It is crucial to know the withdrawal symptoms since some are life-threatening. Taking care of a relative suffering from drug addiction might prove difficult if one has not acquired sufficient knowledge on how to handle the addict’s withdrawal symptoms.
Addiction is among one of the most challenging problems to solve. Each one of us has an addiction, they would claim. A few addictions are to substances like coffee, alcohol, while others are to activities on digital devices such as phones. Addict withdrawal symptoms are therefore likely to occur in response to addiction.
What is Addiction?
Addiction is a progressive chronic primary disease characterized by loss of control despite the adverse consequences. In addition, it involves carving and compulsion. It usually takes a lot of time for an individual to accept that they are addicted to a particular act finally. Lots of family support and peer support are required to enable the victim to get out of the situation.
What is Withdrawal?
Withdrawal is a process by which the body adapts to a particular addiction. Alcohol, for example, leaves the victim extremely dependent on it. Any attempt to suddenly stop taking alcohol or have one detoxified may lead to life-threatening withdrawal symptoms such as convulsions and tremors. With such realities you find that is beneficial to understand the nature of withdrawal symptoms in addiction
What are Some of the Things One Can be Addicted To?
1. Drugs
There are so many addiction drugs, including tobacco, cannabis, sleeping pills, inhalants. Addiction to such drugs may lead a person to abscond duty, shank responsibilities such as parenting, and addiction is a leading cause of depression. Most times, one starts it up as a daily routine, taking one or two times a day, and before they know it they find themselves utterly dependent. Unfortunately, there is no warning in the human body that warns you that you have an addictive gene.
2. Mobile Phones
A majority of us are addicts to our phones, right? As much as some of us might try to support the fact that phone addiction is not unhealthy, the truth is some people have been terminated from work over excessive use of their phones. Some even miss having meals or even performing house chores and other activities of daily living.
3. Fast Food
KFC, pizza, Burgers make us salivate each time we hear the word. We don’t know that fast foods are very addictive and may leave us unable to live without them. Some of this stuff contains chemicals that will send you head reeling but as is human nature we do not bother with such facts.
In the instances of fast food or unhealthy eating habit, not only is addiction a threat it comes coupled the risk of obesity. Most kids nowadays have been rendered obese over chronic binging in fast foods.
4. Compulsive Lying
You might be surprised, but lying is addictive. Telling one lie a day might lead to another and another lie. A pathological liar often lies for no apparent reason.
5. Coffee
Some individuals can’t live without having a cup of coffee daily. Failure to which they get crazy headaches. Some scientists claim that drinking coffee has some benefits. No argument with this school of thought. However, the same experts suggest that more than 400 mg of coffee is likely to lead to coffee addiction. As you have heard it said over and over, in whatever you do, moderation is key, too much caffeine is dangerous.
What Are The Addict Withdrawal Symptoms?
Withdrawal symptoms vary in intensity depending on how long one has been indulging in the act and the amount one has been taking. Indulging too much on something may result in severe withdrawal symptoms compared to one who has taken little of it.
Here is how some withdrawal symptoms manifest:
1. Alcohol Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
Seizures characterized by jerking of hands and feet and rolling of the eyes, fast heart rate of above 90 beats per minute, nausea and vomiting where one cannot retain food in the stomach, agitation with minimal provocation, and irritability.
2. Phone Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
Irritability, depression is a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest, and anxiety characterized by uneasiness.
3. Fast Food Withdrawal Symptoms
Cravings, which is a strong urge to indulge in something.
4. Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
Headaches, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety
5. Amphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms
Depressed mood, lethargy which is feeling tired, and overeating.
6. Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms
Watery discharge, muscle cramps, and anxiety.
7. Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms
Anxiety, restlessness where it becomes difficult to concentrate, extreme feeling of hunger, feeling jumpy.
What are The Causes of Withdrawal Symptoms?
Withdrawal occurs due to an attempt to regulate the drugs after dependence by the brain. Dependency occurs as the body adapts to functioning in conjunction with the said drug.
How Can I Help One Suffering From Addiction Withdrawal?
Addiction withdrawal needs urgent attention as some symptoms are quite unpleasant. Kindly refer your friend to the nearest hospital. Encourage them to have themselves on close monitoring as they undergo gradual detoxification.
Treatment Of Addiction Withdrawal
Consider managing addiction withdrawal in a health facility. Gradual detoxification, as opposed to aggressive detoxification, is advised. Gradual detoxification allows the brain to gradually adjust to the decreasing toxin levels in the blood. As much as one would be tempted to advise a son, parent, daughter to stop taking a drug instantly, you might be causing more harm than good to your loved one. Expert management is therefore highly advised.
For heroin, for example, the patient is given methadone tablets; this is a substitute for heroin to allow the body to gradually adapt to the low levels of heroin in the body. The patient then gradually withdraws from the drug until they are considered drug-free.
Medical detox is the best way to manage withdrawal symptoms. Self-management is therefore highly discouraged. The aim is to reach a state of safety and physical stability.
How Can One Cope With Withdrawal?
1. Engaging in sporty activities will help distract one’s mind from the drug of addiction.
2. Group therapy will help the individual to interact with fellow members undergoing the same problem, and through sharing ideas, they get to understand more about withdrawal symptoms
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Come up with a scheduled sleep pattern that will help solve insomnia.
5. Eat a balanced diet. Eat more fruits to nourish the brain cells.
Final word
Addict withdrawal symptoms are “important to know” information that every individual needs to have information about. Several individuals have lost their lives on the verge of trying to wean themselves off from drug addiction.
Therefore, you should understand c that addict withdrawal is a health emergency and should not be taken lightly. Seek urgent professional attention if you are experiencing addict withdrawal symptoms.
