alcoholism develops gradually. At first, the tolerance to alcohol doses increases, then reaches a certain point. From this moment on, the person consistently drinks as much as fits into his dose. And already against the background of stable tolerance, a switch in biochemical regulation can occur.

And when this happens, a person will understand what alcohol withdrawal syndrome is, when in the morning no medicine for alcoholism will help him, except for another glass.

Withdrawal syndrome cannot be treated completely at home; you can only reduce the symptoms. A person dependent on alcohol does not feel the unpleasant smell of alcohol or the bitter taste. Even the smell of fumes, the breakdown products of ethanol, does not bother the addict. But the dose taken improves well-being, increases performance and generally puts a person in a state of combat readiness. People only think about how to relieve withdrawal symptoms when the binge has been going on for an inordinately long time.

3. Presence of addiction

Relief from withdrawal symptoms depends on the amount drunk. Over time, with alcoholism, the amount of alcohol consumed constantly increases. If, during everyday drinking, a person is able to give up drinking for at least 8 months, and this does not cause him significant inconvenience, then withdrawal symptoms for alcoholism will still require treatment. Simply because alcohol withdrawal syndrome will not allow you to give up alcohol. A couple of weeks after withdrawal symptoms are relieved, according to reviews, a strong craving for alcohol occurs. The body is cleansed, there is no pain, anxiety is relieved, sleep is normalized. But the psychological craving is activated.

Withdrawal syndrome - treatment at home

Withdrawal symptoms should be dealt with in case of giving up any addiction. After all, it is he who provokes a person to re-use. The bulk of the psychological and psychosomatic symptoms of withdrawal syndrome are similar for all types of addictions. This:

Weakness, apathy, lethargy, fatigue.
Irritability, autonomic disorders.
Bad mood, insomnia and at the same time drowsiness.

If the condition worsens, stomach pain, sweating, headaches, stool upset, nausea, flatulence, pressure, pale skin, and a kind of trance state are observed. Memory and attentiveness deteriorate, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness appear, and mental abilities decrease. Withdrawal syndrome also appears when quitting smoking, which, by the way, is accompanied by increased appetite due to disruption of neural connections and the emergence of a mechanism for replacing needs.

Consequences and complications

Immediately after getting rid of withdrawal symptoms, the alcoholic feels a surge of strength and an increase in mood due to the fact that pain, weakness, tremors, and nausea have passed. But this rise does not last long - 3–10 days. Then the so-called “plateau” begins - the person realizes that relationships with family and friends are damaged, and there are no job prospects. This provokes post-withdrawal syndrome with depression and neuroses.

There is a threat of a return to drinking. Without assistance, breakdowns during abstinence occur in 75% of cases, with post-withdrawal syndrome - in 90% of cases. Therefore, you cannot leave an alcoholic alone (he needs the support of loved ones). The best option is rehabilitation in specialized centers, sessions with a psychologist, group sessions.

Read also: Can alcoholism in men be cured?

After coming out of abstinence, a person should undergo a full examination in a clinic. Alcoholics are not healthy; their digestive, genitourinary, nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems are impaired. It is necessary to identify all diseases and begin treatment.

How to relieve withdrawal symptoms at home?

For withdrawal symptoms, treatment at home largely depends on the following factors:

Time of drinking and doses of alcohol consumed. The longer and more a person drank, the more difficult it is to bring him out of the abstinence state at home without the help of a specialist.
The presence of concomitant diseases and, in particular, brain injuries.
Alcohol quality. Most often, deaths occur precisely because people drink surrogate and homemade alcohol.

What kind of beast is “hangover syndrome”?

Usually a hangover occurs the next morning, immediately after waking up. This is a standard scheme, but the duration of this condition depends on the body and its ability to fight. For older people, the cleansing time may take longer. But timely measures also play an important role.

There are several exact symptoms that diagnose this syndrome:

dry mouth;
headache;
impaired coordination of movements;
digestive system disorder;
weakness and nausea.

If the above occurs, action must be taken.

Treatment of withdrawal symptoms: inexpensive and anonymous

Withdrawal syndrome treated at home can only be relieved if relatives behave competently. Under no circumstances should you reproach the patient, arrange proceedings for him or lecture him. No aggression. A person will not only not hear or accept reproaches, but may also show serious retaliatory aggression, which will simply be dangerous for the lives of household members.

If you see that your loved one is experiencing withdrawal symptoms, you need to make sure that the person does not have delirium tremens or signs of it. Delirium tremens is the name given to alcoholic psychosis, which develops when withdrawal symptoms are not properly treated at home.

Typically, fever occurs after long binges on the 4-5th day after giving up alcohol and not treating withdrawal symptoms with drugs and drips. If more than a week has passed after giving up alcohol, delirium tremens will no longer occur, if it did not happen earlier.

Treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor if you notice symptoms of delirium (fever)

The person loses orientation in space, reacts strangely to others, and experiences auditory and visual hallucinations.
Does not recognize close people, calls them by other people's names or nicknames.
Experiences severe fears, nightmares, suffers from insomnia or disturbing dreams.
Excessively excited, aggressive, incoherent speech, clouded mind.
There are memory lapses

IMPORTANT!

If you notice these symptoms, there is no question of any treatment for withdrawal symptoms at home. You cannot cope with delirium tremens on your own; you will need professional medical treatment for alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Call a narcologist immediately. Up to 15% of binge alcoholics die from delirium tremens.

The very fact that a person falls into a fever speaks of severe pathologies in the central nervous system; over time, the person will completely lose the ability to work and live in society.

It is very important to understand that withdrawal symptoms cannot be suppressed thoughtlessly with pills, and even more so, withdrawal syndrome cannot be treated with folk remedies. Not only does this bring the withdrawal syndrome in chronic alcoholism to a state of delirium, but it can also simply kill a person.

To interrupt withdrawal symptoms in alcoholism, treatment should include a gradual reduction in the dose of alcoholic beverages.

This reduces the risk of epileptic seizures, severe hangover syndrome, cardiac complications and, in fact, delirium.

It is impossible to abruptly interrupt a binge, especially if the withdrawal syndrome from alcoholism is very pronounced. But instead of alcohol, you can mix glycerin (glycerol) with water and gradually replace the doses of alcohol with this mixture. Experienced addicts use this treatment for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. 1 bottle of glycerin is mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 2, this mixture replaces alcohol. You should drink it in a volume of 30-50 ml of solution 2-3 times a day. Being a polyhydric alcohol, glycerin is perceived by the body in a state of withdrawal syndrome during alcoholism quite normally, and it alleviates the symptoms of the process. You can use the services of specialists and smoothly withdraw from binge drinking at home or in a drug treatment clinic.

Video: how to treat a hangover

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (also called simply abstinence, popularly called delirium tremens or hangover) is a pathological condition that occurs in a person when he abruptly stops drinking alcohol after prolonged use. It can last from one to several days. Depending on the duration of this syndrome, the degree of its severity is determined.

Withdrawal syndrome: treatment at home

If it is clear what to do and what to do with delirium tremens, then how to eliminate alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a less advanced situation?

When treating withdrawal symptoms in alcoholism, you should not:

Overloading an addict with hard work will have a detrimental effect on the state of the cardiovascular system.
Take a contrast shower and generally abuse water procedures.
Smoking frequently.

Relief of withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism is possible using the following drugs:

Vitamins of group B. You can use separate injections or tablets, you can take vitamins “Complivit”, “Selmevit”, which also contains a lot of antioxidants. By the way, it is B vitamins that are administered to the patient when IVs are installed when treating withdrawal symptoms from alcoholism at home. Suitable sports vitamins, such as Animal Pak from Universal Nutrition, amino acid complexes that improve the condition of the body as a whole, and in general drugs for the treatment of withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism based on adaptogens, for example, ginseng.
Succinic acid and tablets based on malic acid and acetic acid to stimulate metabolism. You can also use drugs for alcohol withdrawal symptoms that contain these substances.

Any other drugs cannot be taken without the knowledge of a doctor during abstinence and withdrawal after binge drinking. Tips for relieving symptoms of withdrawal syndrome in alcoholism, which abound in Internet resources, can only be used after a telephone consultation with a narcologist. If you want to do it on your own, at least call a narcologist to find out how to relieve withdrawal symptoms from alcoholism. By doing this you will protect yourself and save the life and health of your loved one.

Hangover prevention and medical advice

Once you experience a hangover, remember this condition and try not to abuse alcoholic beverages. Then information about what helps against the unpleasant consequences of drinking strong drinks will be irrelevant for you.

If a non-alcoholic lifestyle is not suitable for you, then try to adhere to the following recommendations.

Before the feast, drink the sorbent.
Do not drink on an empty stomach.
Eat carbohydrates: potatoes, rice, pasta. Eat fish, it is quickly digested. But fatty and meat dishes take a long time to digest and delay intoxication, so you can drink more than you wanted and provoke a hangover.
Take breaks between toasts for at least 30 minutes. Dance or go outside for air.
Do not mix drinks or at least increase the degree, for example, do not drink wine, beer or champagne after vodka.
Carbonated alcohol, sweet liqueurs and cocktails, at their low levels, can cause more problems than strong drinks.
Sweets enhance the absorption of alcohol, so avoid desserts.
Do not drink coffee or energy drinks after alcoholic drinks - this will put additional stress on the cardiovascular system.

What happens after withdrawal symptoms are relieved: how long does withdrawal syndrome last for alcoholism?

In practice, withdrawal symptoms persist for more than a month, even if a person uses drugs, if he is given an IV, if he tries to lead a healthy lifestyle and does not drink alcohol. Withdrawal syndrome does not develop with domestic alcoholism or weekend alcoholism, since abstinence is a consequence of alcoholism. We will help you quit alcohol and undergo comprehensive rehabilitation for alcoholism.

For example, a feeling of lack of fluid in the body (colloquially “dry water”) is felt more than 30 days after the last dose of alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome, when treated at home, can be quickly relieved on its own only by placing several droppers in a row; in other words, it is necessary to give the alcoholic a drip and relieve the cravings by inserting an anti-alcoholism blocker. First, you need detoxification from alcohol and plasmapheresis to remove ethanol breakdown products from the body, then you will need the introduction of vitamins and nutrients as the body begins to recover dramatically.

You will need drugs to treat withdrawal symptoms in alcoholism, for example, antidepressants, drugs that restore central nervous system functions. The drug "Mexidol" has proven itself well

Drug treatment of withdrawal syndrome with the help of Phenazepam, Corvalol, Valocordin is strictly prohibited. Use of these drugs can be fatal. Instead of Phenazepam, the drug Donormil is recommended.

It is best to use Veroshpiron as a diuretic, but it should absolutely not be taken if the patient continues to drink alcohol for some time. However, you cannot take the vast majority of drugs at the same time as alcohol, especially acetylsalicylic acid, Citramon, which also contains acid. Drinking aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) with alcohol can cause stomach bleeding. The difference between taking the drug and drinking alcohol should be at least 2 hours.

You can and should take sorbents: activated carbon, Enterosgel or Polyphepan (it’s inconvenient to drink, but it’s cheaper). It is also strongly recommended to take a lot of liquid, drink fermented milk drinks with a salty taste (tan, ayran), but you can get by with kefir.

Headaches, tremors after heavy drinking and aches after a hangover and withdrawal are well relieved by a mixture of 2 tablets of analgin and 2 tablets of drotaverine (no-shpa).

After a binge, you should not change alcoholic drinks to reduce the degree of alcohol consumed. If a person is trying to get out of a state of withdrawal, and he drank vodka on a binge, then he should continue to drink vodka in microdoses for several days while the withdrawal syndrome lasts. Treatment at home with medications can be started only after the last dose of alcohol has been taken, and another is not planned. The exceptions are vitamin formulations and succinic and malic acids.

Taking all other medications, especially those directly affecting the nervous system and heart, without the knowledge of a doctor is life-threatening!

Fighting a hangover

It so happened that after abusing alcohol, you woke up the next morning with a severe hangover. To eliminate its symptoms and bring the long-suffering body into a “cucumber” state, you need to help the body cope with poisoning.

In simple words, it is a cleansing of toxins. If you feel nauseous, try to induce vomiting - an unpleasant method, but it allows you to remove the remains of the libation from the body.

Be sure to take any of the sorbents - activated or white carbon, Smecta. These substances will help “bind” toxins and prevent them from entering the blood.

Drinking regime is the first aid for a hangover. Drink as much water as possible to hydrate your body. Mineral water, herbal decoctions, natural sour juices and compotes will help replenish the loss and reduce swelling.

If the liquid is not absorbed, then buy rehydrants at the pharmacy. These are drugs to restore water-salt balance and electrolytes. Salts and trace elements retain water and relieve hangovers.

A hangover provokes depression, apathy or irritability. The nervous system is unstable due to impaired brain activity. Glycine is the best way to eliminate the problem; just put the tablet under your tongue. The effect of the drug has a beneficial effect on brain function, reduces anxiety and stress, and normalizes sleep.

To calm your nerves, you can drink a decoction of motherwort or valerian, tea with mint, or milk with honey. Sleep will have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and the general condition of the body.

Easy charging

Strenuous exercise while hungover is strictly prohibited. The load on the heart and blood vessels increases, sweating aggravates dehydration, and fatigue appears.

But a short walk in the fresh air or light exercise will improve your well-being, blood circulation will increase, and the tissues will be saturated with oxygen. Remember that movement is life.

You can do some breathing exercises for better oxygen supply. Inhale slowly, hold your breath and exhale just as slowly. Repeat several times.

Water treatments

A contrast shower will cause blood vessels to alternately narrow and dilate, which helps remove toxins from the body. But it should be taken correctly so as not to cause harm. Be sure to start water procedures at a comfortable temperature; stress from cold water can sharply constrict blood vessels and lead to disastrous results.

Gradually reduce the water heating to minimum and gradually return to the previous comfortable level. Several cycles of temperature changes will tone the body. After your shower, be sure to drink tea, it will help restore fluid balance.

Please note that a contrast shower in the morning is useful for a healthy person with good immunity, who is not prone to alcohol, and for him a hangover is an isolated case. Fans of “hot drinks” are better off not taking risks, since alcohol wears out blood vessels and promotes the formation of blood clots, so shock therapy with water can lead to death.

But no one is forbidden to take a short warm shower. Some toxins will be released through the skin, and water will help you relax and calm the nervous system.

There is no special pill or drug that instantly relieves the effect of a hangover. As in the fight against ordinary poisoning, treatment must be carried out in compliance with strict rules and in stages. The body needs to be helped to cleanse itself of toxins, replenish missing fluids and relieve symptoms of poisoning.

A person with a hangover is in dire need of help. In case of a severe hangover, it may be necessary to call a narcology team to administer a drip infusion. This quickly relieves symptoms and improves the condition.

First aid for a hangover:

The patient must be reassured.
Quench your thirst with mineral water, brine or sweet warm tea.
Prepare an activated carbon solution based on the formula: 2 tablets per 10 kg of weight. Dissolve in a glass and drink. Activated carbon has an adsorbing effect, absorbs toxins and is easily removed from the body.
Make a person suffering from a hangover take a contrast shower. The main outlets for toxic waste are the skin and sweat glands. While showering, washing away sweat reduces the level of toxicity in the body and increases overall tone.
You need to take 0.5 g of ascorbic acid. This will improve the acid-base balance, help restore the body's functioning and bring relief.

When selecting medications, it is necessary to take into account the physiological and psychological characteristics of the human body. Some medications may contain compounds or enzymes that cause an acute allergic reaction, which will only worsen the patient's condition.

The main medications to combat a hangover are:

adsorbents;
detoxifying agents;
drugs that protect and restore the liver;
analgesics;
rehydrants.

Under no circumstances should drugs be given if the person is under the influence of alcohol or intoxicated. Any medicine combined with ethanol aggravates poisoning.