Table of Contents
Get 24/7 help. Call now for:
Are you looking to detox from alcohol, but aren’t quite sure how to get started?
Detoxing is the first major step in the road to addiction recovery. However, you need to make sure you go about detoxing the right way in order for it to be effective and for you to stay safe.
How do you detox from alcohol?
Check out this guide to learn everything you need to know about alcohol detox.
Table of Contents
First things first, what exactly is alcohol detox?
Alcohol detox is the process in which your body attempts to rid its system of toxins and waste products that have built up from excessive, long-time alcohol consumption. In a professional treatment setting, the detox process is typically accompanied by medical observation, counseling, and sometimes medication.
If you’ve been drinking heavily for a long period of time, you’re more likely to experience dangerous, unwanted side effects from detoxing. This is why detoxing in a medically supervised environment is so important.
While detox can and has been safely performed in outpatient and inpatient settings, around the clock monitoring is best for heavy users. Once you arrive at a detox center, the medical staff will first perform an intake assessment.
This will involve gathering information about your medical, drug, and psychiatric history. If necessary, the medical team will also prescribe medications to you to mimic the effects of alcohol. This helps to lessen the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.
During the detox process, you’ll also undergo medical and psychological therapy to make the process as comfortable as possible.
A lot of people use the terms alcohol detox and alcohol rehab interchangeable, however, they’re not the same thing. Alcohol detox, as explained above, involves addressing the withdrawal symptoms that come with giving up alcohol through a series of treatments.
Alcohol rehab, on the other hand, focuses on the psychological side of addiction. During rehab, the underlying causes of addiction are treated through different types of therapy. After you detox from alcohol, rehab is necessary to help you understand the root cause of your addiction and how you can overcome your alcohol dependency.
Detoxing from alcohol isn’t easy, but it’s a necessary first step on your road to recovery. Here’s what the detox process looks like in a nutshell:
The early withdrawal period usually lasts up to 12 hours after your last drink. Typically, you’ll start noticing withdrawal symptoms six to eight hours after your last drink if you were a heavy user.
During this time, your blood alcohol level will drop and you’ll experience nausea, insomnia, and shaking. Anxiety will likely set in and you’ll also experience body aches and pains. Basically, you’ll experience an extremely severe hangover.
For many people, this causes them to panic and feel the urge to drink. This is why medically supervised detox is so important, as it helps you resist the urge to grab a drink.
Some other symptoms you may experience during early withdrawal include:
A sudden rush of brain activity may also result in shaking, and you may also experience anxiety due to a disruption in your neurotransmitters.
The mid-withdrawal phase occurs 12 to 72 hours after you had your last drink. During this phase, you’ll experience more dangerous and severe symptoms than you did during the first phase of withdrawal.
Your body temperature and blood pressure will continue to rise, and you’ll experience confusion and an irregular heartbeat. You’ll also likely become dehydrated and struggle with your appetite.
A small portion of people also experience delirium tremens during the mid-withdrawal phase. DT is characterized by a rapid onset of tremors, confusion, hallucinations, increased heart rate, and in some cases, seizures.
Hallucinations often occur due to low blood sugar, a rush of dopamine, and vitamin deficiency. You’ll also likely experience mood swings due to hormone changes in your brain.
Detoxing in a medically supervised environment is the best way to ensure that these severe symptoms don’t become life-threatening and that you stay safe.
Post-withdrawal symptoms occur two weeks after you’ve had your last drink, and sometimes they last as long as a year. During the post-withdrawal phase, the physical symptoms subside and you can begin to focus on the emotional symptoms of addiction and recovery.
While detoxing from alcohol is a huge first step, it’s important to understand that your recovery journey is not over at this point. During the post-withdrawal phase, you’ll still need to deal with drinking cravings, triggers, changes in your brain chemistry, peer pressure, and much more.
Therapy and counseling are the best way to manage the emotional side effects that come with the post-withdrawal period.
In some rare cases, people experience something known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). PAWS typically occurs in the first few weeks or months after detoxing from alcohol.
Symptoms of this disorder include:
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you can speak with your doctor or rehab medical team about what to do.
Now that you know more about alcohol detox, it’s time to take your first step on the road to recovery and sign up for an alcohol detox program. While some people choose to detox at home, it’s a lot safer and more effective to do so in a medically supervised environment.
Be sure to check back in with our blog for more tips and tricks on recovering from alcohol addiction.
Don’t go through the process of recovery alone. There are people who can help you with the struggle you’re facing. Get in touch with one today.
