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Alcohol Detox
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Alcohol Detox
Alcohol tends to be a big part of American celebration culture. It’s served at everything from large sporting events to small intimate dinners. While many people have no trouble consuming drinks without overindulging, others get to a point where they form a dependency because of substance abuse. People incapable of controlling how much they are drinking can benefit from enrolling in an alcohol detoxification program or another form of medical detox.
Alcohol Interventions
Family-based intervention services, brief intervention models, and peer support resources can reduce risk factors tied to alcohol and health issues. A trained treatment provider or expert interventionist uses empathy, education, and management strategies to reduce fear, shame, and codependency while encouraging sobriety and abstinence.
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What is an Alcohol Use Disorder?
The term alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical term used to describe people incapable of moderating how much they drink. It’s a chronic disease of the brain and nervous system that prevents people from gaining any control over their alcohol consumption. Individuals with an AUD may engage in binge drinking and addictive behavior, experience appetite changes, and suffer health risks directly and indirectly tied to their drinking and substance abuse.
Your body starts adjusting to the amount of alcohol and drugs you consume, leading to physical dependence. That means you must drink larger quantities to experience the same sedative effects. Only a mental health professional or physician can diagnose someone with an AUD or dual diagnosis involving another mental disorder.
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Signs of Alcohol User Disorder
- • Drinking more alcohol than you intend in one sitting, including beer or wine
• Being unable to cut back despite health risks or pressure from peers
• Spending a lot of time drinking alone and hiding alcohol intake
• Feeling a strong urge to drink or misuse prescription drug addiction substances
• Continuing to drink despite injury, violence, anger, or drunk driving incidents
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, tremors, or sleep disruption
• Facing relapse risk, shame, and cravings tied to addictive behavior and stress
The more symptoms you experience, the more likely you may need an inpatient treatment center, outpatient clinic, or detoxification program. The severity of an AUD can range from mild to severe. It’s best to seek the advice of a treatment provider, social work professional, or addiction medicine expert if you believe you have a drinking problem.
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What Happens During Alcohol Withdrawal?
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a medical emergency that occurs when you stop drinking after developing physical dependence. It is a sign that your mind, brain, and body have become dependent on the depressant effects of alcohol. The central nervous system adapts by producing chemicals like serotonin and altering blood pressure, heart rate, and electrolyte balance to compensate.
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
Cutting off alcohol use suddenly disrupts nervous system activity and vital signs. You may enter a hyper-aroused state that leads to withdrawal. The severity depends on how long you’ve abused alcohol and your drinking behavior. Minor symptoms set in around six to 12 hours after your last drink and can include:
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances
• Tremors and perspiration
• Anxiety, irritability, and stress
• Headaches and vomiting
• Gastrointestinal tract problems like diarrhea or stomach pain
• Heart palpitations or shortness of breath
Hallucination episodes may occur 12 to 24 hours after your last drink. Seizure risk can peak at 24 to 48 hours. Between 48 and 72 hours, delirium tremens may set in, with confusion, hyperthermia, fever, hypertension, electrolyte imbalance, and violent behavior. People may also develop nausea, dehydration, and electrolyte deficiencies requiring intensive care unit support.
Those more at risk include individuals with liver disease, a history of suicidal ideation, or co-occurring opioid and methamphetamine use. Alcohol withdrawal is dangerous, which is why medical detox and alcohol intervention from a treatment center is strongly recommended.
What Happens After Completing an Alcohol Detox Program?
Ongoing treatment may include medication such as naltrexone, disulfiram, or acamprosate. Vitamins like thiamine and nutritional support from a dietitian help restore balance to the gastrointestinal tract. Rehab centers also connect patients with sober companions, Smart Recovery groups, or Alcoholics Anonymous. These networks offer peer support for managing addictive behavior and emotional pain.
If you’re ready to change your life, call Family Interventions to speak with an expert interventionist. Our interventionists help patients and parents explore insurance coverage, treatment center placement, and dual diagnosis care.
How Can An Alcohol Detox Program Help?
Other therapies may include alternative medicine options like meditation or guided stress management. Physicians may prescribe carbamazepine for seizure prevention, or adjust electrolytes and vitamins to address dehydration. Thiamine supplementation prevents Wernicke’s encephalopathy, a condition linked to alcohol abuse and poor nutrition.
Detox is the first step in alcohol and drug rehab. Once toxins are cleared, patients enter alcohol rehab or a treatment center that offers therapy, psychiatry, and long-term mental health treatment. Programs may involve coping skills training, anger management, physical exercise, and pain management.
Other services provided during a typical alcohol treatment program include:
• Therapy and mental health treatment with a licensed therapist
• Access to 12-step and Smart Recovery groups
• Health insurance verification and payment planning for treatment services
• Links to a sober companion or alumni community