What Is Alcohol Detox?

How Long Does a Complete Detox from Alcohol Take?

Understanding that alcohol detox is simply the beginning aspect on the often-long road to addiction recovery is important. The length of time a person experiences detox from alcohol is dependent upon the individual aspects of their addiction. Typically, an alcohol detox will last 5-10 days. The worst symptoms will be felt from 24-72 hours depending on how severe a person’s addiction to alcohol is. Factors that determine the length of detox include:

• How much alcohol is consumed on a regular basis
• How long the person has been drinking
• If they are using other substances aside from alcohol
• If they are experiencing any other mental or emotional conditions such as anxiety or depression
• A person’s gender, weight, metabolism, and other health factors

After the initial detox period, a person will complete the rest of their treatment programme. Treatment at an alcohol addiction rehab will typically last anywhere from 28 to 90 days. A person should expect to slowly feel better as the length of their treatment increases.

Is Alcohol Detox Painful?

The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable and painful for those who are accustomed to drinking heavily. Withdrawal symptoms are different for everyone and subjective to a person’s individual alcohol intake. Some people will have a relatively easy time detoxing from alcohol, while others will experience more intense withdrawal symptoms. How painful this experience is will be contingent upon an individual’s personal alcohol consumption.

What Are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of detox from alcohol will be vary depending on the severity of a person’s addiction to the substance. The more severe a person’s addiction is, the more intense they will experience the withdrawal process. Minor symptoms will begin between 6-12 hours after a person had their last drink and include:

• Sweating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Irritability
• Insomnia

For people with more serious cases of alcohol addiction, these symptoms will be followed by more intense withdrawals. These will occur between 12-24 hours after a person’s last drink and can include audio, tactile, and visual hallucinations. Paranoia and delusion are also symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

Delirium tremors (DTs) are also associated with alcohol detox. DTs cause confusion begins approximately 72 hours after a person’s last drink and can last 48-72 hours. DTs are most common in people who have been drinking excessively for a month or longer. In critical cases of DTs, extremely high body temperature or seizures can result in death. In cases of extreme alcohol addiction such as these, a medically-assisted detox will be given to the patient.

Stages of Alcohol Detox

Alcohol detox usually occurs in three specific stages. The symptoms a person experiences during detox will depend on the nature of their addiction. The worst of alcohol detox can last a few days, while the lingering effects of detox can last for months.

Stage 1

The worse stage will begin a few hours after the alcohol begins to leave a person’s body. Depending on the severity of a person’s addiction the first stage of detox can be extremely dangerous. For acute cases of addiction, the first stage of alcohol detox often consists of increased heart rate, profuse sweating, tremors, hallucinations, and nausea and vomiting. These symptoms usually last between 24 and 72 hours. People with severe withdrawal symptoms are usually monitored throughout detox and are often offered medical assistance.

Stage 2

After a few days, the withdrawal a person experiences will tend to ease up. Marked feelings of intense anxiety however, are quite common in the second phase of an alcohol detox. An overall feeling of depression is also common. People will experience this early stage of abstinence from alcohol differently, but will generally feel depressed, anxious, irritable, and have trouble sleeping during this time. These feelings can last anywhere from two weeks to two months depending on the severity of a person’s addiction.

Stage 3

A period of sustained abstinence marks the final stage of detox. Although by this time they will have been sober for quite some time, there will still be moments when they are triggered to desire a drink. Even though all the physical traces of alcohol are gone, there will most often still be periods of extreme anxiety. These feelings can increase the risk of relapse, which is why it is important to monitor one’s feelings well after the detox process.

Can the Process Be Dangerous?

Detoxing from alcohol can be dangerous, depending on the severity of a person’s addiction. Once a person has been drinking a lot of booze, every day, over an extended period of time, they increase their risks of danger when detoxing from alcohol. If someone has been drinking a lot for a long time and then they suddenly just stop, the repercussions can be life-threatening.

Stopping the use of alcohol abruptly is what can cause the hallucinations and delirium associated with acute cases of detox. For the seriously addicted alcoholic, heart failure while detoxing can result in devastating consequences. The first few days pose the biggest risk in detoxing from alcohol. Anyone with a moderate to serious addiction to alcohol should never try to detox on their own. The consequences of alcohol detox can prove to be fatal, which is why a professional detox should be taken very seriously.

What is a Medically-Assisted Alcohol Detox?

When a person has an acute case of alcohol addiction where detox symptoms do prove to be dangerous, they will often be given medication to ease the symptoms they experience. A medically-assisted alcohol detox is given to addicts to help them through this very critical stage of addiction recovery. The more successful a person’s detox to alcohol, the better they will respond to the rest of their treatment.

When people experience extreme withdrawal symptoms, they might be tempted to drop out of treatment and relapse. If a person’s symptoms are this bad, a medically-assisted detox can help them finish their treatment programme. When their withdrawal symptoms begin to improve, they are slowly weaned from the medication as they begin the rest of their treatment programme.

Why Do I Need Treatment if I’ve Successfully Completed Detox?

Because addiction is such a complex condition, it needs to be addressed on numerous levels. Detox is but one of a few different components that help a person overcome an addiction to alcohol. A person who has completed detox has taken the first step on their journey towards recovery. It is however, only the first step. To successfully sustain sobriety, a person needs therapy and different treatments that are designed to help a person overcome addiction. Detox will get them started in the right direction, but it simply the beginning of a much larger recovery process.

Although detox will help in the short-term, in order for a person to see the lifelong results they’re looking for, it is vital they receive additional treatment. Detox lays the foundation for a much larger journey in addiction recovery. The treatment a person should receive after detox will give them the tools they need to not only overcome their addiction, but navigate through life as a sober member of society. The additional treatment a person receives after detoxing from alcohol is essential to staying sober and embracing what life has to offer.

Is There Any Rehab Programme Available?

As you’re becoming more aware of, alcohol detox is only the first step in successfully overcoming your addiction. If a person is serious about recovery and turning their life around, getting further treatment immediately following detox is highly recommended. The importance of a comprehensive treatment programme for addiction cannot be stressed enough. A person must complete all the stages of rehab before they’ll be successful in staying sober.

If you are attending a residential rehab where all treatment takes place at the rehab centre, the transition from detox to therapy is seamless. A person will complete detox and move right into the different modalities of their treatment plan. This is one reason that a residential treatment programme is often recommended. The ability to not have to concern yourself with anything other than getting help while going through the rehab process can prove to be unprecedented for optimal healing.

Those who go through alcohol detox while getting help at an outpatient centre will most often detox at a special detox facility, addiction clinic, or hospital. After they’ve completed detox, an they will be responsible to attend the various appointments scheduled as part of their treatment plan. In some instances, alcohol detox will take place at home, but is something most commonly found in mild cases of alcohol abuse.

How Much Does Alcohol Detox Cost?

The first thing many people want to know is how much an alcohol detox is going to cost them. Unfortunately, there is not a one-price-fits-all answer for this. The price of an alcohol detox programme will depend highly upon the detox centre chosen and what is included in the programme itself.

There are options for alcohol detox that cost very little, as well as options that are much more expensive. Luxury alcohol detox centres will obviously cost more than a basic outpatient detox programme. We are here to help you find a detox centre that fits your needs as well as you budget.

There are some insurance carriers that will help with the cost of alcohol detox, as well as a few free services offered by the NHS. We can discuss all the options available and help you quickly find a detox centre to get you started on the road to recovery.

Let Us Help You Understand the Alcohol Detox Options

An addiction to alcohol is one of the most difficult experiences a person can encounter in their lifetime. There are countless people struggling with alcoholism on a daily basis. Getting help can turn this struggle around. Treatment for alcohol addiction starts with the recognition that there is a problem with alcohol abuse. It isn’t until this that a person will ever be able to get help.

We understand how hard an addiction to alcohol can be. We’re here to answer any questions you have about alcoholism and the process of getting help. We can help you understand why detox is so important, as well as why a person needs further treatment after the detox process is over. Any questions you have about detoxing from alcohol (or the general addiction treatment process), can be answered by one of our professionally trained representatives.

We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide you with all the information you need regarding overcoming an addiction to alcohol. No one deserves to be slave to the bottle. Treatment can offer the help a person needs to successfully overcome their addiction for good. We are in touch with some of the best treatment centres across the UK. We’re also familiar with the various options a person might consider for detox, and can help you make the best decision possible regarding your individual needs.

Overcoming an addiction to alcohol is possible. There is no reason alcohol needs to continue to destroy your life, especially with all the different available treatment options. Overcoming addiction is a process, one that begins with admitting to a problem with alcohol. The next step is going through a detox, which is one of the most important steps in addiction recovery. We want to see you succeed in your alcohol detox. We’re here to offer all the information you need as you begin your steps towards the freedom from addiction you deserve.