If you are addicted to alcohol and want to overcome it, you have many options. But easily your best option is always going to be to go to a drug rehab center and detoxify from alcohol while under the care of professionals.
If you are wondering how this works, what to expect, and how likely it is to succeed, then read on. Here we will outline everything you need to know about the process of alcohol detoxification in a drug rehab center. You will soon see that this is quite clearly your best option for overcoming your alcohol addiction.
Detoxing: The First Step In Any Treatment
Quite simply, detoxing from the drug is always the very first step in overcoming any addiction. This simply refers to the process of actually allowing the drug to leave the system, and until that has happened, true recovery cannot really begin.
But of course, it is often more of a challenge than you might hope to go through such a detoxification process, which is part of why it can be so helpful to make sure you have the right assistance by your side.
During detoxification, you are helped to overcome your body’s physical dependence on alcohol. This process is about much more than just not drinking any alcohol. There will also be counseling and often medication involved to help make it easier and to reduce the associated risks of starving your body of its addiction.
The Major Steps In Detoxification
Now we know what detoxing is and how it works, it might be helpful to take a closer look at the process, including an overview of the major steps in detoxification that you can expect to take place. Detoxification can be safely performed at both inpatient and outpatient facilities, though round-the-clock monitoring by medical professionals can be wise for particularly heavy users, as the risks are so much greater. There are three primary steps to detoxification, as follows.
Intake
During the initial intake phase, the medical team will carry out a comprehensive review of the patient in question. This will involve looking into their drug history, medical background, psychiatric history, and so on. The more fully the team understands the person’s past, the better equipped they are to help, so this is an essential part of the process for that reason.
Medication
During the second phase of medication, the patient may be given medications that will mimic some of the effects of alcohol to a lesser degree and more safely. This helps to keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum. There is also a possibility of medication of other kinds being used to target any co-occurring conditions that may be in place which could disrupt the detoxification process if left alone.
Stabilization
This is the main part of detoxification, and it is where the patient undergoes a variety of medical and therapeutic therapies to help them reach a balance of mind and body and effectively overcome dependency. This can take a while, and it needs to be carried on through until the results are seen clearly.
Side Effects
There are side effects to alcohol detoxification, and it is best to be prepared for these before going into rehab, so you know what is coming and it can be a little less of a shock. In fact, these side effects can be broken down into two major phases.
Phase One
During phase one, when you are undergoing acute withdrawal from alcohol, you can expect a wide range of potential side effects to occur. You might experience none of these, or all of them, or anywhere in between. It may include:
- Anxiety
- Hallucinations
- Depression
- Convulsions and tremors
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia
- Excessive sweating
- “The shakes”
- Hypertension
- Heart failure
Phase Two
This phase comes over a period of months, during early abstinence, and is when the brain is slowly getting back to normal. The symptoms can include:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
- Diminished appetite
- Mood swings
- Depression
In both phases, there is always help to hand, especially if you have gone to a proper rehab center. This is one of the main reasons to consider going to a rehab center if you are thinking of trying to overcome your alcohol addiction – managing these side effects will be considerably easier to do.
As you can see, the alcohol detox process is quite drawn out, but it is effective in helping you overcome your alcohol addiction. If you think that is what you need, get in touch with the center today.