Thread: Alcohol...
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Name: Mimi
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Join Date: January 6th 2009

Re: Alcohol... - April 8th 2009, 06:17 PM

Jessica,

Usually alcohol withdrawal at maximum only lasts around 10 days after your last drink. By withdrawal do you mean cravings? If you are still experiencing symptoms of 'alcohol withdrawal' then I think you should see a doctor about it because in reality it could be something else. Here is a list of the symptoms:

Mild-to-moderate psychological symptoms:

Jumpiness or nervousness
Shakiness
Anxiety
Irritability or easy excitability
Rapid emotional changes
Depression
Fatigue
Difficulty thinking clearly
Bad dreams
Mild-to-moderate physical symptoms:

Headache -- general, pulsating
Sweating -- especially the palms of the hands or the face
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Insomnia (sleeping difficulty)
Pallor
Rapid heart rate
Eye pupils enlarged(dilated pupils)
Clammy skin
Tremor of the hands
Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids
Severe symptoms:
hallucinations
agitation
confusion
seizures
memory loss
fever
extremely high heart rate and blood pressure

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms still after 2 months sober (congratulations by the way) then you should seek medical attention. Especially if you are experiencing any of the severe symptoms. Some people experiencing alcohol withdrawal develop a serious live threatening condition called Delirium Tremens. If you are exneriecing any of the following symptoms your life may be in danger and you need to seek emergency medical care as soon as possible.
Symptoms include:

hallucinations
agitation
confusion
seizures
memory loss
fever
extremely high heart rate and blood pressure

This is a serious life threatening condition. If you went through this then symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, and emotional instability could persist for a year or more afterwards. Yet another reason to seek medical attention is that there are a wide variety of health conditions associated with alcohol abuse. You should be screened for any suspected complications that arose from your alcohol consumption. I also highly recommend starting therapy with someone who specialized in substance abuse. The can help you through cravings and help you work through your emotions in a healthy way without relying on alcohol. Here also the websites of some support groups that may help you:
http://www.aa.org/
http://www.al-anon.org/english.html
http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/links/

If you ever need someone to talk to I am here for you. Feel free to PM me anytime. I am never to busy to listen and I will try to help as best I can. Take care and hang in there.



Sources:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/e...cle/000764.htm
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/3098.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/000766.htm
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/819502-overview



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