How to recover from binge drinking - the best ways to cleanse the body

This site was made by experts: toxicologists, narcologists, hepatologists. Strictly scientific. Tested experimentally.

Author of this article, expert: narcologist Maxim Kirsanov

Briefly: Narcologist Maxim Kirsanov tells how to restore the body after a long binge: he talks separately about the stage of withdrawal syndrome, and separately about the next stage - asthenic. The article pays special attention to caring for the heart, stomach and intestines, nervous system - as well as how to restore the ability to fully live and work after the binge has ended. Medicines, remedies are listed and separately indicated what should not be done during treatment so as not to harm the body. How to restore the body after a long binge. Infographics.

1. Withdrawal syndrome
Cardiovascular system after binge drinking
Work of the gastrointestinal tract
Anxiety after binge drinking. central nervous system
2. Performance

To restore the body after binge drinking, you need to:

In the first week:
eat gentle food (jelly, low-fat broth);
lower blood pressure (magnesia, adelfan, etc.);
compensate for the lack of potassium. Take Panangin (asparkam) or Kalinor. There are dried apricots, honey, apples, bananas, oranges, etc.;
relieve anxiety, relax. Take glycine, afobazole, carbamazepine, grandaxin or mebicar.
In the second week:
eat foods rich in proteins and vitamins (meat, eggs, cottage cheese, vegetables, fruits);
walk in the fresh air and do a little physical exercise.

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First, you need to divide the recovery period into two stages. The first is the actual withdrawal syndrome. Its duration is usually within 7-10 days. Mistaken by most people for a hangover, the acute phase of withdrawal syndrome actually lasts 2-3 days. This phase is felt by a person and experienced by him. But the body takes about a week to come to its senses, as they say. During this time, the work of most vital organs and systems stabilizes.

In the second stage, we will fight low performance, which is scientifically called asthenia or “asthenic symptom complex.” The duration of this stage can reach a month. Let's analyze each stage separately.

Attention! We strongly recommend that you consult with a specialist before taking any medications mentioned below!

In addition, read the article “How to restore the body after alcohol” - about how to help the body recover not after a binge, but with a hangover after a one-time drinking session, as well as how you can restore the health and functionality of organs damaged by alcohol.

Rehabilitation after binge drinking

The need for withdrawal from binge drinking and the post-recovery period arises mainly among those who already suffer from withdrawal symptoms. This condition is often confused with the usual hangover symptoms characteristic of any alcohol poisoning, when its amount significantly exceeds the permissible limit.

A person with a hangover who accidentally drinks too much usually suffers from headaches, nausea, weakness, dehydration, and even the thought of alcohol is disgusting. In experienced drunkards, these phenomena either increase many times over or, conversely, almost disappear. But both of them are united by the need for a “hangover,” or elimination of discomfort with the help of another dose of alcohol.

The habit of a hangover is an indisputable sign of deep-rooted alcoholism and the main message for long-term drinking bouts. An alcoholic falls into a vicious cycle: drinking - syndrome - hangover - drinking.

It is no longer possible to break out of this vicious circle on your own, without the help of medicine or loved ones who care.

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You can quickly get rid of visual traces of yesterday's holiday using folk methods using teas made from medicinal herbs. St. John's wort, celandine, chamomile, and calendula help relieve swelling from the face, as well as other signs of a hangover. Not everyone will like the taste of such drinks, but the mild diuretic effect will alleviate the condition. It is also recommended to make compresses from decoctions of these herbs. For a procedure that makes the face less puffy and simply beneficial for the face, you will need:

cotton pads or bandage, gauze;
one cup with a warm herbal decoction, one with a cold one;
linen or cotton natural towel.

Having prepared everything you need, we remove the swelling by alternately applying compresses of different temperatures, starting with warm. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes; upon completion, you need to carefully wipe your face with a dry towel.

Another remedy that helps effectively remove puffiness is ice cubes. The method is very simple to implement: take an ice cube from the freezer and apply it to your face for about ten minutes. You can get rid of swelling faster if you freeze herbal infusions in advance and wipe your face with such cubes.

Destruction of the body by alcohol

Nature, over millions of years of evolutionary selection, has rewarded us with such a strong and self-healing system as our body. But he cannot cope with the bad habits of man acquired over the past millennia. The system is not able to process the huge amount of poisons that people voluntarily consume in all forms.

In particular, in alcoholics, all digestive organs, immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems are destroyed. This is expressed in lack of appetite, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, bloody vomiting and stool, depression, psychosis, unreasonable fears, nightmares, insomnia, lack of coordination and other health abnormalities.

The most common complications include:

Korsakov syndrome, or “squirrel”;
Arrhythmias, acute heart failure, heart attacks;
Mallory-Weiss syndrome, acute gastrointestinal bleeding;
Liver cirrhosis, fatty hepatosis, liver failure;
Disorders of the genitourinary system, renal failure;
Long-term depression;
Pancreatitis;
Haemorrhoids;
AIDS;

Cerebral edema and strokes are less common.

Compliance with diet

The digestive system, no less than other organs, suffers from the harmful effects of toxins contained in alcoholic products. We can say that she takes the brunt of the blow. If a person stops drinking alcohol, the digestive system will recover over time. How can I help her? It is important to adhere to a proper and healthy diet.

Note! Thanks to a proper diet, a person will be able to recover faster. However, you should not select it yourself. Only an experienced nutritionist will be able to create an individual menu taking into account the state of the body affected by alcohol.

Usually the following is included in the diet:

fruits and fresh vegetables;
porridge, low-fat dairy products;
eggs, fish and grains;
mineral water.

The digestive organs will work without failures if a person gives up fatty, very salty and spicy foods. Naturally, you cannot eat meat while eating chocolate or other confectionery products. It is better to steam food. A prerequisite is compliance with the drinking regime.

Duration of the recovery period

How quickly the body recovers after binge drinking depends on the amount of alcohol, duration of the binge, gender, age and other factors. Even a healthy liver cannot neutralize more than 7 mg of ethyl alcohol per hour. Based on this, and approximately imagining how much alcohol could have been drunk, we can assume the approximate time frame for removing a person from a state of intoxication.

Complete rehabilitation involves not only physically cleansing the body of toxic substances, but also eliminating the consequences of their influence on all systems and organs. That is, returning a person to healthy well-being and a normal worldview.

The average duration of withdrawal syndrome is 3-6 days. More severe cases require half a month or more to recover. With quality medical care, there is a noticeable improvement in well-being, but psychosomatic disorders that cause cravings for alcohol can haunt the alcoholic throughout his life. That’s why they say: “There are no former alcoholics, only those who have temporarily quit.”

About medicines

To regain strength after a week of alcoholism, you can treat yourself at home with medications:

Activated carbon or Enterosgel. These products have an absorbent effect, which will help rid the body of toxins. If signs of intoxication are displayed on the face, then taking sorbents on an empty stomach is indicated.
Alka-Seltzer. This remedy neutralizes hydrochloric acid in the gastric mucous membranes. Pain will also be eliminated.
Zorex. The product eliminates intoxication symptoms and protects liver cells from toxins.
Aspirin. The remedy will eliminate pain and trembling of the body, and improve microcirculatory processes.

Morning hangover detoxifier

Restoration activities

The most important and urgent help is to cleanse the body after binge drinking, remove toxins from all tissues of the body. For this, a regular dropper is most effective.

A professionally placed drip quickly relieves hangovers caused by poisoning and dehydration, introduces medicinal substances directly into the bloodstream, reduces the excessive load on the cardiovascular system and reduces the risk of developing numerous complications.

At the physiological level, the drip most reliably relieves the irresistible desire to get hungover.

Help for organs after binge drinking

Restoring normal functioning of the entire body takes a long time, requires patience and must be carried out under medical supervision.

Cardiovascular system - accompanying tachycardia and hypertension are treated with β-blockers, such as: Anaprilin, Atenolol, Bisoprolol, Propranolol. Electrolyte and water imbalances are eliminated with droppers. The lack of potassium and magnesium is corrected by Asparkam, Panangin, Regidon.
Liver - it is better to find out how to restore the liver after heavy drinking from your doctor. Essentiale and other hepatoprotectors are used for its intended purpose. Fatty, spicy, smoked, salty and other potentially dangerous foods are excluded from the diet.
Kidneys - in addition to drug treatment with injections and diuretics, dietary nutrition and regular consumption of small portions of various medicinal liquids (decoctions of rose hips and herbs, mineral waters, natural juices) are necessary.
Nervous system - alcoholic encephalopathy, which occurs after long-term brain poisoning with ethyl alcohol, is treated by complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages with drug therapy with Piracetam, Glycine, Phenibut.

Alcohol intoxication

For drinkers, sometimes it is not only binge drinking that becomes a serious problem when drinking alcohol for a long time. Poisoning with low-quality, surrogate alcohol also poses a huge danger. In this case, the program to resuscitate the body consists of the following stages:

Cleansing the stomach by inducing artificial vomiting. This procedure helps free the body from alcohol metabolites that have not yet been absorbed. Further alcohol intoxication is also stopped. Enema. Thanks to the enema, the gastrointestinal tract is cleansed of toxic alcohol residues. Taking diuretics. It is better to use loop diuretics, which have a targeted effect on the renal nephrons. These drugs include: Britomar, Furasemide, Lasix, Ethacrynic acid, Bufenox, Diuver. Course of taking sorbents. These drugs help cleanse the body of excess toxic alcohol residues. It is better to use the following products: activated carbon, Atoxil, Smecta, Enterosgel, Polysorb, Multisorb, Filtrum, Smectite, Polyphepan, Lignosorb. Develop a competent drinking regime. This condition must be implemented immediately after procedures for washing the gastrointestinal tract (artificial vomiting and enema). To do this, you must constantly drink a solution of rehydron or non-carbonated min. water. Take liquids in small, frequent sips. To restore the functioning of brain cells, you should take a course of glycine. In this way we will achieve an increase in the supply of oxygen to the neurons of the brain. Vitamin therapy. During the period of recovery of the body, vitamins are extremely important for overall well-being. The emphasis should be on ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

Withdrawal syndrome - symptom relief

The first weeks after a long binge are characterized by a whole bunch of severe symptomatic manifestations, indicating numerous malfunctions in the body. How to deal with this and what to take after binge drinking:

Panic attacks, insomnia, depression. Usually, doctors prescribe Glycine, Grandaxin, Donormil, Diphenhydramine, Mexidol, Midazolam, Novopasit, Oxazepam, Phenazepam, Seduxen, Elenium and other drugs.

Heartburn or bitterness in the mouth. Caused by the reflux of excess bile from the lower gastrointestinal tract to the upper. It can be relieved by drinking plenty of fluids, proper nutrition, flax seeds, Smecta and other medications as prescribed by a doctor.

Impaired coordination. Occurs due to damage to the vascular/nervous systems and leaching of potassium from the body. It is recommended to take a warm bath with salt and motherwort decoction, do a general massage, and consume medications or foods containing potassium. In case of varicose veins, use medicinal ointments Venitan and Troxevasin.

Speech disorders, or dysarthria. May indicate serious disturbances in the central nervous system. Requires immediate contact with specialists who will prescribe appropriate neurometabolics.

Hangover tremor. Mild tremors in the form of chills are eliminated by ordinary detoxification measures. For severe tremors, you should add physical exercise and foods (chocolate, bananas, vitamins B1, B6) that promote the production of dopamine. A flapping tremor requires urgent hospitalization.

Dizziness and headaches. The recommended therapy is: prolonged sleep, normalization of blood pressure, analgesics Nurofen, Pentalgin, Solpadeine.

Skin rashes such as redness and blisters indicate significant damage to the liver or a reaction to disulfiram-containing substances. It is necessary to consult a specialist.

Heat. To exclude the possibility of serious illnesses, it is necessary to be fully examined. The temperature should be brought down with medication from +38°C and above. Do not take antibiotics under any circumstances. As a last resort, treat with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Heavy sweating. Oddly enough, but with this symptom, you should increase the amount of water you drink and take diuretics. This stimulates the kidneys and reduces the removal of excess fluid through the skin.

Difficulty breathing. If the functioning of the respiratory center is disrupted, the analeptics Cordiamine, Caffeine, Sulphocamphocaine are used. Only under medical supervision. If necessary, an oxygen cushion is added.

Convulsive syndrome is relieved by intravenous administration of magnesium. This drug also has a sedative, analgesic, choleretic effect, and eliminates arrhythmia.

Redness of the cornea, accompanied by pain and stinging, is relieved by applications with a solution of black tea or medicinal chamomile. Vizin, Sofradex, and Murin drops also help. Yellow color of the cornea is a sign of toxic or mechanical hepatitis and a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

No one is more versed in all the nuances of getting out of a drunken state than a person who has repeatedly solved the problem of how to recover from drinking. Until recently, Sergei was on the verge of life and death. He chose life and now shares his experience.

List of recommended products

Wheat bread baked yesterday (can be dried), inconvenient pastries.
Lean meats or poultry without fascia or tendons, meat or liver pates, dietary sausages (limited). Low-fat types of fish without skin, boiled or steamed.
Soft-boiled eggs or as a steam omelet.
Whole milk (limited), non-acidic types of cottage cheese or cheese, low-fat sour cream.
Liquid or semi-liquid rice, buckwheat, rolled oats, semolina in water or milk.
Boiled or steamed potatoes, beets, carrots, green peas, non-acidic varieties of tomatoes, pumpkin. Onions - after boiling.
Puréed soups or pureed soups from permitted types of cereals and vegetables, seasoned with butter. Soups made with chicken broth are allowed.
Butter or vegetable oil is limited in dishes.
Sweet varieties of fruits and berries in the form of jelly, puree, mousse or jelly. Baked apples.
Weak tea, rosehip infusion, weak cocoa with milk. Freshly squeezed non-acidic juices.

How to restore the body after binge drinking - practical advice

There is no need to take hot baths or contrast water procedures. A shower at room temperature, or a little warmer, is the best option after a binge;
Due to distorted perception, an alcoholic during this period resembles a frozen computer and understands only the simplest recommendations that require a minimum of mental and physical effort;
It is better to give up strong coffee and tea for a while. White activated carbon and enterosegel help well in this condition;
When you start to feel sick from the bile accumulated in your stomach, you don’t have to endure it, it’s better to drink more water and relieve it, it will feel a little better. You can drink water with baking soda, it also relieves discomfort;
Constipation often occurs after heavy drinking. Picolax helps well, even with constipation for many days. But it only works after 6-12 hours, you need to know this;
To distract yourself from obsessive thoughts, fears and panic attacks, watch and listen to something light on TV. It distracts and calms;
You shouldn’t try to break out of a binge “dry,” with diluted vodka or top-up as needed. There is only one need for a hangover - to drink a full glass. Diluted vodka interferes with quantity control, and without vodka you can’t go out at all. Moreover, you need to sleep more, and by abruptly cutting out alcohol, this will not be possible;

Here is my plan for getting out of binge drinking:

When I regained consciousness and realized that I had to stop, drink until late in the evening in very small doses so that I could continue to think, and be sure to start snacking;
Wait until it starts to tempt you to sleep, drink 50 grams and try to fall asleep;
In the morning, drink 100 grams of vodka, after half an hour another 30 grams and the last 30-50 grams after an hour;
Don't drink anymore, but start recovering.

If you come out of a drinking binge on wine, then only use natural homemade wine with diphenhydramine, barboval, phenibut or bifren;
Melatonin helps well for sleep, 1-3 tablets half an hour before bedtime;
If the pancreas gets stuck, it’s like being punched in the stomach, you need to drink half a teaspoon of soda or any soda;
Cramps in the calves can be relieved by pulling the toes of the feet towards you. Not with your hands, but as if you want to stand on your heels. Lets go so quickly.

If you really decide to quit, go to a good psychologist. These guys don't get their money in vain. Some have more benefits than an entire pharmacy.

Normalization of a hangover

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning: fever, severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Eliminated by drinking plenty of fluids. Purified water, weak tea, compote are suitable.

The use of medications aimed at binding and removing toxic substances will quickly get you back on your feet. The medications should include: sodium, potassium chloride, citrate, glucose and other excipients.

Timely intake will speed up recovery from alcohol, replenishing the loss of microelements and preventing serious consequences. In some cases, you will need to undergo a course of IV drips to thin and cleanse the blood.

Main stages of rehabilitation:

Enema, lavage, stomach cleansing for nausea and vomiting.
Sorbents eliminate disorders of the digestive system and promote accelerated elimination of toxic substances, for example, activated carbon.
A paracetamol tablet, aspirin and a shower will soothe the headache.
Green tea will help you cheer up, tone up and resume digestion.
Biologically active additives and enzymes will restore the imbalance of intestinal microflora.

Many people in the fight against a hangover take a contrast shower, not a large amount of alcohol. These are dangerous common misconceptions. Alcohol increases the load on the body. Cold water provokes vascular spasms.

Various herbs, berries, fruits are always available at home: chamomile, yarrow, linden, thyme, rose hips, apple, pear. It is advisable to drink infusions and decoctions that easily speed up metabolic processes and improve health.

The hangover the next day, after a party, is reflected on the face. Swelling appears, trembling throughout the body occurs, and the head feels like it’s splitting. There is no way to quickly improve your health. But wiping the skin with ice cubes and a light massage can help relieve puffiness and make you look fresher.

Women have an easier time in this situation. They easily mask imperfections with cosmetics.

conclusions

Be carefull. As soon as you or your friends and family begin to cope with a hangover with vodka, beer or any alcohol-containing drinks, it’s time to sound the alarm. It is necessary to seek advice from a good narcologist, psychologist or other specialized specialist. Try to abstain from drinking for as long as possible.

If the ability to resist alcohol addiction is lost and you can’t get rid of it on your own, seek help from your family, friends and the appropriate medical institutions. Don’t give up at the first failure or breakdown - this is war, and in war, like in war, there are successes and defeats. You have to fight for your life and believe in victory - then everything will work out.

Swelling as a reason to call an ambulance

If a person wonders why his face swells after a glass of wine, and the swelling only increases and makes breathing difficult, he most likely needs urgent medical attention. Some people are allergic to ethyl alcohol, dyes, and preservatives contained in alcoholic beverages. Intolerance to such a substance can be expressed by ordinary urticaria with itching and redness of the skin or Quincke's edema. The latter allergic condition is characterized by rapidly increasing swelling of the face, neck and mucous membrane of internal organs. A person suffers from a cough, it becomes difficult to breathe, the skin turns blue and then turns pale. Such symptoms are a good reason to call an ambulance, otherwise death from suffocation is possible.

Also reasons to consult a doctor are cases when, in addition to the fact that the face is swollen after drinking, other symptoms are also bothering you:

persistently high blood pressure;
pain in the heart or behind the breastbone;
persistent headache.