Are you concerned that drinking alcohol is becoming a major concern? It can be difficult to tell if someone has a drinking problem until the signs become visible. This can take several weeks to months. Some people with the problem don’t admit it until when it is too late and they can do nothing to change unless to seek medical intervention to detox from alcohol. By then, they have already become the talk of the town. Their caring friends and family members are deeply concerned with some already dropping hints.
If you regularly feel bothered about the following symptoms, it’s the right time you should contact a detox center at once.
Deteriorating Self-Care
When you get into an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, other priorities in life start to suffer. You are no longer interested in your friends, job, and leisure pursuits. Your hygiene, dressing, and grooming also become muddled.
Do you skip showering, shaving, wearing makeup, or combing your hair? Instead of carefully planning on what to wear the next day, you just put on whatever is in your reach. You can’t find time to iron your clothes or polish your shoes. It has been quite a long time since you bought new clothes.
If you decide to go for a gym session, your trainer says you don’t look good for a physical routine even before you start working with the equipment. Due to effects of reduced flossing and brushing, your dentist recognizes changes in your gums and teeth. And for that matter, you are least concerned about going for dental or medical checkups.
Sometimes, people with a drinking problem skip meals or eat more “convenience food.” Their sleep patterns may also change. They are either finding it hard to sleep or remain asleep. Do you wake up at night more frequently? Waking up in the morning can also feel like a mountainous task. Drinking too much close to bedtime can be the reasons behind some of these sleep challenges.
Have your close friends or family members asked if you are eating or sleeping poorly? Have they hinted that you are slowing down, or you look tired most of the time? Instead of joining other group members during the mealtime, you want to eat in isolation.
If you have developed the habit of taking more than two drinks a day, or drinking during odd hours, it is an indication that you need an alcohol detox treatment.
Frequent Muscle Tremors
It is very normal to lose muscle coordination when you become drunk. If you come off a binge, chances are that your hands if not your entire body will be shaky. Although nearly everyone experience post-drunk tremors as an aftereffect, they may indicate that addiction is already in control.
Definitely, the tremors may have other causes. They can foretell the onset of Parkinson’s disease or chronic anxiety. They can also occur if you take too much coffee or caffeinated drinks. However, if these tremors coincide with an increase of alcohol use, they could be signaling that your muscle coordination is wearing off. This is especially if it’s been more than eight hours from your last drink, and the shakiness becomes less if you take a fresh shot.
Shaking may increase in proportion to time from your last drink. That is a common sign of alcohol withdrawal. Due to the depressant effects of alcohol, your nerves and brain switch to the low-response mode when they don’t respond normally to outside stimulation. This is particularly if they are accustomed to the depressed state. When alcohol starts to wear off, the nervous system opens to a seeming state of flash flood. Your nerves become hyperactive and discharge the extra “activity” through involuntary muscular movements. Thinking about how long you will have to wait until you get another shot can make the shaking worse due to conscious anxiety.
If a person is in full alcohol detox plan, the shakiness can develop into seizures. This is why medical professionals in detox centers closely monitor patients to prevent physical vulnerabilities.
Changes in Complexion
As if altering your internal organs is not enough, drinking too much alcohol can take toll on your complexion. It’s normal for most people to experience “flushed face” after two or more drinks. This happens when the blood pressure starts to return to normal after being temporarily lowered by the depressive effects of alcohol. The blood pressure can rise to a certain point before alcohol is fully metabolized. This prompts more blood to be rushed to the face which brings visible color changes.
It is recommendable to go for hypertension test if regularly experience post-drink flushing.
Have you developed the “alcoholic red nose?” This occurs when there is an enlarged or ruptured blood vessel under your facial skin. It is an indication that your circulation is altered. If your face remains red irrespective of how long you’ve stayed since your last drink, it’s a sign you need to detox from alcohol. Sometimes your skin may appear yellow or jaundiced, which is a sign of liver damage. It is normally accompanied with a persistent itch or feeling bloated in the stomach.
It can be difficult to notice color changes if your skin is too dark. You should check the whites of your eyes and find out if you feel hot in your face.
Final Thought
If you are experiencing two or three symptoms we have discussed above, you should enroll to an alcohol detox program. The following signs can also indicate that you have a problem with your drinking habit:
Frequent loss of energy or fatigue
Gain or loss in weight (Too much alcohol consumption can lead to poor eating habits or control.)
Premature aging of the skin
Sudden increase in age spots
Skin, hair, and nails dryness
Vacant expression
Repeated hangovers