How Long Does it Take to Recover from Alcohol Abuse?

Expert Guidance on the Timeline to Recover from Alcoholism

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Deciding to stop drinking is something to be extremely proud of. However, you may wonder what to expect during the process. How long does it take to recover from alcohol abuse? Are there factors that affect how long it takes to reach complete recovery?

There are a significant number of different factors that play a part. Let’s go over a typical alcohol recovery timeline, factors impacting the length of addiction recovery, long-term outlook, and the importance of getting professional help.

South Shores Recovery provides world-class alcohol addiction treatment covered by many forms of insurance. Please call South Shores Detox and Recovery to discover how we can help you or your loved one heal.

What’s a Typical Alcohol Abuse Recovery Timeline?

Recovering from alcohol addiction does not take a specific or uniform amount of time. However, those overcoming addiction can generally expect to go through the following stages.

Acute Withdrawal Symptoms

Acute withdrawal symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. They can start within hours or about one day after your last drink and generally last for about 1 to 2 weeks.

South Shores Recovery provides detox for acute withdrawal, which can help you get through this difficult initial stage of alcohol addiction recovery safely.

Post-Acute Withdrawal

The post-acute withdrawal stage (PAWS) does not come with dangerous or life-threatening alcohol withdrawal symptoms as the acute withdrawal stage does. However, it does refer to a long-term form of withdrawal that can have lingering mental and physical health effects.

Symptoms of PAWS may include but aren’t limited to prolonged sleep disturbance, alcohol cravings, and anxiety. If you are someone who experiences post-acute withdrawal, it can last for 4-6 months or longer.

The Early Abstinence Stage

The early abstinence stage may overlap with post-acute withdrawal if you are someone who experiences it. Early sobriety can encompass anywhere from the first few months of sobriety to (roughly) the first year. This is the stage where you decide to seek help for alcohol abuse or cease alcohol consumption and start building new habits.

Long-Term Sobriety

Long-term sobriety is another stage that may not necessarily have a concrete beginning or end.

At this stage, you will have had new, substance-free patterns and routines for a while. Life without alcohol consumption will not be new.

Factors Impacting the Length of Addiction Recovery

Length of Alcoholism Impact the Length of Addiction Recovery

Since addiction recovery can be somewhat self-defined, what factors impact the length of addiction recovery? Everyone has a different personality and backstory, but the following elements could play a role.

The Length of Alcoholism

If you have used substances for a longer time period, you may need to spend more time in recovery before you feel stable in sobriety. The effects of alcohol abuse on the brain can be long-term, and it is important to be patient with yourself. There’s no such thing as being “behind” in recovery.

Lighter vs Heavy Alcohol Users

How much alcohol you drink may impact your recovery. When it comes to the acute withdrawal stage of recovery specifically, those who engage in lighter alcohol use (people who drink alcohol in smaller amounts) tend to have less severe withdrawal symptoms.

This means that heavy alcohol users may experience a longer acute withdrawal period with intensified physical withdrawal symptoms.

Medical detox at South Shores can help you get through mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. If you are at an increased risk of severe or moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms, attending a detox program is essential.

Underlying Causes and Personal Health

Many people facing alcohol use disorders will have relevant underlying causes or risk factors, like anxiety, stress, depression, or trauma, to address. In fact, about one in four people with serious mental illness are said to have a substance use disorder.

Sometimes, those underlying causes or other factors related to your personal health and well-being can impact your trajectory in recovery. South Shores Recovery offers dual-diagnosis treatment to address these underlying causes.

Your Definition of Recovery

We all define recovery differently. How you personally define recovery may impact how long it takes for you to feel stable in recovery from alcohol addiction. Some people focus on recovery in terms of establishing coping skills aside from alcohol consumption–others focus more on abstinence or a combination of the two.

It is also possible to feel that you are always in recovery, even if you’ve been sober for many years. Regardless, while there may be ups and downs, there will also be a ton of physical, social, and mental health improvements to celebrate along the way.

Long-Term Outlook for Alcohol Addiction Recovery and Relapse Prevention

Over 72% of people who feel that they’ve dealt with a substance abuse problem at some point consider themselves to be in recovery or to have recovered.

It is common to experience slip-ups or relapse when you quit drinking. If that’s something you’re going through right now, don’t give up. Remember that this does not undo the progress you’ve made. Getting support at a treatment center like South Shores can help you through this time.

The Importance of Professional Help

Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused toxic substances. It’s important to seek treatment if you experience alcohol abuse, misuse, or addiction. Professional treatment for alcohol use disorder can help you avoid:

New or worsening health conditions associated with drinking, like high blood pressure, heart disease, some types of cancer, and organ damage.
New or worsening mental health consequences of addiction, like worsened anxiety or depression symptoms.
New or worsened legal, financial, or related issues. For example, job loss, spending too much money on alcohol, or legal repercussions like driving under the influence (DUI) charges.
New or worsened social consequences, like negatively affected relationships with romantic partners, family members, or friends who are not heavy drinkers.

We offer a full continuum of care for drug and alcohol addiction in Orange County. This means that you or your loved one at South Shores Recovery can get the treatment options for alcohol abuse that are right for you.

Get Expert Guidance on Alcohol Abuse Recovery at South Shores Detox and Recovery

Alcohol addiction recovery is a very personal experience. South Shores Recovery is here to help you navigate all stages of sobriety through a comprehensive and individualized approach.

Call our admissions line to learn more about South Shores Detox and Recovery’s programs. The South Shores team is here to verify your insurance coverage, start the intake process, or answer your questions about treatment.

FAQs About How Long It Takes to Recover From Alcohol Abuse

Can the body heal itself from alcohol abuse?

The best way to answer this question is to say, “Sometimes.” Alcohol addiction is a potentially fatal condition. Not everyone’s body will be able to fully recover from the effects of alcohol abuse, but not drinking will lead to improvement and can save your life even if you have long-term effects.

Some people’s bodies will heal from alcohol abuse, however. The earlier you get help for alcohol addiction, the more likely your body is to fully recover from the implications of heavy drinking.

How long does it take your brain to recover from alcohol?

All body organs, including the brain, are affected by alcohol abuse. Abstinence can heal these effects. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), it may take months to years for the brain to recover from alcohol, depending on who you are.

How long does it take for the gut to heal after quitting alcohol?

Alcohol can cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and a range of related issues. The gut can start to heal just a couple of weeks into your abstinence from alcohol, and the healing process should continue as time goes on.

How long does it take for your liver to heal after stopping drinking?

It depends. Mild scarring and inflammation can improve in as little as a week after your last drink, and fatty liver can improve within about 2-3 weeks.

If you have severe liver damage, it will take longer for your liver to heal. For heavy drinkers, it can take years for liver damage to start to reduce.

In some cases, the liver may not fully heal at all. Still, abstinence from alcohol means that you can prevent further damage and mortality caused by alcoholic liver disease.

What happens to your body after 3 months of no alcohol?

After around three months after you stop drinking alcohol, you should notice a number of benefits. While everyone is unique, these may include improvements in liver health, skin, sleep, brain or mental function, and other advantages, like reduced inflammation.