What Is Alcohol Induced Psychosis? Treatment Options
For those who have reached the stage of alcohol dependence, long-term alcohol abuse can lead to developing a type of alcohol-induced psychosis. In this article, I’ll explain what alcohol-induced psychosis is, the range of symptoms of psychosis to look out for, and I’ll talk you through your professional treatment options. We’ll also explain how to avoid having a psychotic episode because of excessive alcohol consumption because prevention is much better than cure.
What Is Acute Alcohol Psychosis?
This form of psychosis is referred to by medical professionals as both alcohol-induced psychosis and chronic alcohol hallucinosis. It shares some similarities with schizophrenia although it is not the exact same. It’s quite rare, thankfully, but that does not guarantee it won’t happen to you if you experience alcohol poisoning after an episode of heavy drinking or if you are suffering from chronic alcohol use disorder. This means it could happen to someone who doesn’t drink often just as easily as it can to someone who has been a heavy drinker for a long period of time.
The group that most commonly experiences alcohol-induced psychosis is those suffering from AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder). Less commonly, people who are detoxing after acute alcohol intoxication can also experience alcohol withdrawal psychosis.
What Causes Alcohol Induced Psychosis?
Typically alcohol-induced psychosis does not occur while drunk but afterwards. Researchers point to alcohol withdrawal as the reason for the development of psychotic symptoms and the prevailing theory is that it’s the brain struggling to cope with the sudden dramatic reduction in alcohol. The impact of alcohol on brain chemistry can be significant and potentially life-threatening. Make no mistake – alcohol-induced psychosis is a dangerous mental health condition that requires medical attention from both doctors and mental health professionals.
Risk Factors For Alcohol-Related Psychosis
This form of psychosis shares some risk factors with those that can lead to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD):
- Age: Drinking regularly and heavily at a young age is the main risk factor for developing AUD
- Genetics: Many people who develop an alcohol misuse problem have a genetic predisposition to being alcoholic
- Mental Health Issues: Depression, anxiety, and a number of other mental health disorders are a definite risk factor for drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
- Low Self-Esteem: People who have a poor self-image or come from an abusive background have a higher likelihood of consuming an amount of alcohol that most of us would consider to be excessive.
Symptoms Of Alcohol-Induced Psychosis
To make a diagnosis of alcohol-induced psychosis, healthcare professionals will look for the following symptoms to be present:
- Hallucinations: Otherwise referred to as chronic alcoholic hallucinosis
- Delusions: These may also be referred to as paranoid delusions
Different Types Of Alcohol-Induced Psychosis
There are a number of different forms of alcohol-induced psychosis including:
- Alcohol Withdrawal Psychosis: As the name says, this happens during alcohol withdrawal. You can suffer from hallucinations, hyperactivity, or delirium as a result of suddenly stopping drinking alcohol. While it usually happens after many years of extremely heavy alcohol use, it can also happen after even one acute intoxication event.
- Chronic Alcoholic Hallucinosis: this is usually a result of years of heavy drinking and usually involves auditory hallucinations, in other words, hearing voices that aren’t real.
- Delirium Tremens: In this form of psychosis, the patient will display a number of symptoms including, shaking or trembling, severe confusion, and hyperactivity. It is imperative to
- Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome: With this condition, heavy alcohol use essentially strips the body of thiamine (Vitamin B1). This leads to symptoms that appear very similar to actual psychosis
- Alcohol-Induced Paranoia: You can find yourself believing that people are talking about you behind your back or that they want to kill you.
How Long Does Alcohol Induced Psychosis Last?
It really depends on the individual, the amount of alcohol involved, the length of time you have been drinking, and any genetic predisposition you may have. On average though, alcohol-induced psychosis lasts only for a number of weeks. It is vital not to underestimate the damage that could happen during those weeks. Remember, this could be life-threatening. You are not overreacting if you seek immediate medical help. As a matter of fact, it is the only sensible thing to do.
Do not assume that it will only be a couple of weeks of being sober until it clears up. If you were to resume your previous heavy alcohol use, this form of psychosis can reappear. In some chronic cases, it can lead to long-term psychiatric issues.
Dangers Of Alcoholic Psychosis
Being in a psychotic state brings dangers with it. Here are some of them:
- Aggression: A psychotic person is more likely to be aggressive, sometimes to the point of assaulting another person. This, of course, exposes you to the risk of being arrested by the police and getting yourself a criminal record.
- Cognitive Impairment: You might find yourself not being able to remember as well, or not being able to focus or concentrate.
- Liver Damage: Long-term alcohol use damages your liver, leading in some cases to the need for a liver transplant.
- Mood Swings: In the psychotic state, it is common to experience other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, panic disorder, and schizophrenia.
- Isolation: Because many people are a little afraid when they hear you are suffering from psychiatric disorders, you may find your circle of friends shrinks and your level of social contact may decrease significantly.
- Suicidal Ideation: Many sufferers of alcohol-induced psychosis report having thoughts about killing themselves. This is why appropriate medical help and perhaps antipsychotic medications (if necessary) are vital.
Long-Term Recovery Outlook
Psychosis is a serious psychiatric disorder. If you have had an experience of alcohol-induced psychosis and it has just been temporary, count yourself as extremely lucky. It is really important that you treat this temporary psychosis with the respect it deserves, otherwise, it could become permanent. The long-term recovery outlook is very good for those who get serious about recovery and realize that if they were to drink again, they would be tempting fate. Here are some recommendations that will give you the best outlook:
- Permanent Sobriety: You give yourself the best chance of never experiencing a psychotic episode again by just simply getting on the wagon and staying there permanently.
- Medication: In some cases, medication may be required to prevent psychosis or to alleviate underlying mental health issues such as depression.
- Talk Therapy: Psychosis is a huge thing to go through. You will need help from therapists experienced in dealing with psychosis and addiction.
- Support Groups: The most obvious one is Alcoholics Anonymous but there are other, more specialized support groups for individual mental health issues which your doctor will point you in the direction of.
Alcohol Induced Psychosis Treatment Options
If you have a look around this website, you will find many self-hypnosis audio downloads and may be tempted to try one of these recordings. This may stem from a motivation to do it yourself. DO NOT use hypnosis recordings from this or any other website if you are suffering from psychosis. The use of such recordings could make your psychosis worse. You should always ask your healthcare provider if it is safe for you to listen to a self-hypnosis recording before embarking on this path.
Also, please do not self-diagnose or try to address psychosis using DIY or self-help methods. Psychosis is a serious mental health issue and needs to be treated by professionals. Here are the proper steps to take to get help for your psychosis issue:
- Medical Advice: The first step is to immediately seek medical advice. Go to your doctor or to the emergency room of the nearest hospital immediately.
- Psychiatric Help: The doctor you meet will, more than likely, refer you for expert psychiatric assessment in order to properly diagnose your particular form of alcohol-induced psychosis.
- Antipsychotic Medications: Depending on the severity of your case, you may be given antipsychotic medications. Follow your doctor’s advice!
- Talk Therapy: You may be referred for cognitive-behavioral therapy or some other evidence-based treatments.
Self-Hypnosis Audio To Overcome Alcohol Addiction
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to help you visualize your new sober future and get excited about it.
How To Avoid The Development Of An Alcohol-Related Psychotic Disorder
As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”. The time to start getting serious about your alcohol problem is the moment you begin to notice it is becoming a problem. For instance, if you notice that you are binge drinking a bit more frequently than your friends, that is the time to take action. If you notice you drink a bit more than your friends do, that is the time to take action. Even, when you realize you are an alcoholic, that is the time to take action. Remember, that however bad things are, they can always get worse if you don’t take action now.
The stages of binge drinking, or even alcohol use disorder are where you can help yourself. Do whatever is necessary to avoid ever getting to the alcohol-induced psychosis stage. My advice is to throw the kitchen sink at the problem. In other words, use everything at your disposal to help you kick your alcohol habit. Use support groups, medical assistance, self-hypnosis audios, and anything that will help. Here’s another blog post that may interest you – “Can Alcoholics Quit Drinking On Their Own And How?“
Author: Paul Hunter
Although thousands of people read his blog every month, Paul's path to success was not an easy one. Click here to read his amazing story "From Unwanted Baby And Adopted To A Respected Self Help Blogger". If you want to send Paul a quick message, then visit his contact page here
