About 22.3 million Americans live in recovery after substance abuse. To get to that recovery you first have to experience withdrawal. If you’re unfamiliar with withdrawal, then know that what you are experiencing if your body feels weird after drinking alcohol is withdrawal. Professional rehabs around Nashville, like Apex Recovery, are how you can learn to stop alcohol shakes and access the medical supervision you are looking for to start your recovery safely.
Alcohol shakes can happen when someone begins detoxing because the body is confused at the absence of alcohol as a regulator. These six steps we will cover can help manage symptoms by understanding your body, like why you feel like throwing up after drinking. However, truly understanding how to stop shakes after drinking requires clinical support. Expert teams are available to you by the Knoxville area and at Apex’s luxury centers near Nashville. Our addiction rehabs will help you manage any confusing physical cravings and any underlying psychological triggers you may discover as you go through withdrawal.
Long-term recovery comes from learning to dedicate yourself to working through tough symptoms. Professional help to detox and start your journey of recovery, you’ll build up that determination needed for lasting wellness. Professionals know how to cleanse your body from alcohol safely while keeping dangerous complications like seizures at bay. Our rehabs in Tennessee offer comprehensive programs to help you transition from the depths of an alcohol addiction into something that turns away from dependence and onto a healthy path. Read on to learn more, and contact us today if you feel ready to begin recovery.
1. Improve Your Diet
There are both short-term and long-term effects on the mind and body from alcohol that can include the following:
- Head pain
- Changes in vision, hearing, and perception
- Loss of coordination
- Loss of consciousness
- Gaps in memory
- Trouble with focus and decision making
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting or general nausea
- Anxiety and irritability
- Increased tension and conflict
- Insomnia
- Weakened immune system
- Appetite change and weight fluctuations
Since alcohol is a diuretic, dehydration-related effects can also arise including headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Drinking too much can damage several of your vital organs and internal body systems like the liver, pancreas, digestive system, circulatory system, and central nervous system.
Even a small change to your diet could help put you on the right track and limit the intensity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. It can also provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to repair the damage drinking has already caused. So make sure to give yourself the best foot forward and develop a well-balanced diet as you navigate withdrawals and the longer road of recovery.
Essential Macros and Micronutrients for Detox
Adding in vitamins and minerals to your diet by eating more fruits and vegetables will help you work through the common sugar cravings that arise after ending alcohol use.
Your body may also be experiencing protein deficiencies. So adding in more B vitamins, E vitamins, zinc, iron, and magnesium to your diet can help increase your mood and rid your body of inflammation. You can add in more protein by eating more fatty fish like salmon, eggs, legumes and seeds, leafy greens and nuts.
Carbohydrates can benefit your recovery by providing energy and fiber. Try to avoid refined grains, though because they strip the wheat of the essential nutrients you are looking for. Instead, consider whole, unprocessed grains, which keep all nutrients and contain beneficial B vitamins.
You might struggle to keep heavy meals down during the first few days you’re withdrawing from alcohol, so just take it slow and steady. Starting by consuming soups or liquid meals using fruit or vegetable juices because it can make replenishing nutrients more gradual and feasible. Then after a few days, you can move on to more nutritious whole foods.
Fluids and Electrolytes
Fluids, fluids, fluids. You need to make sure you’re taking in enough water as you move through detox. After all, alcohol is a diuretic, which can increase your risk of dehydration.
The drinks you consume need to contain plenty of liquids that contain electrolytes. Electrolytes are what rehydrates your body and decreases your nausea symptoms. Common electrolytes found in sports drinks include magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium, so if you’d like to supplement with those vitamins that is also an option.
Just remember: the most important thing during alcohol detox is making sure you’re drinking water throughout the day to rehydrate your body.
2. Use Stress Management Techniques
Learning how to manage your stress will make working through your alcohol withdrawal symptoms feel less taxing. Without stress management techniques you’re placing yourself at a risk of experiencing fear, anxiety, or stress that could intensify your withdrawal symptoms.
Here are a few tips you can use to manage your stress and foster positive thinking:
Ride Out Cravings
Experiencing alcohol shakes and other withdrawal symptoms is tough but it’s important to remind yourself to ride out your cravings. There are bound to be multiple points during the rehabilitation process when you’ll feel tempted to have a drink. The craving will build, reach a peak, crash, and dissipate if you wait it out.
You can build resilience with hard work and dedication.
Write Yourself a Letter
You can write yourself a letter before your alcohol withdrawal treatment as a reminder of where you are at before you begin and why you want to detox in the first place. In the letter you can tell yourself to stay strong so you don’t have to start your recovery over again.
Meditate
You can also use meditation, yoga, visualization, and other holistic healing practices to manage your stress.
Try intentional breathing during your meditation sessions. Slow, controlled breaths can improve your respiratory and cardiovascular health. Try the “fast forward” coping mechanism, too. When you daydream about having a drink, think about the pain you might experience afterward.
3. Keep Busy
Try to reduce your alcohol shakes by keeping busy. For example, you can:
- Keep a journal
- Exercise
- Watch a movie
- Play a game
- Create art
- Listen to music
Consider picking up new hobbies or resuming old ones, too. Keeping busy keeps your mind off the things you are trying to avoid.
Exercise
Exercise could benefit your alcohol dependence management as you begin on your road to recovery. In fact, exercise combined with other treatments has proven effective in managing alcohol withdrawal symptoms like alcohol shakes.
Work up a sweat with people within your support group!
4. Get Enough Sleep
Try to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Sleep is restorative for your bodily systems and recurring insomnia might impact your road to recovery. Inadequate sleep can make your alcohol withdrawal symptoms and tremors worse.
If you’re struggling to fall asleep at night, try improving your evening routine to promote a good night’s sleep. Stick to a schedule, too.
5. Build Your Support System
Don’t work through this process alone. Instead, start building a support system. Your support system can help you navigate your triggers.
Consider attending a 12-step program, one-on-one therapy sessions, or group therapy sessions. Talk to people who have battled with alcohol withdrawals in the past. They might have helpful tips you can use when working through the process yourself.
6. Seek Help
If you’re starting alcohol withdrawal alone you may have difficulties knowing how to keep going, so seek out help from a facility who knows the right steps to take to make a successful recovery. Otherwise, detoxing could prove dangerous if you’re alone.
Consider visiting a rehabilitation center to discuss the detoxing process with an experienced medical professional who uses evidence-based research to lead people through rehabilitation.
If you don’t want to go through this alone, help is a phone call away. An experienced professional could help you have an easier time developing and maintaining a healthy, sober life.
Work Through Withdrawals: Seek Help If You’re Getting Alcohol Shakes
Don’t let alcohol shakes and other alcohol withdrawal symptoms sling you back into an unhealthy lifecycle. Instead, take a moment to consider these tips and try using them as you begin your road to recovery. With these tips, you can take the first step toward a sustainable and long-term sobriety. Once you realize you have a problem and enter detox after drinking, reach out to someone who can help carry the burden of your addiction. Just staying in a cycle and wondering how to stop shakes after drinking, won’t lead you to the healthy life you seek.
Working with professionals could make the difference you need to walk down your road of recovery. Why face difficult withdrawal symptoms like throwing up after drinking without any help? Reach out so you have support during the early stages of detox because they know why your body feels weird after drinking alcohol. There are specialized care programs for every stage of life. Some for expecting mothers rehab, support for seniors who need help in rehabilitation, and even faith based healing that addresses your spiritual and physical needs. Finding how to stop alcohol shakes safely requires a team that understands your specific health history and recovery goals.
Whether you are looking for a short term stay or seeking upscale recovery options, our team is ready to help you learn how to cleanse your body from alcohol effectively. If you are worried about rehab costs do not let that hinder your first step toward a safe environment. Apex Recovery’s admissions team can help you understand your payment options with a simple phone call. Reach out for help today by calling (877) 881-2689 to begin your path to sobriety.
