Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Alcohol is one of the most recreational drugs in the world. It is a man made, synthetic form of hallucinogen when consumed at certain concentrations. There are many beverages like beers, wines, whisky, rum, vodka, etc. which has varying amounts of alcohol content. Consumption of alcohol may lead to various health complications like ulcers in the alimentary tract, oral cancer, change in pH in the stomach, liver damage which may lead to jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis, renal dysfunction, prostate inflammation, etc. Consuming this alcohol at a certain quantity to a certain limit is good but not on a regular basis as over usage or when left untreated will lead to major health complications degrades our human immune system and in few cases, they may lead to death. Alcohol may also lower blood sugar levels, loss of appetite, insomnia, etc. One may get addicted to this alcohol to pleasure oneself and to escape from the real world. Alcohol withdrawal usually occurs in those who are alcohol dependent. This is usually observed following a decrease in alcohol intake. And the mechanism involves a decrease in responsiveness of GABA receptors in the brain.

Alcohol withdrawal is a condition when a person stops or cuts back the regular consumption of alcohol. At this condition, one will undergo a lot of trauma with their physical and mental health. One cannot go through this withdrawal at once or all of a sudden, they have to gradually control and this may not be a major issue with people who drink occasionally. Many research studies have shown and still proving that this alcohol withdrawal cannot be a short term fix or just simply quit by using some medication.

An alcohol addict goes through a lot of trauma during this rejection and withdrawal process. They may face mild to serious issues during this process.

• Mild symptoms are observed after 6 hours when one stop consuming alcohol. They may feel anxiety, shivering, nausea, headache, loss of appetite, insomnia, sweating, etc.

• More severe problems are observed when a person withdraws for 12-48 hours. Symptoms like seizures, daydreaming, anger, hallucinations, irritation are commonly observed in them.

• Much more complicated problems are observed after 48-72 hours. Delusions, Delirium Tremens, accelerated heartbeat, high blood pressure, confusion, fever, sweat, bipolar disorder are commonly observed.

Consulting a psychologist, rehabilitation therapists, and especially peer support during their hard times is very essential for these alcohol addicts to get rid of this habit. Alcohol addicts experience a high rate of depression, anxiety, bipolar, anger, etc.

Treatment of this alcohol withdrawal is a very slow and gradual process one has to have utmost patience and trust to stay away from it. Seeking medical care practitioners is vital and monitoring their state of health should also be checked in a timely manner.

Benzodiazepines such as chlordiazepoxide or diazepam, psychotics, vitamins, anti-convulsants, anti-seizure medicines along other drugs are used in the due course for the treatment of de-addiction of alcohol. The concentrations of these medicines and types of drugs vary from person to person based on the symptoms of the person. Thiamine is recommended on regular basis during the whole course. Treatment from the early stages improves with better outcomes.

After completion of this alcohol withdrawal, people are still administered drugs like naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram, etc. to prevent from re-consumption of this alcohol. If a person fails to manage during this treatment they may observe various symptoms and lead to serious conditions like brain damage and lead to death. So it is very important to communicate about the status of health with the patient and maintain records about it, to know any complications in the due course and prevent any complications.

The authors are grateful to the journal editor and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.