Can I Quit Drinking Without Rehab?
Are you looking to cut down your alcohol consumption or completely quit drinking? Are you wondering whether or not you can do this without the need for rehab? Quitting alcohol can be a difficult task, and there are many obstacles that you will face along the way and for this reason, it is not advisable that you quit drinking alcohol without the support of a rehabilitation centre. Find out why below…
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms
The withdrawals you can experience when you stop drinking alcohol can be serious. But the symptoms you experience will depend on a range of factors such as the length of time you have drank alcohol for, how much alcohol you drink and whether or not you are physically dependant upon the substance.
Some symptoms of alcohol dependence include:
- If you need to drink as soon as you wake up
- Develop the shakes or become irritable if you haven’t had a drink
- Worry about the next time that you are going to be able to drink alcohol
- Plan your life around alcohol including social events and work
- Cannot stop drinking once you start
Typical alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:
- Anxiety and depression
- Trouble sleeping
- Mood swings
- Irritable
- Feeling tired
- The shakes
- In more serious cases, some individuals may experience a form of withdrawal known as delirium tremens. This can be life threatening and can causes symptoms such as hallucinations and seizures.
If you are looking to stop drinking, you should speak to a healthcare professional or your doctor beforehand to see whether you are at risk for having more serious withdrawal symptoms or not. This is because, if you quit drinking without the support of rehab, you could end up in a situation where you need urgent medical attention and you are not able to access it.
Cravings
When you try and stop drinking, you may experience cravings. These cravings could cause you to relapse. Due to this, many individuals detox using withdrawal medications. These are prescribed to you in rehab. The medication prescribed to you will not help to minimise any uncomfortable withdrawals symptoms that you experienced but they will help to reduce your cravings.
Triggers
When trying to quit drinking alcohol, there may be things that trigger you to drink again. Some of the popular triggers include:
- Meeting up with people who you used to drink with
- Being is social settings where alcohol is available to purchase
- The time of day
- Stress or any other distressing emotions
Sometimes the triggers can be that strong that you cannot withstand the pressure to drink. You should be able to identify what your triggers are and find a way to deal with them/ avoid them. However, this is why treatment is beneficial and the reason as to why it is not as successful to try and quit drinking without rehab.
Contact New Leaf Recovery on 0300 999 0330 to discuss your requirements.