If you struggle with alcohol addiction, you probably recognize that one of the first steps toward recovery involves quitting drinking. But recovery isn’t always a linear process. Eliminating alcohol from your system and your life can bring you some relief. However, you’ll need to examine your behaviors, lifestyle and relationships to sustain sobriety. One of the factors that can interfere with your recovery is dry drunk syndrome.
R.J. Solberg wrote “The Dry Drunk Syndrome” in 1970. The author defines this aspect of recovery as problematic behaviors that continue to characterize an alcoholic after the individual has gone through detox and become sober.
In other words, people with dry drunk syndrome may continue to act out, engage in unhealthy activities, maintain unhelpful patterns and reinforce relationship issues even though they’re not using alcohol anymore. These behaviors are often the same as or similar to the actions that characterized the individual while they were still drinking.
While detoxing from alcohol is vital for recovery, getting clean doesn’t mean that you’ll instantly relinquish all of the destructive behaviors that you participated in when you were drinking. In many cases, the emotional triggers that led you to drink still exist once the alcohol is removed from the picture.
Getting treatment for dry drunk syndrome involves being willing to unearth the core of your addiction. It involves getting ongoing support during recovery. It might take years for someone who suffers from addiction to relinquish symptoms of dry drunk syndrome and establish healthy behavioral patterns.
Signs of Dry Drunk Syndrome
Dry drunk syndrome is a psychological phenomenon. Although it manifests in your behavior, the syndrome starts in the mind.
Some of the external behaviors that someone with dry drunk syndrome might have include:
• Feeling resentful toward loved ones
• Experiencing anger and pessimism about recovery
• Being jealous of people who don’t struggle with addiction
• Idealizing the addiction
• Exchanging the addiction for a new one, such as exercise, gambling or food
• Fear of failure
• Avoidance of responsibility for their actions
• Self-obsession
• Self-defeating thoughts and behavior
Someone with dry drunk syndrome may lash out at loved ones. They may express unpredictable behavior, which further damages relationships.
They may also take part in compulsive, risky activities to pacify the frustration of dry drunk syndrome and ease their nerves now that they’ve given up alcohol. Life without alcohol can seem boring and mundane. An alcoholic may engage in dangerous behaviors just to feel alive again.
What Causes Dry Drunk Syndrome?
Going through withdrawal from alcohol addiction can throw your body into physical and psychological turmoil. While you’re in the active stages of alcohol addiction, your brain chemistry changes. Your body becomes accustomed to alcohol, and it creates a state of “new normal.” In this state, your vital signs and emotional processing networks are altered.
When you stop drinking, your body has to repair itself. Shifting the equilibrium can be painful. You’ll go through physical signs of withdrawal as the substance is eliminated from your system. But the psychological and emotional withdrawal, as well as the aftereffects of addiction, can stick around.
You need to get support as you detox and continue on your path to recovery from addiction. Dry drunk syndrome may occur if you don’t get professional help.
Many of the signs of dry drunk syndrome stem from the negative emotions that crop up during recovery. With the help of a therapist, someone who struggles with addiction can reframe their mindset to focus on the positive. Getting support during treatment can help you expand your perspective so that you can look toward hope in the future instead of getting bogged down by the negativity of the present moment.
But many people don’t seek help to get sober. They suffer through detox and withdrawal alone, and they are left to deal with their deeper issues on their own.
Avoiding supportive resources during recovery can cause you to develop dry drunk syndrome. Someone who doesn’t seek therapy may not learn the tools and coping mechanisms for managing their intense emotions. Even though they may not turn to the bottle to soothe their pain, they may act out in erratic ways, which prevent them from patching up broken relationships and healing.
Is It Dry Drunk Syndrome or Relapse?
The signs of dry drunk syndrome can mimic those of a relapse. When someone becomes increasingly frustrated with their life and hopeless about recovery, they must have coping mechanisms to deal with the increasing impact of triggers.
The idea of facing reality without knowing how to manage your life in a healthy way can be terrifying. Without therapy and support, an alcoholic may feel as though the only way to deal with the negative emotions and behaviors is to pick up the bottle again.
If you’re dealing with dry drunk syndrome and trying to avoid relapse, you should seek treatment as soon as possible. Avoidance will only send you into relapse or maintain the powerful negative emotions that are preventing you from making a full recovery.
It’s important for loved ones to support the individual who struggles with addiction and to identify the signs of dry drunk syndrome. Many family members feel relief when their loved one decides to quit drinking. However, that relief quickly turns to frustration as they realize that their friend or family member is still engaged in harmful patterns of behavior.
Some family members even feel as though they preferred dealing with their loved one before they got sober. But they may worry about sharing their concerns because they’re apprehensive about their loved one relapsing.
Loved ones can help by encouraging their friend or family member to stick with treatment. Remembering that relapse doesn’t mean that someone has failed at sobriety. It just indicates that more support is necessary.
A friend or family member can also encourage someone exhibiting dry drunk behavior to seek out other stimulating activities. They might take a class, pursue a new hobby, spend time with family and friends or get out in nature.
If you struggle with addiction, it helps to know that you’re not alone. Dealing with symptoms of dry drunk syndrome can make you feel confused and irritated, though. That’s why it’s so important to seek out counseling and surround yourself with supportive people.
At New Method Wellness, we offer a wide variety of approaches to treatment. The chances are high that we provide services that you may not have tried before, such as equine therapy, meditation therapy and guided imagery.
Working with someone who understands addiction and what you’re going through can help you stay on the road to recovery.
For more information about our Treatment Programs, visit our website or call 866.951.1824
