What is Kindling Alcohol?
What happens when a person goes through a repeating pattern of binge drinking, detox and withdrawal? Every time a person repeats this pattern, the amount of stimuli needed to engage in withdrawal decreases, while the intensity of withdrawal symptoms increases. This is known as the kindling effect. Each time a person attempts to quit drinking alcohol and relapses and starts drinking again, the brain and body become more sensitive to the drastic changes that occur. Symptoms of withdrawal become more pronounced and intensified due to the chemical reactions occurring in different body systems. Kindling alcohol describes when a person goes through repeated alcohol withdrawals where the symptoms become more and more severe with each relapse.
The term kindling is derived from the materials used to start a fire. The more kindling added to the fire, the hotter and faster it would burn. This references a parallel concept of alcohol withdrawal. When multiple detoxes are experienced, the more severe and intense withdrawal can become. Kindling is most apparent during alcohol withdrawal. However, it can also occur during withdrawal from other substances such as benzos, cannabinoids, barbiturates, amphetamines and cocaine.
What is the Kindling Effect?
The kindling phenomenon was first discovered in 1967 by neuroscientist Graham Goddard. He was testing the amygdala part of the brain in mice by repeating electrical shocks to the brain that caused seizures. Over time, the rate of developing seizures increased because it took a much lower stimulation to cause the seizures.
Kindling occurs because of a weak electrical or chemical stimulus in the brain. When a person goes through repeated alcohol withdrawals and with each relapse, the symptoms become more and more severe. Kindling is associated with increased neuronal excitability. As the pattern of bingeing and detox continues, withdrawal symptoms intensify with each successive episode and can leave the brain in a persistent state of central nervous system hyperexcitability. This causes the brain to eventually react to low-level bioelectrical stimulations and lowers the threshold for which it produces a reaction during alcohol withdrawal.
In other words, due to repeated patterns of alcoholic bingeing and detoxing, the brain and body become more sensitive to extreme chemical changes. This causes lower stimulation that produces withdrawal symptoms as well as more intensified withdrawal symptoms each time the pattern repeats itself. This is often the case during alcohol use disorder. A person who abuses alcohol will begin to detox and come off an alcoholic binge. However, during the withdrawal process, they may experience cravings and urges to drink, which can lead to a relapse of alcohol use again. This may happen more than once. When this occurs, each time the person attempts to recover from their alcohol use disorder, the withdrawal symptoms become more easily triggered, more intense and more dangerous.
Alcohol-induced Kindling Withdrawal
Withdrawal from substances such as drugs and alcohol occurs because the brain is trying to rebalance and return to a normal state of being where it does not require drugs or alcohol for normal functioning. Typical alcohol withdrawal symptoms occur about 12-48 hours after the last drink. Common withdrawal symptoms include cravings to drink, restlessness, agitation, insomnia, anxiety, depression, tremors, seizures and hallucinations. In some cases, withdrawal can be uncomfortable and even painful. This often leads users to relapse and begin drinking again.
There are three different factors that can affect issues that are associated with withdrawal. How much a person drinks. How often a person drinks. And how many times a person has been through detox and withdrawal. Issues that can contribute to having multiple alcohol withdrawals include mental health disorders, family and relationship issues, boredom, isolation and life stressors.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and is one of the most addictive substances. Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse involve problematic drinking patterns including heavy drinking or binge drinking. Oftentimes, they are scattered with periods of alcohol abstinence. When the body and brain adapt to alcohol, it increases the excitability of the nerve cells and their ability to become activated. When alcohol is removed from the body during detox, compulsory activation of the CNS still remains in effect for a few more days. This type of chemical excitability in the brain is known as alcohol withdrawal. Eventually, repeated sessions of withdrawal can lead to the kindling effect.
During the initial stages of withdrawal during the kindling effect, people usually experience symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia, fatigue and mood swings. When experiencing a kindling episode, the nervous system holds on to past memories and experiences of the body and is imprinted into the nervous system. This makes subsequent withdrawals much more intense and worse because the nervous system is sensitized and damaged prior to past experiences.
Other common kindled withdrawal symptoms include neurotoxicity, altered perception of alcohol effects, and high susceptibility to seizures. Seizures are dangerous effects of kindling. Seizures are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. The imbalance can be exacerbated after repeated withdrawal experiences, which lead to developing the kindling effect. These severe seizures are also known as delirium tremens, which is also a severe symptom of alcohol withdrawal.
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Who is at risk for Kindling Alcohol effects?
- People who are trying to recover from Alcoholism
- People who cycle through withdrawal and relapse episodes multiple times
- People who have already achieved sobriety
- People who have relapsed numerous times
- People who have mental health disorders such as bipolar and depression
- People with emotional concerns
- People with relationship problems
- People with life stressors
The dangers of Kindling from Alcohol Use Disorder
The majority of research on the effects of kindling mainly revolves around alcohol abuse. Although it can happen when taking other substances such as benzos and stimulants, it is most commonly seen in those who abuse alcohol. There is no cure or direct treatment for the kindling effect. With every relapse and detox, a person is at risk for developing kindling, making withdrawal more painful and intense during each session. Because of this high risk, it is important to detox under the care of a professional treatment setting. Those who do not receive supervised medical care are much more vulnerable to kindling episodes.
Kindling alcohol can contribute to a patient’s relapse risk. Patients in alcohol addiction treatment may already be experiencing urges and cravings for alcohol during detox. Once they have relapsed, not only are they at risk for kindling, but they are also at risk for giving in to their addiction. Kindling can contribute to alcohol-related brain damage. The worsening of withdrawal effects can impact cognitive brain functions just as much as the physical side effects. Repeated use of alcohol changes the brain’s chemistry and can cause physical and psychological impairments.
Kindling can be unpredictable. The severity of the withdrawal effect can differ among alcoholics. Side effects, symptoms and severity of symptoms can also vary among the different withdrawal episodes experienced by the same person.
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Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol addiction is a serious and widespread disease. One of the most dangerous side effects of alcohol addiction is kindling. Research has found that repeated alcohol withdrawal may cause sensitization to subsequent withdrawal episodes that result in more severe symptoms that can be life-threatening. Multiple withdrawals can happen during any stage of alcohol addiction treatment. Professional behavioral health treatment programs such as Hotel California by the Sea provide a comprehensive treatment program to help prevent dangerous side effects such as the kindling effect.
We offer treatment at all levels of care including detox, residential, PHP and IOP. We utilize evidence-based treatment methods such as CBT, DBT and family therapy to help our clients better understand the root causes of their addiction. With the combination of behavioral therapies as well as medication-assisted treatments, clients will have all the tools and resources they need to achieve their goals in recovery.
References:
https://www.cleanrecoverycenters.com/beware-of-the-kindling-effect
https://www.benzoinfo.com/kindling/
https://canadiancentreforaddictions.org/the-kindling-effect-all-you-need-to-know/
https://alcoholrehabhelp.org/addiction/effects/withdrawal/kindling/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6761822/#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Ckindling%E2%80%9D%20refers%20to,symptoms%20with%20each%20successive%20cycle.