Alcoholism is a disease characterised by continuous heavy drinking. Until people with alcohol use disorder admit to problems with alcohol and stop drinking, the risk of alcohol use disorder continues which affects both physical and mental health.
Alcohol starts to injure the brain once it reaches the bloodstream.
Excessive consumption can lead to Alcohol-Related Brain Damage, or ARBD, which is a type of brain disorder caused by alcohol consumption. Brain shrinkage caused by alcohol abuse is permanent, as alcohol kills brain cells and grey matter.
For more information and effects click ‘Learn More’.
Every month, we bring you an unfiltered recovery conversation with someone who’s either experienced addiction firsthand, or works closely with those in recovery.
No sanitised success stories – just practical insights on what actually works in recovery, that you can apply, in your life too.
Recovery capital is the internal and external resource used to begin the recovery process and maintain sobriety. This combines personal, social, and community support to provide a joined-up approach that supports the addict through recovery.
Do you or a loved one need addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs? Thousands blindly walk into addiction treatment in expensive rehab centres and find that the reality doesn’t meet expectations.
If you’re considering rehab treatment, first check our ultimate guide for complete instructions on how to find the right rehab centre for you.
Take-home Naloxone kits help families and loved ones respond quickly in an opioid overdose emergency, until emergency services arrive. Kits contain nasal or injectable forms of Naloxone.
Changes in legislation mean Naloxone kits are now more widely available from pharmacies and drug services, including Abbeycare.
For additional information, click ‘Learn More’ below.
Overcoming alcohol addiction means first ceasing alcohol intake, and taking care of physical and chemical withdrawal symptoms.
Detoxing from alcohol means undergoing withdrawal from alcohol, but with the assistance of prescribed medication and detox phase, to substitute in place of the alcohol itself.
Alcohol rehab focuses on tackling the problems underneath alcoholism, such as grief, trauma, depression, and emotional difficulties, in order to reduce continuing drinking after treatment.
Inpatient services at an alcohol rehab programme provides 24 hour access to specialist care.
Alcohol home detox provides a means of semi-supervised addiction treatment in the comfort of your home. It’s often suitable for those with inescapable practical commitments, or where a reduced budget for treatment is available.
An at-home detox is the most basic detox option available from Abbeycare, and assumes you have support available, post-detox, for the other important elements of long-term addiction recovery.
The term alcoholism refers to the consumption of alcohol to the extent that the person is unable to manage their own drinking habits or patterns, resulting in side-effects that are detrimental to the quality of life and health of the alcoholic, or those around them.
An alcoholic is someone who continues to compulsively abuse alcohol in this way, despite the negative consequences to their lives and health.
Immediately following treatment, the early stages of recovery and abstinence are most vulnerable to lapses.
At Abbeycare, a structured and peer-reviewed aftercare plan is usually prepared whilst still in treatment. This comprises social, peer, and therapeutic resources individuals draw upon, following a residential treatment programme for drug or alcohol misuse.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a well-known therapy option used by doctors at drug and alcohol treatment facilities for the treatment of substance use disorders.
It is a form of talking therapy that helps one mange their problems by changing how they think and behave. This form of therapy is used to treat depression and anxiety and is useful for physical health problems as well as one’s mental health.
Family Therapy at Abbeycare Scotland or Gloucester is realistic, compassionate, and appropriate for families and loved ones of addicts.
Family therapeutic interventions in residential rehabilitation have been designed to support those living with or caring for participants entering the Abbeycare Programme.
Support for families in a group setting allows for a safe, constructive, and confidential place to listen and share common experiences.
Inpatient rehab is drug and/ or alcohol treatment in a rehab centre, where patients remain on-site for the duration of inpatient rehabilitation.
It includes detoxification from drugs, therapy (group work and 1-2-1 sessions), and aftercare planning. Inpatient rehabs typically last 28 days, but this varies on an individual basis.
Long-term treatment at Abbeycare has been developed for those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction. Completing a long-term drug and alcohol inpatient programme may be the solution to problematic substance use.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy can be used by trained addiction recovery therapists to elicit internal changes within and promote long-term recovery from substance use disorder.
All the answers to addiction can be found within with this comprehensive and successful therapy concept leads to behavioural changes, reflective listening, self-motivational statements, and a comprehensive recovery process.
Outpatient drug or alcohol rehab is daytime treatment as opposed to living in a treatment facility.
Outpatient treatment is similar to inpatient in terms of the methods used to treat substance abuse. Where they differ is in their approach to recovery.
Abbeycare’s prison to rehab is a 12-week structured rehab programme which involves direct transfer from prison. The suitability of the candidate is decided by prison staff.
Short-term residential treatment programmes are the chance to press the reset button and access a therapeutic programme designed to create recovery from the use of alcohol and drugs.
Feeling stuck in a rut. Want to stop but can’t seem to achieve sobriety?
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The 12-step programme was created by alcoholics anonymous (AA), and is specifically designed to aid addicts in achieving and maintaining abstinence.
The central ethos behind the programme is that participants must admit and surrender to a divine power to live happy lives. Ideas and experiences are shared in meetings, and help is sought in an attempt to achieve abstinence.
Abbeycare’s policy to respect your privacy and comply with any applicable law and regulation regarding any personal information we may collect about you, including across our website and other sites we own and operate.
Physiological Causes Of Alcohol Withdrawal Diarrhoea
Gastrointestinal Disruption
Colorectal transit time increased by 33.73%, and rectosigmoid transit time increased by 250% in withdrawing alcoholics suffering from diarrhoea [1].
Alcohol-withdrawing rats experiencing diarrhoea had a five-fold increase in translocation of gut microflora-derived lipopolysaccharide in the first 30- 90 minutes of diarrhoea [2].
Hormonal Imbalance
Adrenaline levels rise by 98.9%, and noradrenaline levels rise by 82.4% during withdrawal, triggering the body's fight or flight response and causing diarrhoea [3].
An 8% fall in calcium and a 5% rise in magnesium during alcohol withdrawal disrupt the absorption of fluids to the intestines, resulting in diarrhoea [6].
Withdrawal Management Medication Side Effects Causing Alcohol Withdrawal Diarrhoea
7.6% of patients using disulfiram during withdrawal experienced diarrhoea [7].
2% of patients using naltrexone during withdrawal experience diarrhoea [8].
20% of patients using acamprosate during withdrawal experience diarrhoea [9].
18% of patients using SSRI's during withdrawal experience diarrhoea [10].
What Factors Change Alcohol Withdrawal Diarrhoea?
Age
Renal function is lowered by 50% in the elderly, reducing hepatic clearance by 30% and resulting in diarrhoea [11].
Polypharmacy, specifically when combining alcohol with drugs proven to cause diarrhoea (e.g. Neomycin, Colchicine, Lactulose, Sorbitol) result in diarrhoea in elderly patients [12].
Gender
Oestrogen in women decreases by 11% during alcohol withdrawal, decreasing oestrogen's ability to regulate gut motility, resulting in diarrhoea [13].
Women metabolise alcohol 43% slower than men, increasing cortisol concentrations by 50%, resulting in diarrhoea [14] [15].
Genetics
Genetics that change alcohol withdrawal diarrhoea are:
ADH1B carriers have 79% higher acetaldehyde levels, resulting in diarrhoea symptoms during withdrawal [16]
In a case study of a 54-year-old man withdrawing after drinking every day for 34 years, acute diarrhoea-induced shock occurred during withdrawal despite the patient being treated with 0.5g of potassium chloride twice per day [18].
Conditions Typically Confused For Alcohol Withdrawal Diarrhoea
75% of alcoholics with lactose intolerance reported diarrhoea during alcohol withdrawal, with symptoms disappearing after 8-10 days cessation of alcohol and lactose [20]
Clostridium difficile infection is an infection that causes diarrhoea, but is caused by the presence of Clostridioides difficile bacteria in the gut, rather than alcohol withdrawal [21]
About the author
Harriet Garfoot
Harriet Garfoot BA, MA has an Undergraduate degree in Education Studies and English, and a Master's degree in English Literature, from Bishop Grosseteste University. Harriet writes on stress & mental health, and is a member of the Burney Society. Content reviewed by Laura Morris (Clinical Lead).
