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Bright Future Recovery - NorCal and Central California Addiction Rehab

Bright Future Recovery serves Northern California, Central California, Southern California and the U.S. with evidence-based, whole person and affordable addiction rehab treatment associated with alcohol and drug abuse. We are happy to share valuable addiction recovery information.

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Call Bright Future Recovery at (831) 245-1623 

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Table of Contents

Alcohol Cravings When Quitting Drinking

For those who abuse alcohol, trying to quit drinking alcohol (and the resulting alcohol cravings) will be one of the most difficult forms of withdrawal that can be experienced when quitting any substance. And even a few months into alcohol detox and recovery – alcohol is hard to put completely out of sight and out of mind. Alcohol cravings will reoccur periodically.

And alcohol is almost everywhere once you step outside of your house. It is difficult to completely surround yourself with non-drinkers. Also, there may be friends and acquaintances who don’t truly recognize the gravity of trying to stay sober after battling alcoholism. Many individuals do not realize how insensitive it is to say something like, “Here, try this. Just take a sip,” or, “C’mon, just one drink,” to somebody in alcohol recovery.

In this resource, we are going to look at the alcohol withdrawal timeline and how long it takes for the alcohol cravings to finally go away. So if you’re looking to quit drinking or you’re still in early recovery – here is a guideline of what to expect with the alcohol withdrawal process.

What to Expect in Acute Alcohol Withdrawal

If you’re at the point where you constantly have an alcoholic beverage by your side or you can’t make it one day without drinking, it sounds like you’re staring down the barrel of addiction.

Now is the time when you should be looking to quit, but you don’t want to do this cold turkey. It’s imperative to undergo detox in a professional setting, because alcohol withdrawal has the potential to be fatal.

Entering a professional detox program will help keep you stable and reduce the severity of potential withdrawal symptoms such as:

  • Irritability
  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Clammy skin
  • Headaches
  • Fevers
  • Excessive sweating
  • Nausea and/or vomiting

How Long does Alcohol Withdrawal Last?

For people with severe alcohol addictions, withdrawal symptoms will manifest about five to 10 hours after the last drink. If your level of dependency isn’t quite so dire, you will have a few more hours than that before acute withdrawal begins.

For most alcoholics, the acute withdrawal phase lasts between five and seven days. (This is roughly the duration of most detox programs, as well.) If you are more heavily dependent on alcohol, expect a longer acute withdrawal period.

Alcohol Delirium Tremens (DTs)

A more serious form of alcohol withdrawal that some people experience is delirium tremens (DTs). This level of withdrawal usually only happens in severe cases of alcoholism.

Also known as “the shakes,” delirium tremens usually manifests about 48 to 96 hours after the last drink. For some people, DTs will only last about 24 hours; for others, it will last up to five days.

Delirium tremens is basically the nervous system trying to adjust to no alcohol in the body. DTs can be life threatening because its most severe symptoms are body tremors and seizures. Other discomforting symptoms include hallucinations, fatigue and long periods of deep sleep. All of these are reasons why no one should try to beat alcohol addiction without medical supervision during the detox stage.

Alcohol Post-Acute Withdrawal (PAWS)

After outlasting acute alcohol withdrawal, you’re not completely out of the woods yet. About a couple of months after your last drink, you may suddenly experience withdrawal-like symptoms. This is known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), or protracted withdrawal.

The symptoms of post-acute withdrawal take place more in the mind than in the rest of the body. Examples of such symptoms include:

  • Obsessive-compulsive thoughts
  • Anxiety and panic
  • Mood swings
  • Feelings of depression and fatigue
  • Trouble sleeping/insomnia
  • Overreacting emotionally to situations
  • Alcohol cravings

How Long does Alcohol Recovery Take?

The symptoms of PAWS can last for several months to as long as two years, depending on the severity of the alcohol addiction. The symptoms will come and go without warning during this period, but they typically are less intense than they were during acute withdrawal.

If you enter a rehabilitation program after detox treatment – which you should – then you should be able to receive guidance on how to manage PAWS when it first hits and while you’re still under the care of professionals. This knowledge will be invaluable to you as you graduate the rehab program and continue to battle PAWS occasionally thereafter.

So How Long Do Alcohol Cravings Last?

While you may have moved on mentally from consuming alcohol, the taste of the substance and the desire for its effects may reprise from time to time. You have just read that post-acute alcohol withdrawal lasts up to two years, so is that when the cravings will stop? Not necessarily.

The cravings will lessen in severity over time, but for some people, they will take several years to go away completely. For others, the cravings may never fully disappear, but hopefully these individuals learned relapse-prevention skills in rehab to help them withstand these episodes.

Basically, it depends on the person as to when the cravings finally stop – if ever. The more severe the addiction, the longer the cravings tend to last. It also doesn’t help if you’re in recovery and you live in a house that has alcohol, or if most of your social circle drinks in your presence frequently.

“Most recovering alcoholics can’t even tell you the exact moment the cravings stopped for them. Worrying about cravings just isn’t a thing anymore. Just like you forget to count every day after the first year of sobriety.”

California Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism Statistics

In the United States, more than three-fourths of those who enter a substance abuse rehabilitation program cite alcohol as either a primary, secondary or tertiary source of addiction.

Let’s take a look at a few alcohol-related statistics that pertain to our home state of California alone:

  • In 2017, more than 16,400 people entered a substance abuse treatment program in California for alcoholism, accounting for nearly 12 percent of all in-state addiction treatment admissions that year, according to SAMHSA.
    • The breakdown for admissions for alcoholism only was about 64 percent male and 36 percent female.
    • Whites between the ages of 26 and 60 were mostly likely to be admitted for alcohol addiction.
    • Another 13,400-plus people were admitted in California for alcoholism along with a secondary drug addiction.
  • The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) estimated that alcohol alone caused more than 4,500 deaths – three-fourths of which were males – in the state in 2013.
  • CDPH estimated that alcohol alone caused more than 34,000 non-fatal hospitalizations in the state in 2014. Nearly 24,000 of these cases involved males.
  • Between 2003 and 2012, more than 10,300 people were killed in auto accidents in California that involved at least one drunk driver, according to the CDC.
  • 8 percent of Californians report driving after drinking too much within the past 30 days, according to the CDC.

Get Help for Alcohol Detox and Addiction

As you can see, alcohol is no empty threat, and overcoming alcohol addiction isn’t an easy proposition.

If you’re looking for a place where you can safely withdraw from alcohol, consider Bright Future Recovery center in Northern California. We are one of the best rehabs in Northern California and have a long track record of helping people from in-state and out-of-state outlast withdrawal and proceed to beat alcoholism through follow-up care.

Are you or a loved one struggling with drug or alcohol abuse?

Call Bright Future Recovery Now

(831) 245-1623

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Detox | Residential Rehab | Virtual IOP Outpatient Rehab | Relapse Prevention

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Frequently Asked Questions

Bright Future Recovery is located one serene drive from Silicon Valley in northern San Benito County, California. Bright Future Recovery is a place where our patients can get away from it all as they focus on detox and starting residential addiction recovery on the right foot.

Even so, our property is close enough to town that you don’t feel disconnected.

Take the first step to a brighter future for yourself, family or loved one today, call (831) 245-1623.

We are family oriented drug and alcohol detox and rehab center in Northern California. We offer a range of holistic and evidence-based addiction treatment services with personalized treatment plans.

Bright Future Recovery Northern California addiction rehab treatment provides whole person recovery with intervention, medical detox, holistic evidence-based residential rehab, outpatient IOP rehab, virtual IOPrelapse prevention and aftercare.

Whether struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction, or other form of substance abuse – our professional, experienced and compassionate staff is here to guide and support our patients every step of the way.

As a small 12 bed program in a home-like and comfortable environment – we are able to give our patients individual attention.

Take the first step to a brighter future for yourself, family or loved one today, call (831) 245-1623.

Medications during medical detox are given as needed; dosage is determined by a licensed physician. The length of detox is dependent on several factors. These include general health and type and length of the addiction.

For treating opiate addiction, we use MAT Medication-Assisted Treatment.

Please call Bright Future Recovery for a confidential consultation at (831) 245-1623.

 

An average detox takes 7 – 10 days. Although for some individuals detox may last longer. The length of detox depends on several factors. These include overall health, substance taken and the length of the addiction.

We treat opiate addiction with MAT medication-assisted treatment. 

Please call Bright Future Recovery for a confidential consultation at (831) 245-1623.

Addiction is a complex disease that can have a devastating impact on individuals, families, and communities. But there is hope. Bright Future Recovery residential addiction treatment provides the support and structure individuals need to overcome addiction and achieve lasting recovery.

Our addiction rehab treatment provides whole person recovery with intervention, medical detox, holistic evidence-based residential rehab, Virtual IOP outpatient rehabrelapse prevention and aftercare.

We accept most insurance and can verify your insurance benefits.

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Residential rehab treatment can last 30 to 90 days or longer – depending on the needs of the individual.

Take the first step to a brighter future for yourself, family or loved one today, call (831) 245-1623.

Whether stepping down from residential treatment or seeking to complement ongoing recovery efforts – our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is designed to support your unique path to wellness.

In our IOP Program, patients can maintain their daily routine while accessing the quality treatment and support needed to recover and thrive.

· Patients can participate in our Outpatient IOP holistic alcohol and addiction recovery rehab while maintaining personal and professional responsibilities.

· Patients graduating from our Residential Rehab program can continue to receive professional support and rehab education.

· Virtual IOP – Our outpatient treatment program in a convenient, flexible format that allows clients to receive our IOP rehab from any internet-connected device.

Please call Bright Future Recovery for a confidential consultation at (831) 245-1623.

Location and Directions

Bright Future Recovery also owns and operates Avila Heights Recovery.
Avila Heights Recovery is our luxury executive rehab in San Luis Obispo.