Going cold turkey means stopping an addictive behavior immediately and entirely. There’s no weaning off or using replacement therapies like patches or gum. Ultimately, the best way to prevent alcohol-related neurologic disease is to not drink alcohol. Doctors or family and friends can provide early intervention, which can help you avoid alcohol-related neurologic disease. People who are psychologically dependent may feel an urge to use them when in specific surroundings or socialising with friends.
Alcohol Recovery Timeline: Here’s What Happens When You Stop Drinking
While knowing the general detox timeline provides helpful context, try not to fixate on specific timeframes for feeling “normal” again. Everyone’s recovery journey unfolds at its own pace, and comparing yourself to others or to average timelines can create unnecessary frustration. PAWS symptoms fluctuate in intensity and can appear, disappear, and reappear during the first year of recovery. Understanding that these symptoms are a normal part of your brain healing helps you prepare mentally and avoid interpreting them as Alcohol Withdrawal signs of personal failure.
- Suddenly, your CNS doesn’t have to pull back against alcohol to keep activity at a proper level.
- It’s hard to pinpoint an exact number for each person because everyone’s different.
- A healthcare professional should regularly assess the individual’s condition and adjust the treatment plan as needed to prevent complications and ensure a safe and successful recovery.
- Your healthcare provider should review your treatment plan regularly.
Social detox with medical support
- The strength and duration of action of benzodiazepines are important in what conditions they treat.
- While there are separate types because they have different primary effects, there’s a lot of overlap between them.
- Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered.
- Therapists help clients identify thought patterns contributing to drinking and develop healthier responses to stress and emotions.
- These initial symptoms can feel uncomfortable but are typically manageable with proper support.
Benzodiazepines are the most commonly used medications because they work on the same brain receptors as alcohol, helping to prevent seizures and reduce anxiety. Other medications can address specific symptoms like nausea, insomnia, or elevated blood pressure. Concurrent use of other substances can affect the withdrawal process.
Take care of yourself, too.
You’ll likely need other treatments for related health issues. Each of these symptoms can increase in intensity depending on the severity of the withdrawal. Giving up depressants after using them for a long time is challenging because the body has to get used to functioning without them. But, if you choose to take it, always try a small test amount first.4 For example, the chemical composition of GHB/GBL is highly variable. It’s very easy to take too much GHB – the difference between the amount needed to get ‘high’ and the amount that causes an overdose can be hard to judge.
