By: Lakeview Health
You started drinking alcohol as a teenager. At first, it was maybe once a week at a party. Then you started drinking a couple of days a week, after work with your friends. Next, you started drinking every evening to unwind. Now, you find that you need alcohol to wake up in the morning. When you don’t, you feel shaky. You’ve heard the term alcohol shakes, and you wonder, “What are alcohol shakes?”
If this scenario sounds familiar, you may have an alcohol addiction. It would be best if you got treatment for your addiction before it spirals even more out of control than it already is. At Lakeview Health, we offer alcohol addiction treatment, along with a variety of other substance dependency treatments. To learn more, call us today.
What Are Alcohol Shakes?
Alcohol shakes are a result of an alcohol dependency. When you drink regularly, your body adapts to the pervasion of alcohol. Because alcohol is a sedative, your body compensates for its presence by releasing neurotransmitters than increase your nerve activity. This release also keeps you more awake, which is why your friends and family may not notice when you’re drunk.
However, when you’re not drinking, your brain has to keep functioning as if you were. This way of functioning prepares your body for when the alcohol returns. At this point, you’ll feel withdrawal symptoms such as:
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Anxiety
- Hyperactivity
- Nausea or vomiting
- Higher heart rate
These symptoms tend to appear about six hours after your last drink. The alcohol shakes are what make you feel shaky when you wake up until you’ve had your first drink of the day.
What Else Can Cause Alcohol Shakes?
Another reason you may have alcohol shakes is that using alcohol long-term can lead to damage in your cerebellum, which is the area that regulates your coordination, balance, and fine motor movements. This damage causes an intention tremor, which is trembling when you’re moving or at rest. This type of deterioration takes close to 10 years to occur.
Now that you know the answer to the question, “What are alcohol shakes?” you may be wondering, “How do I prevent this from happening to me?” There is only one answer, and that is to quit drinking. If you have not yet suffered brain damage, going through detox and rehab will help you get clean from alcohol. Breaking your alcohol addiction will keep these symptoms from appearing. If you have suffered brain damage, however, these symptoms are permanent. However, they will continue to get worse unless you stop drinking.
Prevent The Worst. Get Treatment.
The answer to the question, “What are alcohol shakes?” may have surprised you. However, you don’t have to let alcohol shakes become a permanent fixture in your life. At Lakeview Health, we can help you by treating your alcohol addiction. We also offer treatment for:
To learn more about the question, “What are alcohol shakes?” or to enroll in our alcohol addiction treatment program, contact Lakeview Health by calling [Direct] today. Recover your stability at Lakeview Health.
