What Your Teenager Will Experience Going Through Alcohol Withdrawal

There’s a real growing problem with alcoholism in teenagers at present and around the world the statistics on the volume of them drinking alcohol regularly is quite alarming.

So, if your teenager is drinking and perhaps has grown an addiction to the substance, you’re not alone. Millions of parents are going through the exact same thing, and the best thing you can do is understand the reasoning behind it and get them the treatment they need.

That all starts with the withdrawal process, the most difficult part of the whole process. Alcohol withdrawal is hard, especially for a young person, while it can also be heart-breaking to watch as a parent, with many of the side effects particularly tough on them.

But what exactly should you expect from putting your teen through withdrawal?

Initial Symptoms

Within the first six hours after your teen has stopped drinking they’ll start to experience a number of symptoms which will largely revolve around feeling quite ill.

This can include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sweating

Alongside this, insomnia can also kick in and high levels of anxiety, which will be experienced throughout.

12-48 Hours

As your teen moves into the first few days the symptoms begin to become more serious and while a number of the above will still be in existence, your child may also experience hallucinations and seizures.

If detoxing at home, this may require medical treatment so do ensure that your child is monitored at all times. It can often be a good idea to send your child to rehab for this process, where they will get round the clock care.

48-72 Hours

This is the most serious stage of the withdrawal and cravings will really start to kick in as well as delirium tremens, which again may require medical assistance depending on the severity of the symptoms.

Hallucinations and delusions aren’t as common but can happen, while some of the more common symptoms at this stage include:

• A fever
• Sweating
• Racing heart
• High blood pressure

As you can see, these can cause serious health concerns, so again we need to reiterate that your child needs special attention during this period.

It’s important that throughout the process your child is kept hydrated and fed a healthy, balanced diet to get all the nutrients they need to get through withdrawal and into the treatment process to get their life back on track.