Expert: Amarnath.B - 10/7/2008

Question
QUESTION: so first off idk who to really ask. its not about getting help with any drinking
problem but i have no idea how to figure this one out..... but i have been
drinking alot over the summer and end up slowing down to pretty much not
drinking at all during the school year but i drank waaaaaaaayy too much one
night not realizing it was a mixed drink and i was just sitting listening to
music with my friend and i was totaly fine the next day

until i went to work i got a horrible head ache for a little bit which i have
drank alot before but honestly can say i have never had a head ache from
anything before, then a few hours later my chest was hurting and my heart
was racing. and i was walking and suddenly felt really light on my feet and
my mind went totaly blank and ran back to the break room because i thought
i was going to fall over if i didnt sit down. and once i sat down my heart
started racing like never before and my hole body felt weird and i felt really
hot and couldnt stand up without feeling really spacey after walking a few
feet, i felt fine later that night but today i also felt a little off at random times
during the day when i was walking from one of my classes to
another.....so..... is that from drinking or is that just something entirly
different that i should get checked out or something

ANSWER: Hello Marie,

By your account I presume you've been going through what is known as 'Alcohol withdrawal.'

Alcohol withdrawal refers to symptoms that may occur when a person who has been drinking too much alcohol every day suddenly stops drinking alcohol.

Alcohol withdrawal usually occurs in adults, but it may happen in teenagers or children as well. It can occur when a person who uses alcohol excessively suddenly stops drinking alcohol. The withdrawal usually occurs within 5 - 10 hours after the last drink, but it may occur up to 7 - 10 days later.

Excessive alcohol use is generally considered the equivalent of 2 - 6 pints of beer (or 4 oz. of "hard" alcohol) per day for1 week, or habitual use of alcohol that disrupts a person's life and routines.

The more heavily a person had been drinking every day, the more likely that person will develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms when they stop. The likelihood of developing severe withdrawal symptoms also increases if a person has other medical problems. The following are the usual symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:

Mild-to-moderate psychological symptoms:

   * Jumpiness or nervousness
   * Shakiness
   * Anxiety
   * Irritability or easy excitability
   * Rapid emotional changes
   * Depression
   * Fatigue
   * Difficulty thinking clearly
   * Bad dreams

Mild-to-moderate physical symptoms:

   * Headache -- general, pulsating
   * Sweating -- especially the palms of the hands or the face
   * Nausea and vomiting
   * Loss of appetite
   * Insomnia (sleeping difficulty)
   * Pallor
   * Rapid heart rate
   * Eye pupils enlarged(dilated pupils)
   * Clammy skin
   * Tremor of the hands
   * Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids

Now I feel that at this juncture you should stop using alcohol completely.  As of now you're abusing alcohol but later (which may be not very far off) you might become dependent on alcohol and become an alcoholic.  Remember, alcoholism is a disease and cannot be cured. I also suggest you get yourself a complete physical check up to be on a safer side.

God bless


Amarnath

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well i have been been drinking for almost three years and i have only drank
on weekends and with friends and so i didnt drink all week and then when it
got to friday i drank alot and so even though people are telling me its
withdrawl i dont see how it could be because i didn't drink all week, but also
it wasnt like a hang over that i usualy get, because i got a headache this time
and had no stomach ache and i didnt feel drained and tired. so even though i
have been drinking only two days at most each week it could still be
withdrawl? or could that be a sign of something else, and it was just a
quincidence that something else was going on the same day that i woke up
from drinking too much

Answer
Hello Marie,

There are many people who drink every day, but in moderation, don't end up having a withdrawal.  There are others who drink heavily for a day or two (vis-a-vis binge drinking)end up having severe withdrawals because the body cannot accept such an amount of alcohol intake. So, it is not the frequency of drinking but the amount of alcohol which is imbibed at one sitting or two.  I did suggest that you get yourself checked up physically if you feel you do have some other problem other than drinking.  Again, I do suggest the same.

God bless


Amarnath