Many people worry about their cardiovascular health when it comes to alcohol withdrawal, and for a good reason. Knowing that if you were to stop drinking, it would affect your heart, would cause many people a lot of anxiety. Luckily for anyone who wants to give up alcohol, there is a lot of information out there about how best to deal with this situation. Scientists and researchers have been conducting studies for years on what alcohol withdrawal can and cannot do to the body. It’s important to educate yourself to know what your needs are going into alcohol addiction treatment. At Pines Recovery Life Detox, we can help.

How Alcohol Can Impact Your Heart

The more alcohol you drink, the more damage it can do to your body as a whole. This, of course, includes your heart. However, the sooner you give up alcohol, the sooner your body can begin the healing process. Your body takes a beating when you drink. Alcohol harms your brain, kidneys, liver, and every other cell in your body, just to a smaller degree.

When it comes to your heart, alcohol can be both good and bad. Here is a breakdown:

A small amount of alcohol, such as 1-2 glasses of wine per week, is not bad for most people. It helps keep their bad cholesterol in check, brings up their good cholesterol, and makes it so the blood is thinner. This makes people less likely to have a heart attack.
Anything more than just a small amount of alcohol begins to damage the body. If you drink in excess, it can lead to what is called cardiomyopathy. This means that the alcohol itself damages the muscle that makes up the heart. This can be a long-term issue you have to manage.

Most doctors want people to understand that there is no tie directly between the smaller amounts of alcohol and improved heart health. People who tend only to drink smaller amounts of alcohol typically live a healthier lifestyle. It could be these choices that lead to improvements in cholesterol levels and thinner blood. Yet, if you are someone with an alcohol use disorder, the addiction overrides these advantages because of how the dependency upends healthy moderation.

Also, doctors have even said that people with heart issues should avoid alcohol. This includes anyone with existing cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, heart failure, and similar cardiac issues. The safest thing to do is avoiding alcohol if your heart is already struggling. The last thing you want to do is make it worse.

How Alcohol Can Impact Your Heart florida

Does Alcohol Withdrawal Affect Your Blood Pressure?

This is a bit of a catch-22 for people who drink. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing high blood pressure. However, alcohol withdrawal can also be a scary situation since many do not know what to expect. This anxiety can lead to high blood pressure. For long-term drinkers, having high blood pressure and feeling anxious can be a double whammy. This is when withdrawal becomes dangerous and requires medical supervision. Fortunately, our medical detox programs have a clear process for helping individuals work through alcohol withdrawal symptoms:

Treatment evaluation
Detox stabilization
Aftercare treatment

Thankfully, when you seek out the help of a detox facility or rehab center, you are not going through any part of the withdrawal or recovery process alone. Alcohol withdrawal is difficult, and many people feel nervous when going through them. This is often because they do not know what to expect. Naturally, that leads to an increase in blood pressure. However, when you have the help of experienced rehab staff by your side, your blood pressure can remain normal. They can talk you through the process since they have helped others in your situation before. Talk to them and listen to their advice. Give each item they suggest a try. Not all of them will work for you, but one of them is definitely bound to help

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy When Going Through Alcohol Withdrawal

Since alcohol withdrawal can be rough on your body, it is best to know things to do to keep your heart rate and blood pressure down. Make a list before even going to alcohol detox or rehab, if you can. Write out some of the things that you know calm you down. Then, when things get a little more heated than you want or like, turn to that list. Just go with the first thing on it and see where it takes you. If it doesn’t help, go to the next thing, and so on. That way, you do not have to think. You can react.

If you are not sure what to put on a list like that, we have some suggestions. Give some of these a try and see if they make you feel any calmer:

Exercise: This is a great way of helping you regain control over yourself. When you get worked up, pick an exercise and do it. Many find walking or jogging to be beneficial in these times.
Yoga: This is a great way to focus. Put your mind on the parts of your body you want to work and listen to the signals your body sends. Pay attention to breathing and movement, and let your mind unwind from the alcohol withdrawal symptoms you are going through.
Art: You can opt for any art to help with your relaxation. Think about writing a story or even journaling, trying to play an instrument, painting or sketching out something on your mind, or even singing your favorite song.
Getting Outside: If you need help calming down, you may want to try getting some fresh air. It can help clear your mind and lower your blood pressure. Perhaps try going for a walk or practicing yoga while outside to double the benefit.

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy When Going Through Alcohol Withdrawal florida

Call Us At Pines Recovery Life Detox to Help Keep Your Blood Pressure Under Control While You Detox From Alcohol

Instead of worrying about what alcohol withdrawal will be like, let us help you. Here at Pines Recovery Life Detox, we can guide you through the recovery process in a safe manner that you feel good about. We offer a range of treatment programs to meet the specific needs of each person who comes to us, including:

Our experienced professionals are here to help keep you calm and informed each step of the way. Call us at 800.263.3869 or visit our contact page. We are here, ready to start as soon as you are. Don’t wait another day.

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