Michael Aponte Alcoholism affects a large proportion of the world’s population. A survey conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the apex decision-making body in the world on health-related matters, released statistics of deaths caused by excessive alcoholism across the globe, i.e., 300 million deaths annually across all nations. Excessive consumption of alcohol is responsible for causing more than 150 diseases, among which alcohol withdrawal is prevalent.
Alcoholism is a severe, progressive, and potentially fatal disease that affects the physical, mental, and social aspects of a person’s life. When an alcohol-addicted person abruptly discontinues drinking, their body will enter a state of alcohol withdrawal. This is wherein their brain chemistry and body reactions become abnormally adjusted.
The human brain is hardwired to become accustomed to normal alcohol levels in the bloodstream for extended periods. This results in withdrawal symptoms when attempts are made to break free from the induced dependence. Symptoms can vary from mild shaking and nausea to more serious physical effects such as seizures or even death in rare cases.
With the help of this blog, we will learn that alcohol withdrawal has a few types based on the degree of severity of excessive consumption.
- Mild alcohol withdrawal (excessive sweating, insomnia, tremors, etc. are the common symptoms).
- Moderate alcohol withdrawal (acidity and further increase in affectivity of earlier symptoms)
- Severe alcohol withdrawal(hallucinations, confusion, loss of consciousness, autonomic instability, etc.)
Mild and moderate severity of alcohol withdrawal is somewhat curable to some extent with enough rest and medication, but increasing the further degree of severity will require specialized care to cure it. Alcohol withdrawal is treatable and can be fully detoxified from the body with proper vigilance and care, which is possible only after hospitalizing the patient.
The body gets used to the excessive drinking habit of alcoholism, but even after full recovery, it does not end there. It must be wiped out at the structural level, otherwise, it’ll happen again and again. When the situation becomes beyond control, it may result in the death of the person.
That’s why, through focusing on its root cause by correcting through rehabilitation centers, many campaigns revolve around the eradication of alcohol consumption through various techniques and methods.
