If you’re struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
When we remove an addictive substance from our system, we can experience intense symptoms related to the withdrawal process. They can vary from person to person and can depend on the kind of substance involved, and how long we’ve been dependent upon it. Some of us have an easier time with withdrawal than others. Some of us have fatal or near-fatal reactions. What are some of the common withdrawal symptoms?
Often when we’re going through withdrawal, we will feel mental, emotional and physical symptoms all at once. We can have symptoms even before formally going off our drug of choice. For example, when we wake up in the morning and have gone the whole night without using, we can present withdrawal symptoms even if it hasn’t been long since we last consumed. We can experience panic and racing thoughts, along with intense confusion and debilitating overwhelm. We might have feelings of depression, anxiety, nervousness, and even terror. We may have hallucinations, and can even feel as though we’re losing our minds. We might also have suicidal thoughts. We can become volatile or hostile. Because we’ve been dependent upon our drug of choice for so long, we can be mentally and emotionally affected by both its presence and its absence. We might feel so desperate to get high that we take out our pain on the people around us. We’ve also become biochemically dependent, so we can feel physical withdrawal symptoms as well. We might shake and tremble. We might feel nauseous and gag. We might sweat excessively. We might feel physical pain and discomfort in our bodies. We might experience elevated spikes in our blood pressure, which can be extremely dangerous especially when we’re not being medically supervised.
Seek Help From A Local Emergency Room
Opiate and alcohol withdrawal can cause fatal reactions like seizures and severe dehydration, so for these cases, it is usually recommended that people seek treatment rather than trying to withdraw alone. With professional treatment, we can be supervised to monitor the withdrawal process and any accompanying symptoms. Withdrawal from any substance can last days or months, depending on the severity of our dependence and which substance or substances we’ve been using. When we’ve combined drugs, our withdrawal process can be even more intense.
Quitting cold turkey can be painful, uncomfortable and even dangerous. We can feel a great amount of fear about the withdrawal symptoms we’re going to face, and our fear can often be a deterrent to getting sober. We’re afraid of what we’re going to experience when we withdraw, so we avoid the process, put it off, and postpone getting help. When we’re ready, when we’ve summoned the courage, we want to give ourselves all the support and resources available to us, to make the withdrawal process safer, easier and more manageable.
At The Guest House Ocala, we have personal recovery experience and over 12 years in the recovery industry. We have helped countless people recover, and we’re here to help you too. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.