Alcohol Detox

Detox off of alcohol

Alcohol detox can help you overcome your addiction!

Alcohol detox is the very first point of treatment for an addiction who is suffering from alcohol withdrawal and has made the decision to quit drinking. During this early phase of alcohol addiction treatment, the addict will effectively overcome physical symptoms of withdrawal and prepare for long-term psychological treatment and recovery from alcohol addiction. The symptoms that an addict must cope with during alcohol withdrawal can make the detoxification process challenging at best but treatment is available and it will help!

During alcohol detox, the addict may feel a number of withdrawal symptoms which may or may not pose a serious health risk to the addict. The majority of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are not a real danger to the addict and will go away on their own with proper rest, diet and exercise. However, certain symptoms such as seizures, hallucinations, severe vomiting and disorientation can pose significant health threats to the addict and should be treated by a medical professional to ensure absolute safety during this difficult time.

Alcohol Detox Programs

The process of physically overcoming all dependence on alcohol can take up to a couple of weeks depending on the severity of the addiction and various other factors. The addict must adjust to live without alcohol and the body must learn how to live and cope without being administered a daily dose of booze. Alcohol detox programs provide a safe, secure environment that is conducive to the alcoholic’s recovery by offering medical treatment, supportive care and guidance that aims to provide patients with the help that they need to stay sober and prepare for long-term recovery.

A detox program can help you get through the process of alcohol detoxification by providing you with medications that will help to ease many of the withdrawal symptoms that you are feeling. Some of the medications that are available to help reduce your symptoms of withdrawal include benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, anti-seizure medications and similar treatments. Your doctor or treatment professional will prescribe a regimen of medications when you enter the alcohol detox program.

The most common medications used in alcohol detox include:

  • Librium
  • Diazepam
  • Lorezapam
  • Ativan
  • Clonidine

Life After Alcohol Detox

Following your time spent in the alcohol detoxification program, you should feel better, no longer have physical withdrawal symptoms and be better prepared for psychological treatment and care. Life after alcohol detox is looking up and you should be feeling much more optimistic now than you did before. Treatment must continue in order for you to fully heal but physically, you should be feeling more prepared for what’s to come.

Most patients will spend some time in residential treatment following detox. This provides the smoothest and safest transition into a counseling and therapeutic setting for the addict. If you don’t choose residential treatment as your next step in treatment, outpatient programs, support groups and counseling can help. Continuing your treatment is vital to your lifelong recovery from alcohol addiction and can help to prevent the risk of relapse in the future.