How Withdrawals affect the body? Giving up an addiction is the most difficult feat to accomplish as you are reverting a wellpractised habit. Habits and addictions seldom go away easily. An individual has let his body get used to a certain substance so much so that he/she over-relies on it to the extent of abuse and giving up of all other aspects of life. Giving up on such substances – be it alcohol or drugs, is quite difficult and involves going through a long time of withdrawal symptoms.
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Addicts rely on their substance not just for their physical needs but also as a means of a social connection. They have established a connection with that substance and made themselves completely reliant on them for everything in their life. Suffering from withdrawal symptoms is not uncommon, but getting over them is very essential. When nicotine is leaving your system it leaves you with a sensation of grumpiness, anxiety, nervousness and tension. Mucus being cleared out of the lungs gives rise to cough, sore throat, and nasal drip. When the carbon monoxide leaves your system you feel spaced out and are unable to focus on daily activities.
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The body feels lethargic and weak because there is no stimulating drug to make it feel better. Since the drug used to induce relaxation and sleep, the addict suffers from insomnia during recovery. Also there is an increased sensation of hunger and constant stomach ache due to the sensation of everything leaving the system. The recovering addict finds himself having increasing bouts of anger. That is when the person should invest time in other hobbies or find ways of venting his frustration. Recovering addicts also have delusions about time. What seems to be days for an addict are minutes for a non-addict. The time distortion and fatigue are caused by a lack of adrenaline in the body. The energy needed to invest in daily activities is long gone with the drugs and it takes time to bring it back into the body. Skin becomes clammy and there is incessant sweating. The heart rate becomes rapid on many occasions. Some people even experience seizures that leave the body severely shaken. This should be calmed down with the help of medication and yoga.
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The addict needs to have strength and faith in themselves and their ability to recover from the tragedy. They have taken their very first step towards recovery and the second step is to recover from the withdrawal symptoms. Another important thing is the support of family and friends. Relatives can help the recovering addict with supervision, support (both emotional and financial) and keeping track of the medication and exercises. Monitoring the blood pressure constantly and body temperature is important. Routine blood tests help track the progress of an addict and are not just to make the recovering addict feel that they would keep track of him. A recovering addict must be treated with respect and dignity and their problems must be dealt with seriously. Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000764.htm http://www.michaelshouse.com/drug-addiction/the-withdrawal-symptoms/ http://www.etsu.edu/tips/education/cessation/whattoexpect.aspx http://www.killthecan.org/additional-resources/the-effects-of-physical-withdrawal/