Detox is a vital first step for anyone suffering from alcohol addiction. It helps purge the body of harmful toxins and prepares individuals for treatment programs.
Medically supervised detox is the safest and most effective option. It also provides various benefits, including mitigation of withdrawal symptoms and treatment for co-occurring medical and mental health conditions.
Symptom Relief
When you’re addicted to alcohol, it can be difficult to quit drinking “cold turkey” without medical care. That’s why detox should be a part of your treatment program. A medically supervised detox offers many benefits that aren’t possible when trying to go it alone.
In a medically supervised detox program, you’ll receive comprehensive monitoring and all necessary support to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. This includes medication to mitigate chemical imbalances, addressing health conditions, and ensuring proper nutrition while recovering.
Medically supervised alcohol detox San Diego can foster a strong foundation for longer-term substance abuse treatment. This is because you’ll be entering treatment with a solid understanding of your relationship to alcohol, which can help prevent future relapse. For example, encouraging patients to keep drink diaries—whether on paper or with an alcohol tracker phone app—in the early stages of detox helps them stay more mindful of their consumption and the feelings around it.
Decreased Risk of Relapse
When someone tries to detox from alcohol without medical supervision, they may experience severe withdrawal symptoms that can be life-threatening. These symptoms include delirium tremens, seizures, psychosis, heart events, and brain damage. They can also result in death.
With medically supervised alcohol detox, there is on-call medical staff available at all times to handle any withdrawal complications that may arise. Additionally, the detox process is done in a controlled environment where patients are not exposed to any triggers that can lead to drinking.
By reducing the risk of relapse, medically supervised detox makes it easier for people to achieve long-term sobriety. This is particularly important for those with a strong family history of alcoholism or who suffer from other co-occurring conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, or chronic pain. People must choose a rehab program that offers onsite medically supervised detox, such as BetterHelp.
Increased Self-Esteem
Alcohol withdrawal is painful and distressing, but it doesn’t have to be. Medically supervised detox allows for a more comfortable experience during this difficult time by keeping track of blood pressure and heart rate while administering medications and nutritional supplements. This prevents the onset of dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including seizures and strokes. The detox will also ensure that all alcohol toxins are removed from the body before commencing a complete treatment program at the rehab clinic.
Depending on the severity of the addiction, patients may be advised to attend an inpatient alcohol detox program. This involves staying in a recovery house and attending addiction therapy for several weeks or months until they are fully ready to resume their daily lives. These programs may also be referred to as PHP or partial hospitalization programs. These are a great way to balance inpatient and outpatient care by providing users with the best of both worlds. This enables them to work, attend school, or attend addiction treatment during the day.
Improved Mental Health
When someone has an alcohol addiction, they can find themselves drinking in ways that impact their daily lives. This can mean drinking all day, every day, or binge drinking sessions. Alcohol addiction is a severe problem that a medically supervised alcohol detox program should treat.
This can lead to complications such as delirium tremens and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. In the worst cases, it can also cause health problems, including cardiovascular issues, kidney failure, liver disease, and even death.
During detox, doctors can use benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and some types of seizures. This helps people to feel more comfortable as they go through withdrawal. Detox is often a precursor to longer-term alcohol rehab treatment and can help to reduce the risk of future relapses. It also enables people to learn new coping skills that can help them cope with triggers and stressors that could lead to drug or alcohol use in the future.
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