If you’ve been drinking too much, alcohol detox is the first step in your recovery journey. It’s not a walk in the park, and it’s important to get professional help.
You can try to detox yourself at home, but it’s best to seek medical supervision. This way, you can minimize severe symptoms and avoid dangerous complications such as seizures.
Symptoms
When you stop drinking, your body goes through a series of physical and mental symptoms called alcohol withdrawal. These can range from mild to serious.
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are the body’s way of trying to counteract the effects of alcohol on your system. When you drink alcohol, it slows down your brain’s function and changes the way your nerves send messages back and forth.
During the withdrawal period, your body will produce more stimulating chemicals to counteract the alcohol’s depressant effect. These include gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dopamine, which temporarily restores chemical homeostasis.
The most common symptoms of withdrawal are anxiety, tremors, and sweating. More severe symptoms may also include fever, hallucinations, seizures, and irregular heartbeats.
Treatment options
Alcohol withdrawal is a dangerous process, especially for people who are dependent on alcohol or have had severe drinking problems. If you're experiencing serious withdrawal symptoms, you may need to go to a medically-supervised treatment center.
Inpatient treatment is the most effective and safest way to detox from alcohol. This is because it provides around-the-clock care by a team of medical professionals.
You can also use medicine to help you stop drinking, such as acamprosate (brand name Campral). It helps to reduce alcohol cravings and prevent relapse by blocking receptors in your brain that make you feel good when you drink.
Other treatments include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It teaches you how to identify the feelings and situations that make you want to drink and help you change your behaviour. It may be one-on-one or in groups.
How long does it take to detox?
The length of detox depends on a number of factors, including how much a person drinks, whether or not they drink regularly and the severity of their substance use disorder. Most people stop experiencing withdrawal symptoms four to five days after their last drink, but for some severe alcoholics it can take weeks to fully recover from alcoholism.
The first few days of withdrawal are very uncomfortable, but these symptoms can be managed by detox professionals. During this time, it’s important to drink plenty of water and eat healthy, nutritious foods.
During this stage, most alcohol cravings and fatigue will subside. However, a percentage of people will experience more severe symptoms, such as body tremors, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression, profuse sweating and delirium tremens (DT).
Symptoms of physical withdrawal begin within 6-12 hours after the last alcoholic drink. During this stage, they peak for 24 to 72 hours and reduce significantly between days five and seven.
Side effects
Withdrawal from alcohol is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. Anyone who is dependent on alcohol should seek professional care from a specialized alcohol detox facility to safely stop drinking and begin treatment for their addiction.
Long-term heavy drinking affects the brain and central nervous system in many ways. It changes the chemistry of the body to increase neurotransmitters such as dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
When a person suddenly stops drinking, their brain must adjust to the lack of these chemicals. This process is called withdrawal and can cause a range of uncomfortable physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.
