Alcohol addiction is challenging for several reasons. Drinking is not socially looked down upon, and people often get access to it early in life. Unfortunately, this substance is addictive and can wreak havoc on struggling people and use it as a distraction. Eventually, the distraction becomes an addiction, and their life is affected. Some get frustrated and try quitting drinking cold turkey.
But does quitting cold turkey work? Yes and no, but mostly no. Suddenly stopping something your mind and body are accustomed to will send them into shock, and it will negatively affect their wellbeing. So, what is the best way to quit? This blog will explore the reality of quitting cold turkey, discuss its dangers and provide tips on overcoming your addiction.
Does Quitting Drinking Cold Turkey Work?
Whether or not quitting drinking cold turkey works depends on the severity of your addiction. It is always risky, but there is less danger for people who aren’t as heavily addicted. However, the risk exists, and there are safer alternatives to the approach, so why endanger yourself?
Most doctors and experts advise against such practices because they know how much of a toll they take on your mental and physical health.
The Dangers of Does Quitting Drinking Cold Turkey
The problem with cutting down on addiction is that your mind and body crave it. You may logically know excessive alcohol usage is terrible for you, but withdrawal symptoms will make it a painful choice. Withdrawal is worst for people with heavier addictions and can cause the following problems when they decide to quit cold turkey.
1. Severe Headache and Muscle Aches
Alcohol addiction affects at least five different parts of the brain, but its most noticeable impact relates to the deterioration of a person’s frontal lobes. The substance affects your mind and body so deeply that suddenly quitting will result in severe headaches and muscle aches.
You will also experience these symptoms when you quit under medical supervision. However, rehab specialists will supplement your body with medicines to lessen the severity of withdrawal, making the pain more bearable.
2. Digestive Concerns
Unfortunately, your digestive system will also react negatively to quitting alcohol, resulting in severe to mild symptoms depending on your recovery method and the severity of your addiction. Common digestive issues include getting diarrhea, vomiting, and feeling nauseous.
In more severe cases, the recovering addict can experience gastric bleeding, which requires immediate treatment.
3. Hypertension and Irregular Heart Rate
Withdrawal isn’t always simply painful – it can be hazardous if not managed well. Quitting drinking cold turkey can cause severe hypertension, palpitations, and increased heart rates. These factors are dangerous and can send the body into cardiovascular shock.
Depending on your condition, such reactions can cause heart attacks, cardiovascular arrest, or stroke.
4. Anxiety and Restlessness
Several recovering addicts complain about restlessness, anxiety, agitation, and mood swings during treatment. These symptoms are worse when you quit suddenly and can sometimes cause tremors.
The problem is that this anxiety is one of the many withdrawal symptoms and causes extreme distress to your mind and body. It can also cause insomnia, worsening your mental and physical health and leaving you vulnerable.
5. Delirium and Hallucinations
Extreme withdrawal can lead patients to become delirious and make them hallucinate. Without appropriate treatment, these symptoms can cause the patient to become violent, have seizures, and, in the worst case, cause death.
Hence, experts advise against self-treatment and sudden quitting because there is no guarantee which symptoms you will experience.
Tips for Quitting Drinking
You now know that quitting cold turkey is not feasible, and you need to take an alternative approach. We recommend alcohol rehabs for severe alcohol addiction, but you can also use the following tips to begin quitting.
1. Think about an Anchor/Reason for Quitting
Firstly, you will need an anchor that keeps you going when the withdrawal hits and the challenges begin. This anchor or reason for quitting needs to be emotionally and practically significant and be able to act as a reality check for you.
For example, some people decide to quit when they see their loved ones suffer. Others experience the loss of a friend or companion to addiction, pushing them to stop before the same happens to them.
2. Evaluate Your Drinking Habits
Quitting requires planning, and the first part of that process is understanding your addiction. Get honest with yourself and answer a few tough questions. Ask yourself what led you towards drinking, how severe your addiction is, or how much you want to turn your life around.
These answers will set the base for your recovery and provide insight and clarity about your disorder.
3. Draft a Written (or Typed) Plan
Having a plan in mind is excellent, but we recommend putting it to pen and paper and giving it a physical form. Keep this plan visible so you can see it daily and use it for motivation and tracking.
4. Keep Things Goal-Based
Your plan needs to be divided into goals to give you a sense of achievement every time you achieve them. Try not to make your goals too challenging from the beginning because that can make you give up on the entire idea.
Celebrate drinking one less bottle of beer or glass of wine a day and steadily progress to a point where you can celebrate going without alcohol for a week or more. It may seem simple, but the journey is challenging, and you will need motivation.
5. Remove Alcohol from Your House
Completely remove alcohol from your home. The goal is to make it difficult to get alcohol to discourage your mind and body from drinking as much as possible. The more time you spend resorting to these measures, the less you’d want to go the extra mile to grab a drink.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, quitting drinking cold turkey isn’t safe and can put you at risk of severe health conditions or death. The best solution is to check yourself into rehab or work with an expert to recover from your drinking addiction.
