The thing about consuming alcohol is that it can seem like an innocent endeavor. Most Americans love to consume beer, wine, and spirits on a regular basis. As alcohol becomes an everyday custom, it grows increasingly more difficult to stop. Moreover, without pause in alcohol consumption, it can be impossible to truly know the effects of long-term alcohol use. The National Institute on Alcohol notes that over six percent of American adults suffer fromalcoholuse disorder. Bloating stomach alcohol withdrawal can occur when a person begins to curb regular use.
Colorado’s alcohol addiction is twenty percent higher than the national average. AspenRidge Recovery offers recovery options for adolescents and adults suffering from alcohol dependency. Alcohol withdrawal is a serious condition that should be evaluated prior to entering recovery programs. Contact us today to learn more about our supportive services and long-term sobriety care at (855) 281-5588.
Alcohol Abuse & Mortality Rates
Over 88,000 American adults die ofalcohol-related illnesses annually. American males who are hospitalized with alcohol use disorder have an average life expectancy ofbetween forty-seven and fifty-three years. American women hospitalized with alcohol use disorder have a life expectancy of fifty to fifty-eight years. Americans who suffer from alcohol dependency die between twenty-four and twenty-eight years earlier than the average American.
Writer Catriona Harvey-Jenner notes that as our bodies go through the process of alcohol withdrawal, changes occur. One of these is bloating stomach alcohol withdrawal.
What Causes Bloating Stomach Alcohol Withdrawal?
Alcohol forces your stomach to produce increasing enzymes to aid in the digestive process. These extra enzymes often irritate the lining of your stomach. The result can be upset stomach, ulcers, heartburn, nausea, or gastritis. Alcohol erodes the mucous membrane of your stomach. Bloating may also be caused by alcohol-induced hepatitis. Thus, your stomach is more susceptible to intestinal ailments.
While abdominal swelling may be a sign of acute gastritis, it could also be caused by taking anti-inflammatories or nonsteroidal drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen. The swelling could be the residual result of imbibing excessive amounts of alcohol. This swelling or abdominal distension is actually a buildup of gas.
Bloating and abdominal discomfort are often the result of alcohol-induced gastritis. It remains after you quit drinking because it is the result of ingesting alcohol over time. Since the condition occurred over time, it is unlikely to disappear overnight.
Here’s the good news! As your bloated stomach disappears, you are likely to drop ten or so pounds in weight.
Bloating & Water Retention: Alcohol Withdrawal
Your body’s ability to balance water is delicate. The body’s balance can easily be thrown off by diet, disease, and, yes, consuming alcohol. Drinking affects your digestive system as well. Since the human body is composed largely of water, ingesting substances like alcohol, soft drinks, coffee, or tea throws off the water balance.
Alcohol water retention or alcohol-induced gastritis can have short-term and long-term effects. In any case, it can take a month for your body to adjust after you stop drinking.
Detoxing From Alcohol: How Long Does It Take?
Your nervous system has adjusted its functioning with alcohol over time. While this is occurring, your body is doing its best to keep your brain awake and active. It is also trying to retain nerve connections.
When you seriously commit to rehab and recovery from alcohol addiction, your alcohol level plummets. However, your brain is still active. That’s why recovering alcoholics often experience insomnia, nausea, high blood pressure, or higher-than-normal body temperature.
How Do I Know it is Time to Get Help for My Alcohol Addiction?
The Mayo Clinic advises those who struggle with alcohol overuse to seek help if they are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:
- Shaking hands or body tremors
- Excessivesweating
- Sleep issues
- Nausea or vomiting
- Hallucinations
- Agitation, jumpiness, restlessness, or anxiety
- Seizures
- Irregular or rapid heartbeat
- Preoccupation with alcohol
- Financial issues related to drinking
- Inability to limit alcohol amounts
- Unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop drinking
- Strong cravings, urges to drink
- Poor performance at work, school, home and/or in the community
- Lack of interest in friends or activities that don’t include alcohol
- Using alcohol in unsafe situations such as driving or swimming
- Increased tolerance to alcohol such that usual amounts don’t create the desired effect
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms
Getting Help for Alcohol Addiction
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides an informative guide for individuals, their colleagues, family, or friends. Included are treatment facilities, program options, and locations for those who need recovery and rehab information to address alcohol problems.
How Effective is Alcohol Recovery and Rehab?
Unfortunately, only about ten percent of those with alcohol addiction seek treatment. However, for those who do, there is good news. Regardless of the severity of the alcohol addiction, most people who enter a treatment program benefit from it. One-third of them require no further treatment to remain clean, sober, and productive. Others show a significant reduction in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems.
Healing from Alcohol
When you make the decision to quit drinking, even if you have been drinking for years, your brain will begin to heal. It will restore your body’s natural functions.
What to Expect in Recovery
If you have been a moderate to heavy drinker for a significant time, your recovery will move through stages. These vary in time and intensity. For heavy drinkers, the first stage is medical support to get sober. Physical, mental, and emotional impacts of detox are noted and addressed. Once that stage is over, trained counselors devise techniques to help you stay sober and productive in your home, at work, and in the community.
How Can AspenRidge Help?
It’s easy to forget that alcohol is toxic to the human body whether or not it is consumed regularly. It’s critical to understand how dangerous excessive alcohol use can be and treat alcohol withdrawal if dependency is an issue. Expert treatment specialists at AspenRidge are here to assist with tailored treatment programs that safely manage the recovery process.
Certified clinicians at AspenRidge can aid at any stage of recovery. Since alcohol abuse and dependency vary in severity, our treatment specialists are well versed in identifying spectrum use and providing guidance for overcoming alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other problematic drinking habits. Our different levels of care provide a comprehensive approach to addressing dangerous alcohol consumption and underlying mental health effects that may exacerbate the issue. Our programs include:
- Partial Hospitalization Day Program (PHP)
- Day Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Evening IOP
- Outpatient Program
- Online Treatment
Don’t wait. Early intervention can prevent many of the diseases found in this list. Contact us today directly at(719) 259-1107. Our staff will verify insurance options and to explain treatment programs available at AspenRidge Recovery Centers.