if an alchoholic suddenly stops drinking can it harm their health?

Answer 1

Heavy drinkers can have harmful reactions if they stop cold turkey, which is why there are detox centers that will provide medical supervision and medication to alleviate tremors and other side effects. These side effects are not just psychological; they are physical. The benefit of stopping drinking far outweighs these issues, but there needs to be medical supervision. It is not simply an issue of them being in a bad mood because they don't have booze.

Alcohol addiction is not simply something that someone overcomes; it is a life threatening illness that remains throughout the rest of a person's life. The alcoholic can learn to live with the disease and remain sober. There is not a cure but there is treatment.

Folks, please be cautious when tossing out advice that can jeapordize someone's life!

Answer 2

Most alcoholics that are successful at quiting, do it cold turkey. They just stop. That's not to say that it's an easy thing.

My father was a heavy drinker his whole life and at one point after my mom died, he finally decided to stop drinking. He'd been through Delirious Tremons (DT's) a few times in his life and he warned me that he would probably experience them.

He did.

The DT's caused him to have a bad grand mal seizure as his body 'adjusted' to life without alchohol. The whole thing from stopping to having DTs to feeling better took < 24 hours.

When he had his seizure, he fell and hit his head on some furniture. That's one way to hurt your health I suppose.

But I think ultimately, continuing drinking is more harmful than stopping suddenly.

Answer 3

When I stopped the first time (in 2001) I suffered from the DT's for a few days and my digestive system went crazy for about a month. I took up drinking again 3 months later.
When I gave up last august I did not get DT's but did suffer from severe depression, fatalism and morbidity for around three months. My other problems (such as OCD) became far worse for a long period afterwards and I suffered from terrible insomnia too. I was also very prone to terrible joint and muscular pain due to problems with my salt levels and circulation caused by my body re-balacing itself to adjust.
None of these problems seem to have been long term though.

Answer 4

Alcohol withdrawal occurs in 3 stages: Stage 1 - minor withdrawal, Stage 2 - major withdrawal and Stage 3 - Delirium tremens (DTs). A Stage 3 withdrawal is a medical emergency and has a mortality rate of 2% to 5%. How severe the withdrawal symptoms (which stage) depends on how long the drinking has gone on and how much alcohol has consistently consumed. Stages 1 & 2 probably won't have any long-term effects.

If you want the symptoms of all three, e-mail me at [e-mail] and ask for them.

Answer 5

First, you admit that it is very hard. Then, you accept that it will be very hard. Then, when it IS very hard, you look at your desire for a drink when it arises. Don't try to make the desire go away, because this aversion for the desire is what drives us to the drink or the cigarette or whatever. We think we have to "fix" having a desire, and we fix it by giving in, so we won't be bothered by it. This is the key: we have to be willing to be bothered by the desire, without doing anything about it. So, instead, when you feel the desire to drink, look at it and say, "Oh, I know YOU! I don't do that anymore, you know." Maybe carry a bottle of bottled water, and take one swig of it when the desire for a drink hits you ... never underestimate the value of having an alternative action. This is how you stop drinking: you stop drinking. Nothing else works. Good luck to you ... you have what it takes. I quit smoking after more than 30 years of heavy smoking by using the above technique. You, on the other hand, have a habit that has not been indulged in for 30 years, so it is not "set in stone" as much, and should be much less resistant to a firm "I don't do that anymore".

Answer 6

Yes and no. Your body over time builds up a tolerance on the alchohol. If you suddenly quit drinking, your body will go into shock without the alcohol it is dependant on. But that does not mean you should keep drinking. Your body is better without the booze than with it.

Answer 7

it will not make you sick however you will go through some serious withdrawl depending how much you drink and if you have been trying to stop for a while or its just a sudden thing. There is a book to read called ill quit tomorrow, it was a textbook in my alochol drug studies class. You might try aa or local support groups. i would be more than happy to give you listings of where to find help! if you are in the southern california area i can probally help you find lots of programs as well! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

I don't think it can harm their overall health, but they will go through withdrawals. Symptoms are/can be - shakes, fever, nausea, hallucinations, hot flashes, and others. It depends on how much they drank. Until all the alcohol is out of their body. They should drink water to keep themselves hydrated. If the person is a very heavy drinker - drinking until totally drunk on a regular basis, they should consult a doctor or possibly check him/herself into a detox clinic.

Answer 9

Yes! Your body can go into shock, you can have seizures and you can hallucinate (also called delirium tremens, or DT's). Withdrawal from alcohol should always be done under close medical supervision as there are medications usually prescribed to counteract these often dangerous side effects. Deaths have been reported due to abrupt alcohol withdrawal, and the longer someone has been drinking and the larger the amounts consumed are factors that have to be considered in rehab. treatment.

Answer 10

They could have what's called delirium tremors - which I suppose could be pretty harmful to someone's health - but I think if someone is an alcoholic it's better for them to stop the drinking, get treated if they end up with DT's and be way better off in the end.