Two Deadly Withdrawals

Addict in the bathroom

He pours the last of his bottle down the sink and wipes a tear from his eye. He’s scared. The shaking has already begun but there is no going back. He must quit; once and for all.

Half an hour goes by and he begins to vomit. The shaking has gotten so bad he can barely hold anything. His stomach feels odd but not like it did from the vomiting. That feeling moves to his chest.

He wakes up to a bright light and someone touching him. He wonders how long he was out and as he sits up, realizes he is in an ambulance. The EMT says he has had a seizure and it’s lucky the housekeeping staff came in fast enough to call 911 while he was still able to be saved.

With drug and alcohol addiction rampant today across all parts of our society, it startled me to realize seizures from alcohol withdrawals are not a well-known fact. The media has made well known how miserable opiate withdrawals can be. While this is true, opiate withdrawals are very different that two other substances when one ceases using them.

These two substances are more dangerous to withdraw from.

The first is alcohol. Withdrawals for someone struggling with alcohol abuse can be potentially fatal. The idea that this is largely unknown is scary when you think of the fact alcohol is one of the most widely abused substances and is commonly used to excess.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Shakiness
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Agitation
  • Anxiety
  • Tremors
  • Disorientation
  • Nervousness
  • Seizures

There is one other substance which can be fatal to cease cold turkey; drugs in the category of Benzodiazepines. The most common in this category is Xanax. Also included are the more known drugs Diazepam, Alprazolam, Lorazepam yet, many others are also found in this category. Though the drugs are addicting and potentially dangerous, they continue to be widely prescribed for anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms:

  • Sleep Disturbance
  • Hand tremors
  • Dry retching
  • Nausea
  • Headaches
  • Palpitations
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Memory problems
  • Seizure

Spread this knowledge and help prevent unnecessary potentially fatal seizures. Do you have a loved one who abuses alcohol or Benzodiazepines? Contact us today to learn how you can give a new shot at life without drugs or alcohol.

AUTHOR

Aaron

Aaron has been writing drug education articles and documenting the success of the Narconon program for over two years.

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DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION