What Happens When You Quit Drinking Alcohol?

Understanding Alcohol Withdrawal

What Is Alcohol Withdrawal?

Alcohol dependence develops through regular use and is characterized by the body experiencing withdrawal when its use is discontinued, sometimes even for short periods of time. 

When your body is accustomed to alcohol consumption and that consumption stops, the result is physical and/or mental distress that can last for weeks, months, or years. Alcohol withdrawal is the result of the central nervous system (CNS) being accustomed to alcohol’s presence in the body. 

Alcohol depresses the CNS. When use is discontinued, the CNS becomes hyperactive, causing a range of physical and mental symptoms.

What Are the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal?

The symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol include:

• Headaches
• Increased blood pressure
• Shaking
• Increased sweating
• Gastric distress
• Mood changes 
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Accelerated heart rate

When Should You Seek Medical Help?

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can quickly become dangerous. If you are experiencing any of the above as a result of alcohol cessation, you should immediately seek medical care. Exclusive Hawaii Rehab offers detox support and addiction treatment to facilitate a safe and comfortable detox experience.

When Is Emergency Care Needed? 

Individuals who experience vomiting, shaking, seizures, or hallucinations during alcohol cessation should seek emergency care. One severe symptom of withdrawal is delirium tremens (DT). Hallucinations and seizures characterize DT. When untreated, it can result in chronic issues or even death.

Physical Impact After You Quit Drinking Alcohol

How Does Stopping Alcohol Affect Blood Pressure and Heart Health?

Stopping alcohol intake lowers blood pressure, reduces heart rate, and decreases the long-term risk of heart failure and irregular rhythms like atrial fibrillation. 

Alcohol impacts physical health by straining major organ systems, altering brain function, and increasing the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and liver damage. 

Quitting drinking can bring many benefits, including the chance for your heart and liver to heal. Improvements often begin within a few weeks, though heavy drinkers may experience a temporary, short-term spike in blood pressure during initial withdrawal.

Does the Liver Heal After Quitting Alcohol?

Even after years of heavy alcohol use, the liver can heal. 

According to 2021 research on the liver and other organs’ ability to recover after alcohol use, “the liver has a remarkable regenerative capacity and … can recover a significant portion of its original mass and function.” This recovery of liver function can be partial or total, and depends on drinking and substance use habits as well as physical health.

Can Quitting Alcohol Help With Weight Loss?

Alcoholic beverages tend to be high in calories and offer no nutritional benefits. 

Alcohol cessation can result in significant weight loss due to the reduction in the intake of empty calories. This weight loss may continue as long as you don’t replace drinking with sugary or late-night snacks.

Will Hair and Skin Improve After Quitting Alcohol? 

Hair and skin frequently improve after quitting alcohol because eliminating alcohol reverses systemic dehydration, lowers internal inflammation, and restores critical vitamin and nutrient absorption. 

Most people notice less dry skin and puffiness within days. Deeper cellular repair and hair strength gains take several weeks to months. 

Mental Health and Emotional Benefits

How Does Sobriety Improve Mental Health?

Alcohol changes key brain chemicals, disturbing the balance of your brain chemistry, ability to achieve deep sleep, and increasing your stress hormone levels. 

While alcohol is known to have an impact on physical health, its negative impact on mental health is not always as easily visible. For many, substance abuse is related to other co-occurring mental health disorders, which may be pre-existing, such as trauma due to adverse childhood experiences. 

Alcohol exacerbates mental health concerns, and its cessation allows for emotional improvement. Sobriety lets these natural mood-regulating chemicals heal and stabilize, reducing stress and leveling emotional highs and lows, clearing mental fog, sharpening memory, and building emotional resilience against daily stress.

Patience with the process is necessary, but the reward of improved mental stability is undeniable. You will find that meeting your personal goals without substances builds self-confidence and trust. 

Without substances, you will also learn to process emotions healthily in place of numbing difficult feelings. Emotional stability contributes to higher life satisfaction by giving you a sense of daily purpose. 

Will Alcohol Cravings Go Away?

Alcohol cravings do eventually go away, especially if you remain completely sober. 

A big part of managing cravings is knowing your triggers. In early recovery, attending a function with a friend holding a glass of wine can trigger your desire to drink. This is part of why many find support groups helpful; they provide a safe space to socialize with others who understand the way alcohol affects daily life. 

How Does Quitting Alcohol Affect Sleep and Mood?

Alcohol disrupts the body’s ability to achieve deep sleep by suppressing REM cycles. 

Additionally, alcohol disrupts your brain’s chemical balance and hormones, which also decreases your ability to control your moods. When you stop consuming alcohol, REM sleep surges back, often resulting in intense dreams or nightmares. Initially, this can contribute to irritability. Over time, your natural circadian rhythms repair themselves. You will start experiencing normal, restful sleep cycles. 

Additionally, your brain chemistry rebalances, lowering baseline anxiety and depressive symptoms, and morning grogginess fades, replaced with greater mental focus and daytime energy levels.

After Quitting Alcohol

What Happens in the First 24-72 Hours?

During the first 24 hours of alcohol detox, your body will begin working toward clinical stability. 

This may be accompanied by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, nausea, headache, heartburn, and other discomfort that can be managed by the clinical team at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab to make your detox safe and comfortable. As you pass 24 hours, depending on how heavily and regularly you drank, you may also experience seizures or hallucinations. 

Around 72 hours is the most dangerous time for individuals in withdrawal, according to the “Complications of Alcohol Withdrawal.” A medical caregiver can mitigate these symptoms with medically assisted treatment (MAT).

What Happens After Weeks of Sobriety?

After weeks of sobriety, your body begins to heal. 

This includes reduced liver fat, lower blood pressure, deeper, more restorative sleep, clearer skin, and potentially steady weight loss from cutting out empty calories. Cravings begin to lessen or disappear. Mood swings and irritability lessen, especially as you undertake ongoing recovery treatment and learn to implement coping mechanisms to deal with the triggers that contributed to your drinking in the first place. 

Eventually, you will experience better physical and mental health that will contribute to your continued sobriety. Your unique treatment plan will also provide resources, such as how to access local support groups, so you can build community. A satisfying social life helps you set and meet personal goals in recovery. 

What Are the Long-Term Benefits of Quitting Alcohol?

Prolonged alcohol use increases the risk of some types of cancers. 

The long-term benefits of quitting alcohol may offset those risks by improving cellular health throughout the body. Alcohol cessation also improves cardiac health and eliminates the occurrence of alcohol-related hangovers.

Healing and Support for Quitting Alcohol

What Are the Healing Options for Alcohol Use Disorder?

The NIAAA recommends evidence-based treatments for individuals with alcohol use disorders, while recognizing there is no “one size fits all” method of treatment when it comes to alcohol use disorder (AUD). 

Treatment needs to be tailored to each client, taking into account their personal history, substance use history, and physical and mental health. Exclusive Hawaii Rehab offers comprehensive support for those who are ready to quit drinking alcohol and begin healing in a safe, luxurious environment that elevates relaxation.

Clinical assessments at recovery center intake help establish the right program of care for each individual. Treatment paths may include holistic modalities such as movement and breathwork, evidence-based modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) to address thoughts and behaviors, group work, art therapies, and more. Exclusive Hawaii Rehab offers a combination of these, including adventure therapies such as surfing, swimming, and equine therapy.

What Medications Help With Alcohol Withdrawal?

During MAT, clients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are often prescribed benzodiazepines to reduce cravings and lower associated cessation risks. 

According to “Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Benzodiazepines and Beyond,” benzos are researched to be safe and effective in treating alcohol withdrawal, with the best-studied options being diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, and lorazepam.

Benzodiazepines work by preventing the overexcitability of GABA neurotransmitters in the brain. These neurotransmitters are suppressed by alcohol consumption. They help initiate calm, relaxed feelings. When alcohol is removed from the brain, there is a deficit of GABA. As the body works to compensate for this deficit, it can become hyperactive, resulting in the intense physical and psychological symptoms known as alcohol withdrawal. This can be extremely dangerous and even lethal.

How Can Loved Ones Support Recovery?

The first step in supporting a loved one with recovery is making sure your own needs are met. 

Addiction has a corrosive effect on relationships, often developing in unintentional codependent patterns that ultimately enable addictive behaviors. If you are ready to help your loved one find support, start by educating yourself about their illness. In your interactions, practice patience and non-judgment. Create a safe, substance-free environment and uphold its integrity with boundaries that do not enable.

Next, offer to help locate a treatment facility for your loved one. Schedule a tour and take them there. If they are ready to begin their recovery journey, you can provide phone numbers, make calls, submit insurance verification forms, and provide transportation to and from treatment. 

Will I Need Detox? 

The need for detox is determined through assessment by a medical healthcare provider who takes into account the following:

• Length and severity of substance use
• Previous detox attempts
• Co-occurring physical or mental health conditions
• Withdrawal symptoms
• Your support network

It is possible you can detox at an outpatient level, completing your alcohol cessation and achieving clinical stability at home while still under the supervision of your healthcare provider. For a heavier alcohol use history or repeat detox attempts, inpatient detox is safer and more comfortable. In either case, you may receive medication to ease symptoms and reduce severity. 

In the Exclusive Hawaii Rehab inpatient environment, you will experience true healing that addresses the core root of your addiction through comprehensive, full-time care at a luxurious retreat location.

Are Co-Occurring Disorders Addressed? 

Dual diagnosis mental health disorders are part of our full continuum of care at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab. Co-occurring disorders are common in people who struggle with addiction. Some of the most common mental health conditions that occur alongside any form of addiction include:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Panic disorder
• Major depressive disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Dual diagnosis treatment often requires a unique approach. Treating only the addiction and not the mental health disorder can lead to an increased risk of relapse. Treatment services focused solely on mental health issues may ignore the role that addictive substances have. Both conditions need to be treated at the same time to address the core root causes and prevent compromised wellness outcomes. 

Options for co-occurring disorders that are effective include treatment for substance abuse alongside a tailored treatment approach that addresses the personal mental health needs and goals of the individual.

Treatment for co-occurring disorders begins with understanding the interconnected nature of mental health and substance use. When mental health issues pre-exist addiction, it is often the case that individuals are self-medicating their mental health needs. This temporary solution backfires, exacerbating underlying mental illness over time. In other cases, a mental health condition may be the result of substance abuse. 

At our facility, we assess and treat co-occurring conditions to support the best possible wellness outcomes.