But the reality is adhering to the reduction can be difficult if the person encounters any triggers that encourage drinking. The person may try to cut back the amount they drink per day or switch to another, less favored form of alcohol. Unfortunately, a person's ability to effectively taper off their drinking can be challenging. But the symptoms may be less severe or life-threatening when consumption decreases.Ĭhanging to another form of alcohol won't improve withdrawal outcomes if the amount consumed doesn’t decrease. Tapering off drinking does not mean the individual won't experience withdrawal symptoms.
Symptoms include excessive thirst, fatigue, frequent urination, and vomiting. This condition can happen due to the way alcohol affects the pancreas' ability to produce insulin. Ketoacidosis is another complication associated with abruptly quitting alcohol. muscle weakness, coma, and the reduction or stoppage of normal breathing functions due to low levels of phosphate (hypophosphatemia).cardiac complications, such as arrhythmias and sudden death resulting from a heart attack.
Symptoms of DT include:ĭTs are more common if someone has a previous experience with alcohol withdrawal, if they drink heavily, or if they have struggled with addiction to alcohol for more than ten years.īoth AWS and DT can result in physical issues, too, such as: They may also suffer delirium tremens (DT), which can be deadly. A person experiencing AWS may experience shaking, headache, high blood pressure, anxiety, and increased heart rate, or tachycardia. This particular withdrawal form is known as alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). When that happens, the central nervous system has to adapt again.ĭuring withdrawal, a person may experience rapid heart rate, higher temperature, and excessive sweating, among other issues, as their body works to rebalance itself. When the brain doesn’t have alcohol present, withdrawal symptoms can occur. Since alcohol is a depressant, it slows the function of the brain and the nervous system. Quitting drinking cold turkey may lead to severe consequences.Ĭhronic alcohol use changes the body, which then adapts to the constant presence of alcohol. However, it is essential to deal with alcohol use disorder safely. When someone with a drinking problem chooses to stop drinking, that is a positive step. There can be severe side effects from abruptly discontinuing drinking, including death. In fact, it is much safer to gradually decrease the level of alcohol an individual drinks instead of stopping cold turkey. At the same time, 1 in 10 children lives with a parent who has an alcohol problem.Īddressing this disease is vital, but some people may question whether it is better to stop drinking all at once (“cold turkey”) or if it's safer to taper off their alcohol consumption slowly. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that the number of American adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) is about 14 million.
Alcoholism is a chronic disease that impacts both the person drinking and those around them.
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