Delirium Tremens: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Alcohol misuse is a serious problem throughout the UK. There are estimated to be more than 600,000 alcohol-dependent drinkers in England alone and less than a fifth of these are currently receiving treatment for their condition. Prolonged heavy drinking can lead to a number of complications. Alcohol is a causal factor in many illnesses and health conditions, including liver disease, heart disease and several forms of cancer. It can cause Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome, which is a condition similar to dementia and heavy alcohol use can also lead to alcohol use disorders including alcohol addiction.

Over time you can develop a physical and psychological dependency on alcohol. Your tolerance will increase, meaning you need to drink more and more, feeding this vicious cycle.

Your brain and central nervous system come to depend on chemicals related to your alcohol consumption and your entire system is depressed.

When these chemicals are removed because you stop drinking or drastically reduce your alcohol consumption, you can suffer a range of alcohol withdrawal symptoms as your body and brain react.

Delirium Tremens Causes and Risk Factors

Before considering the causes of delirium tremens it can be useful to ask ‘what is alcoholism?’. Alcohol addiction is characterized by a compulsion to continue to use alcohol despite negative consequences and this ensures that alcohol intake is kept high over a prolonged period.

This contracts brain tissues destroys brain cells and, crucially, depresses the central nervous system. When alcohol intake drops suddenly the system reacts, which can trigger withdrawal symptoms in some people.

Some risk factors for people to progress from alcohol withdrawal symptoms to delirium tremens include:

• Heavier drinking prior to withdrawal
• Previous experience with alcohol withdrawal symptoms
• Some underlying physical and mental health conditions
• Certain medications
• Age, with older drinkers more likely to experience DTs

How Long Does Delirium Tremens Last?

If you experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms, these will generally start to exhibit between 6 and 24 hours after you stop drinking. More severe symptoms that may develop into delirium tremens may start to appear between 12 to 48 hours after the last drink and can continue for several days.

They will usually peak in 5 days but in some cases could last for 8-10 days, depending on the severity of the alcohol problem and other factors.

Delirium Tremens Treatment

For any heavy drinker who is at risk of severe alcohol withdrawal including the symptoms of delirium tremens, it is always recommended that they undergo alcohol detox in a clinical environment, whether this is at a rehab, a hospital or a similar medically supervised setting.

Treatment of alcohol withdrawal will involve supervision and support but severe withdrawal symptoms such as the DTs are also likely to require prescription medication and may require other forms of medical intervention. If a person attempts to quit or go ‘cold turkey’ without expert help and experienced DTs, they could well end up in an intensive care unit.

Detox is only a part of the recovery journey, however. In order to make a long-term recovery from alcohol addiction, you will also need to learn about relapse prevention to remain sober moving forward. Otherwise going through the trials of the DTs may all have been for nothing.

How Can I Get Help?

Rehab is the most effective way to treat a longstanding alcohol problem. As well as helping you to detox in a safe, controlled environment, you will undergo therapies and treatments designed to help you deal with the root causes of your drinking and to develop strategies for relapse prevention.

An aftercare package and support groups can also help you to maintain your sobriety after the main part of the program ends.

If you or a loved one is in the grip of alcohol addiction, contact us today for confidential advice or to start the admissions process moving.