If you are addicted to alcohol and interested in quitting drinking, how long can you expect it to take? This article explores the different timelines involved in alcohol cessation. When you decide to stop drinking, you experience uncertainty in differing areas of your life. There are factors to consider that you might not initially think of. If you want to go to rehab for alcoholism, for example, you must schedule time off work. You must consider childcare and perhaps accommodation, should you choose a clinic far from home. One of the key uncertainties which applies to all the above, is how long it will take you to recover. After all, it is hard to book time off work if you don’t know how long it will take you before the shakes and sweats wear off.
Alcohol Recovery Affects Everyone Differently
The first thing to recognise is that a recovery from alcohol addiction will affect each body differently. This is because human bodies each have specific genetics which can lead to greater or lesser recovery times. Factors which impact how long it will take your body to fully cleanse itself of alcoholism include:- Your age – the younger you are, the faster your recovery
- Your weight – those with a quicker metabolism, who weigh less, will take less time to eliminate the alcohol during detox
- How often you drank – those who drank daily will take longer to break the habit than those who drink too much on weekends
- How much you drank – if you regularly drink 15 units a week, you are still drinking too much. However, those drinking 30 units a week will take longer to recover.
- How long you drank for – Those who drank every day for ten years may struggle with recovery worse than those who drank every day for a month.
