How Long Does it Take to Get Sober?

When you are drinking, you have no intention of becoming an alcoholic. In the beginning, you may drink socially. With time, you might find that you drink alcohol when you are happy, sad, or anywhere in between. Eventually, you feel like you can’t get through the day without alcohol. After you drink, you find yourself intoxicated. Now you’re wondering, how long does it take to get sober?

After each drinking binge, your blood alcohol concentration increases. Your body’s makeup and the amount of alcohol that you consume determine how long it will take for you to sober up. Usually, you will feel more normal in 6 to 8 hours. But what then?

How Alcoholism Affects You and Your Loved Ones

How long does it take to sober up? Although you may wonder when the effects of alcohol are out of your system, you need to comprehend the effects that alcoholism has on yourself and your loved ones.

Physical Effects

To begin, alcoholism affects your body. Alcohol interrupts the way that your brain communicates and works. Drinking causes disruptions that alter your mood, behavior, and coordination. With time, heavy drinking can lead to liver damage. Drinking in excess can dampen your immune system as well. If you are pregnant, your substance abuse can result in fetal alcohol disorders.

Alcoholism affects your behavior as well. Obviously, when you are under the influence, you may slur your speech, experience motor impairment, and suffer confusion. For these reasons, you are likely to behave violently and to get into accidents. In fact, alcohol is the cause of more than half of this country’s drownings and homicides.

Also, alcohol is responsible for approximately 40% of fatal car accidents. When you drink heavily, you will not think twice about engaging in risky behavior, including sexual activities. You may have unprotected sex, which can lead to pregnancy or the transmission of sexually-related diseases.

Alcoholism and Relationships

Besides the physical effects of alcoholism, drinking takes an emotional toll as well. Abusing alcohol causes great damage to relationships. Drinking affects your family. It causes strain between husbands and wives. Also, it affects your children. Alcohol creates emotional distance between you and your loved ones. You may fight more or become violent. The worst part is that dependency causes you to drink more as a means of relieving the stress of your unhappy situation.

Who is Most Affected by Alcoholism?

Since female bodies metabolize and absorb alcohol differently than male bodies, women are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. For women, binge drinking means consuming four or more beverages during a single session. Heavy drinking means consuming eight or more drinks during an average week. For men, binge drinking is classified as consuming five or more drinks at a single session. Heavy drinking is classified as consuming 15 or more drinks in a week.

Effects of alcohol can have a serious impact on older individuals. Also, abusing alcohol can intensify health problems. Conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure are made worse from alcohol consumption. Also, a person is more likely to suffer slip and fall accidents that can lead to injuries.

Withdrawal Symptoms of Alcohol

How long does it take to get sober? Before you can answer this question, it is important to identify withdrawal signs of alcoholism. When you decide to quit drinking, it will be challenging. The first step is admitting that there is a problem. It takes time to recover, especially since alcohol cravings pop up frequently. Also, alcohol is everywhere, so it is difficult to avoid.

After a certain point, you may feel like you can have one drink without any problems. However, a recovering alcoholic never has full control. Many times, one drink leads to a full binge.

When you depend on alcohol to function, you probably feel hopeless. Since there are many withdrawal symptoms, it is essential to detox in a professional environment. In severe cases, withdrawal from alcohol can cause death. A professional detox program offers a safe environment. Also, the severity of your symptoms will be lessened. You are monitored to make sure that nothing bad happens to you.

Common Withdrawal Symptoms

No two people are alike. However, there are common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

• Mood swings
• Depression
• Irritability
• Headache
• Fever
• Sweating
• Nausea/Vomiting

How Long Withdrawal from Alcohol Lasts

How long does it take to get sober? To begin, it is important to understand how long withdrawal lasts. If you have a severe addiction to alcohol, your symptoms will begin 5 to 10 hours after your last drink. The acute withdrawal phase lasts up to one week.

How long does it take to get sober? In the case of alcohol delirium tremens, or DTs, you may suffer extreme withdrawal that takes a few days to evolve. Delirium tremens occur 48 to 96 hours after your last drink. DTs are extreme shakes that can last up to five days. They are a result of your nervous system adjusting without alcohol. It is essential to have help with delirium tremens. They can lead to seizures. Your body may be extremely fatigued, and you may hallucinate.

After acute alcohol withdrawal ends, you are not finished. Next, you experience post-acute withdrawal. This surfaces a few months after your last drink. This withdrawal is more mental than physical. Here are the most common symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).

How Long Does it Take to Get Sober in the Long-Term?

PAWS symptoms may last several months or years. Depending on the severity of your addiction, your symptoms will appear and disappear without warning. Usually, they are less intense than in the early stages of recovery. When you enter our detox center here at Coastal Detox, you will receive assistance managing post-acute withdrawal. You will learn how to deal with symptoms so that you have the knowledge and the tools to continue the fight.

After you have finished detoxing and have started on the road to recovery, cravings are still challenging. Although they lessen with time, it will take many years to shake them completely. Like some individuals, your cravings may never disappear. However, relapse-prevention skills are essential to learn and to execute so that you do not fall victim to old bad habits. If you have a severe problem, your cravings may last longer than with a mild problem.

How Long Does it Take to Sober Up in the Short-Term?

After you drink a large amount of alcohol, you become buzzed. Normally, you feel alcohol effects for 12 hours. Many times, you end up with a hangover. There are a number of factors that dictate how long alcohol remains in your system.

• Age
• Weight
• Medicines
• Liver conditions
• Amount of food consumed
• Amount of alcohol consumed

You will feel the effects of alcohol differently than others. Generally, you experience negative symptoms when you consume large amounts of liquor.

With a few drinks, you may experience mild impairment. As you drink more, you will likely suffer from blurred vision, loss of balance, and slurred speech. When you become extremely intoxicated, you will likely experience nausea and confusion. When you drink to the point of unconsciousness, your actions may be fatal.

Just because you sober up in the short-term, it does not mean that you can “handle” alcohol. One drink can set you over the edge. If you frequently suffer from hangover symptoms, you may need professional help to detox.

Quickest Ways to Get Sober

There are many myths about the quickest ways to sober up. Some say you should take a cold shower. Others swear by drinking a lot of black coffee. In fact, there are no shortcuts when it comes to hangover cures. The best way to return yourself back to a normal state is to eat and hydrate your body.

Seeking Professional Help for Detox

If you are ready to take the first step toward battling your alcohol abuse and the symptoms that it brings, it is essential to seek professional assistance. When you detox under the supervision of a trained expert, your safety is ensured, your comfort is increased, and the likelihood of relapse is lowered. Detox is only the first step. It is recommended to seek help from a long-term rehabilitation program as well.

At Coastal Detox, we want to put you on the path to recovery. How long does it take to sober up? The answer depends on your individual circumstances. We want to keep you sober in the long-term. We will assist with the detox process and provide treatments and therapies that help to kickstart your recovery. In our Florida facility, we will help you get past the struggles that come when you try to overcome your alcohol dependency. Perhaps you may feel like you can handle addiction and detox without help. But, you have a higher likelihood of success with professional assistance. To learn more about how we can help you get back on the right track, reach out to us today.

Reference:

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body