It may seem quitting drinking on your own is a great decision that can only improve the person’s well-being, both in a physical and emotional sense. However, this is only true in certain cases – people accustomed to drinking may experience severe alcohol withdrawal to the point of tremors and seizures. If no medical assistance is given, your health may be permanently damaged, and in some instances, your life is at risk as well.
In this article we will discover the connection between alcohol withdrawal and seizures, including potential risks, causes, and symptoms of withdrawal-related seizures in individuals – learn more about alcohol withdrawal seizure prevention and start your sober life wisely.
Can Alcohol Withdrawal Cause Seizures?
After you stop drinking or, at the very least, decrease the amount of alcohol you consume every day, you may suffer from alcohol withdrawal – seizures are rather rare yet they may manifest if the drinking was heavy. While it is hard to know for sure who may experience alcohol withdrawal and seizures in particular, there are certain alcohol withdrawal seizure risk factors that increase the likelihood of that happening:
- If you have been drinking every day for days and weeks, the chances of seizures occurring are higher.
- The age of the person plays a major role – elderly people with alcohol use disorder are more prone to going through alcohol withdrawal and its most severe symptoms.
- Doctors pay attention to the general health of the individual – for instance, if there are chronic illnesses present or the patient’s liver function is damaged, the manifestations of alcohol withdrawal are more probable.
- The use of prescription medication or illegal drugs, when combined with alcohol, may lead to unpredictable consequences and exacerbate the physical condition of the person when they quit drinking.
What Is An Alcohol Withdrawal Seizure?
An alcohol withdrawal seizure is a sudden change in a person’s behavior and muscle control caused by the sobriety the brain was not prepared for. The individual might have convulsions, faint, or exhibit repetitive movements of their entire body or certain body parts.
Alcohol withdrawal seizure causes vary from case to case but the main factor present in every instance is the restoration of the normal brain activity of the individual during the process of withdrawal – the brain activity exceeds the usual levels and increases the risk of a seizure.
If you are in the presence of a person going through an alcohol withdrawal seizure, do not try to touch them during the episode – you must move away the objects around them to prevent them from hurting themselves and call an ambulance. Once the seizure is over, put the individual on their side and wait for emergency services to arrive – do not attempt to help them with the medication you have at your disposal.
Why Do Seizures From Alcohol Withdrawal Happen?
When your body adapts to alcohol, your sudden choice to stop drinking or drinking a limited amount of alcohol can be dangerous. Your brain chemistry is so used to the presence of alcohol in your system, that it overloads the central nervous system. When receptors that are regularly affected by alcohol can transmit signals between nerve cells without obstruction, you may experience anxiety, tremors, and even alcohol withdrawal seizures.
Alcohol withdrawal seizures can only be diagnosed by a doctor – when you undergo a physical examination, and your physician learns more about your symptoms and looks into your medical history, they can tell you more about the likelihood of other symptoms occurring later on such as tremors or cognitive decline.
The Kindling Effect
Studies have shown that the longer a person drinks alcohol, the more severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms are. Moreover, even after they are properly treated and the manifestations of the withdrawal no longer bother them, the probability of experiencing seizures after yet another decision to be done with alcohol increases due to multiple periods of detoxification. This phenomenon is called the kindling effect – your brain is irritated over and over again by every withdrawal you go through.
Delirium Tremens (DTs)
Delirium tremens is considered one of the gravest consequences of alcohol withdrawal – the symptoms onset in about three to five days since you last drank alcohol and may put your life in danger. Delirium tremens is characterized by sweating, trembling, hypertension, tremors, seizures, and hallucinations – as soon as you notice any of these symptoms in yourself or someone nearby, seek immediate medical assistance.
Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
Detox Goals
Detoxification is the first step in the recovery journey. The main objectives of alcohol detox are as follows:
- Create a safe space for the recovering individual to cope with alcohol withdrawal symptoms and let their body free itself of alcohol.
- Carry out procedures that will reduce the consequences of the withdrawal or provide sufficient alcohol withdrawal seizure treatment in case the person stops drinking after a prolonged period of excessive use.
- Build a foundation for therapy aimed at alcohol use disorder to ensure the individual in question knows a healthy future is possible.
Medications
Depending on the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, there are different medications that are supposed to take care of various manifestations of this condition. For instance, benzodiazepines – often prescribed first by doctors – are going to prevent alcohol withdrawal seizures, clonidine will lower blood pressure, and beta-blockers will reduce the anxiety the alcohol-free individual is experiencing.
Remember only a qualified healthcare professional can be in charge of the proper alcohol withdrawal treatment and prescribe the right medications after evaluating the physical condition of their patient – do not attempt to self-medicate to reduce the impact of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
Addiction Treatment
Once your body is free from alcohol, it is time to free your mind as well and ensure your addiction is managed successfully. There are diverse therapeutic approaches that help addicts to regain control over their lives:
| Method of Treatment | Description |
| Individual Counseling | You should talk to a therapist one-on-one to address the circumstances that caused you to get so used to alcohol that the dependence led to complications of various kinds and possibly even alcohol withdrawal seizures |
| Cognitive Therapy | One of the most effective treatment options for individuals who cannot stay sober for long is therapy whose purpose is to tackle negative thought patterns in the patient’s mind and replace their destructive thoughts with positive notions and affirmations |
| Group Counseling | You will understand you are not alone in your fight upon meeting your peers who went through alcohol withdrawal syndrome and experienced the same issues you have had so far. Additionally, you may undergo therapy with your family members – alcohol may have damaged your relationship to the point you can no longer be happy together as a family unit without the guidance of a counselor |
| Admission to Rehabilitation Centers | Depending on the severity of your condition and the possibility of relapsing in the nearest future if you are not helped by a mental health professional, you should consider reaching out to a mental health facility that offers residential or inpatient treatment for addiction. You may stay there for as long as you need to recover – some patients spend up to a year at a facility in order to never drink again |
FAQs
- Does alcohol withdrawal affect every newly sober person?
If you drink a glass of wine during the weekend or social gathering or you drink a lot of alcohol to celebrate a special occasion and wake up hungover once a year, alcohol withdrawal should not be your main concern. However, if drinking has become your habit or you exhibit the signs of addiction, the chances of getting withdrawal symptoms are higher.
- What is the average alcohol withdrawal timeline?
Milder symptoms such as anxiety and headache may onset within six to twelve hours since the person had their last drink. In about a day, hallucinations might appear especially if the individual had been binge-drinking before that. The most severe symptoms manifest within two to three days – the risk of seizures, in particular, is high in about two days.
- How do you recognize an alcohol withdrawal seizure?
Stiffness of muscles, violent muscle contractions, falling, fainting, and incontinence are common signs of a seizure. If someone in your proximity is experiencing a seizure for longer than five minutes or there are non-stop seizures of a shorter duration, call emergency help.
- Can you treat alcohol withdrawal seizures?
Thankfully, just like other mild and severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, seizures can be dealt with as long as the individual seeks alcohol withdrawal seizure treatment. Upon physical examination, a doctor will be able to tell you if you may expect further seizures to occur or you need to take medication to prevent them in the next few days.
- Do I need therapy after alcohol detox?
While this is not as urgent and necessary as the medical supervision during the time alcohol leaves your system, psychotherapeutic counseling may be the long-term solution you are looking for after a major health scare – discuss your dependence on alcohol with a therapist, figure out why it was essential for you to quit drinking, and learn how to ensure a successful recovery.
