Support groups for persons with alcohol addiction can impact the patients’ lives and make withdrawal symptoms more bearable and recovery sustainable.
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are more likely developed by adults or teenagers when they drink excessively every day then suddenly stop drinking. Withdrawal symptoms may be severe in nature when the individual has other medical issues.
The symptoms usually appear right after your last drinking session but can also occur days after drinking. They peak to 1 to 3 days after going through a drinking bout and may even last for weeks.
The usual alcohol withdrawal symptoms are fatigue, anxiety, depression, shakiness, mood swings, nightmares, irritation and inability to think clearly.
Other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal symptoms are nausea and vomiting, headache, enlarged pupils, sweating, rapid heartbeat, loss of appetite, insomnia tremor of the hands as well as body and having a clammy skin.
Severe forms or alcohol withdrawal are having fever, experiencing seizures, agitation, severe confusion and hallucinations. Most people who have experience alcohol withdrawal recover fully but sometimes death may be a possibility especially when the alcoholic experiences delirium tremens or “shaking frenzy.”
Support Groups for Alcoholics
Alcoholism support groups provide reliable information about alcoholism, as well as supportive environments. Three of these alcoholism support groups are:
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Alcoholics Anonymous is considered the best known support group for alcoholics since it has 2 million members worldwide. The charitable self-helping support group allows its members to converge and voice out their experiences within a confidential environment to generate a remedy for alcoholism. The meeting is considered a safe and confidential forum exclusive for alcohol abuser who want to recover and receive mutual support as well as commendation. A twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous is the premium answer for overcoming alcoholism.
An alcoholic suffering from withdrawal symptoms may find it hard to get cured by himself or herself and by family and friends. He can always go to a rehab or to support groups which can give him a lot of encouragement, guidance and comfort through their established support program.
Exchange of information and life experience with other people who are also part of the support groups is effective in maintaining yourself to be sober.
An advice or a treatment procedure by a mental health professional can also be used to back up the things you have learned from the recovery support group and hasten relief from withdrawal symptoms.