How Long Does Withdrawal Last
How long does withdrawal last?
Drug abuse can be a very harsh thing to endure for everyone involved. It does not matter the drug, the fact remains, that it can take a toll not only on the person that is abusing, but the family, friends, and other loved ones that care about them. These addictions can destroy the lives of many very quickly.
When someone makes the decision to quit doing drugs, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, or really a number of substances one can be addicted to, they are going to have to learn to live without it. This is going to be a very hard for them to overcome, and it is important to note, this person has formed both a physical and mental dependence on whatever their choice of drug was and it will almost certainly take time to form new and healthy habits, both physically and mentally, while breaking the old.
The first part of the process of quitting something you are dependent on is withdrawal. Everyone always wants to know how long does withdrawal last? The answer is not a simple one and the fact of the matter is that everyone is different. And the drug that they were using and how long they were on it has a large impact on this.
Withdrawal is a condition that is brought on by removing the drug from the person’s system, which can cause a shock. Depending on the drug and the dosage of the addiction, this may be a lessening of the drug till it is no longer being used or this may be stopped abruptly. It is important to note that in treating an addiction medical supervision is required. Some people have tried to stop using a drug abruptly and because of the drugs they were on and the dosages they were taking, the withdrawal symptoms turned out to be fatal.
During withdrawal there are many things that a person can experience. This includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, the chills, tremors, panic attacks, and anxiety; the list goes on and on. The reason that this is occurring is because it is a reaction to the lack of drug in the body. This person was using this drug to either mask depression or to mask pain. When the drug leaves the system not only are they experiencing the loss of the drug which can cause a kind of grief, but they have to deal with the issue that caused them to use in the first place. This is usually a very raw and emotional trigger or a very real and physically crippling pain. Neither of these realities are easy to deal with and now there is nothing to help them hide it or ignore it any more.
It is also important to know that the use of a drug for a prolonged period of use can actually change the body and the brain. This change will take time and a lot of hard work to conquer. It will take time to get the body to working and thinking like it should. The withdrawal process and symptoms can start as early as a few hours once the dosage has been either restricted or removed. It can, however, take as long as a few days to start. While the person is in withdrawal they will need to be monitored to make sure that they are not “detoxing” to fast. As stated above if they try to quit abruptly they may suffer severe consequences. Some of the more severe being a seizure, stroke, or comma, and potentially death.
So how long does withdrawal last is a question which truly has no set answer. The symptoms of withdrawal can last for a few days up to a few weeks. It really is dependent on each person and their personal addiction. The most common withdrawal times usually last somewhere between a week and 14 days. No matter how long it last, withdrawal is just the beginning of the process of healing from an addiction.
