What is drug or alcohol withdrawal?

Withdrawal refers to the sickness that comes when you stop taking something you take regularly.

If you feel sick, or not well, when you aren't taking the substance, it may be "withdrawal". Often the physical withdrawal symptoms are the ones referred to as "withdrawal".

Some substances cause serious withdrawal symptoms, so if you stop taking them you should be medically supervised during withdrawal. Even alcohol withdrawal can be deadly. Talk to a substance abuse counselor before choosing to stop, to make sure you are safe from consequences of withdrawal. There's probably a phone number in one of the side bars or one of the ads on this site - drug abuse counselors are your best bet and they are behind most of the phone numbers offering help with substance abuse.

Withdrawal occurs when the use of a substance of which you are chemically dependent is lessened or stopped completely. Chemical dependence accustoms your body to regular substance intake; some people actually need a certain amount of a drug just to "feel normal". When the cravings are not sufficiently satisfied, your body becomes unstable and withdrawal takes place.

Think of it like this: Withdrawal is your body punishing you for not giving it the fix it thinks it needs. After chronic drug use, your body expects a dose on schedule and subconsciously prepares for intake. If that dose is much smaller than expected or doesn't happen at all, your body panics and is left far from equilibrium. Withdrawal symptoms are usually opposite of the drug's direct effects because the body has not yet learned to begin creating what the drug was previously supplying, causing serious ailments within. Once the body can learn to find equilibrium without the use of a substance, withdrawal symptoms will cease and recovery will begin.