Symptoms of Internal Bleeding From Alcohol

No substance is more harmful to your organs than alcohol when it’s abused. The effects of long-term heavy drinking often result in serious health harm. These include kidney and liver damage, heart damage, increased risk of cancer, and brain damage. If you have symptoms of internal bleeding from alcohol abuse, it is a sign it’s time to get some help.

How Alcohol Damages the Body

It is hard to overstate just how damaging alcohol is to the body. Ethyl alcohol acts as a toxic substance when it is abused. While many can moderate their alcohol intake, others are prone to developing dependence or addiction.

Once you have become dependent on alcohol, the cravings and alcohol withdrawal effects cause you to keep drinking. This can happen even if you don’t want to continue drinking, as you slowly lose control over it.

Over time, alcohol begins to take a toll on your health. Some of the ways alcohol harms the body, possibly causing symptoms of internal bleeding, include:

• Liver damage. This includes fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
• Kidney damage. This might include harming kidney structure and function.
• Heart damage. This includes arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy.
• Cancer. Heavy drinking increases the risk of cancer, many of them fatal.
• Stomach problems. This includes gastritis, ulcers, and internal bleeding.
• Brain damage. This includes cognitive decline and Korsakoff’s psychosis.

What Causes Internal Bleeding from Alcohol?

Alcohol abuse can cause symptoms of internal bleeding indirectly by damaging the organs. When alcoholism harms the liver or kidneys, internal bleeding may be an overt symptom of this damage.

For instance, alcohol abuse can damage the kidneys due by causing high blood pressure. Sustained high blood pressure can lead to kidney failure. This means the kidneys are not functioning as they should, and not filtering the blood adequately. This can lead to breakthrough bleeding in the urine.

Symptoms of Internal Bleeding Caused by Alcoholism

Signs of internal bleeding due to alcohol abuse may come on slowly but is always a sign of serious health deterioration. Some of the signs of internal bleeding include:

• Coughing up blood.
• Blood in the stool.
• Blood in the urine.
• Stroke-like symptoms.

These are signs of severe organ damage or failure that could quickly worsen. Internal bleeding can lead to anemia, due to loss of blood. Once these signs become visible, it is crucial to seek treatment as soon as possible.

Getting Ready for Alcohol Detox

If you have become alarmed after seeing the signs of internal bleeding, it is time to seek out treatment. In treatment, addiction professionals will guide and support you in early recovery, which is essential to lasting success.

The first stage of recovery is the detox and withdrawal phase. Here is the alcohol detox timeline:

• Stage 1: Early Symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal begins within eight to twelve hours of your last drink. This first stage lasts about one day. Symptoms include stomach pain, tremors, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, foggy thinking, anxiety, and insomnia.
• Stage 2: Peak Symptoms. During this next phase, symptoms become more intensified and last for two to four days. Symptoms include increased heart rate, blood pressure body temperature, and breathing rates, confusion, sweating, mood swings, and irritability. On days 3-4, there is a small number of people developing the DTs, which is an emergency. The DTs include hallucinations, severe mental confusion, fever, and seizures, and even death.
• Stage 3: Subsiding Symptoms. The final stage begins after day four and may last for a couple of days or weeks. This stage features depression, anxiety, cravings, confusion, and insomnia.

Begin the Treatment Journey to Sobriety

Breaking free from alcoholism is a process that exists on a continuum. It begins with the decision to stop drinking, at which point you enter a medical detox center to manage withdrawals. Once detox is completed, you begin the treatment phase.

Treatment is a key piece of the overall recovery picture, helping you sustain sobriety by making essential changes. Treatment shows you how to make those changes, and gives you the tools you’ll need to avoid relapse.

This is what to expect in a residential treatment program:

• Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a central treatment element in alcoholism recovery. Therapy helps you to examine, process, and heal from any underlying emotional issues. CBT provides a new way of thinking that helps you reshape your thoughts and behaviors in a positive light. DBT guides you toward improving your relationship skills, controlling impulses, and managing emotions.
• Group therapy. Meeting with peers or family members to discuss topics related to recovery can inspire emotional growth and healing. A licensed addiction specialist guides these discussions. New skills are taught in these groups, such as more effective communication styles and new coping techniques. Group therapy is an excellent source of peer and family support as well.
• Education. Learning about the impact of alcohol on brain chemistry and structure can act as a deterrent to relapse. Classes guide you to form a relapse prevention strategy and equip you with new coping skills.
• Medication. People with more severe alcohol use disorder may benefit from medication, such as naltrexone. Naltrexone is a non-narcotic medication that can assist in reducing alcohol cravings and relapse and helps sustain sobriety.
• 12-step. The A.A. program and recovery meetings provide social support and chances to establish new sober friendships.
• Holistic activities. Rounding out the treatment program are holistic practices that enhance the work you do in therapy. These include mindfulness, yoga, massage, art therapy, and outdoor recreational therapy.

If your drinking habits are causing major health concerns it is time to pay attention. Symptoms of internal bleeding from alcohol abuse are a wake-up call to reach out for some help. Do not hesitate.

Capo by the Sea is a Leading Provider of Effective Treatment for Alcoholism

Capo by the Sea assists you in recovery from alcoholism, offering luxury amenities and top tier expertise. To learn all about our premier evidence-based program, please call us today at (888) 529-2114.