If you are considering at-home detox, speak with your doctor before beginning the process. They can help you determine the best and safest action for your needs. A community of understanding and empathetic people can help you recover. These support groups require no commitment from attendees, and you can attend meetings online. Consider avoiding bars and liquor stores, as well as avoiding routines that involve alcohol. If a person can answer yes to two or more of the CAGE questions, they should consider seeking treatment.
How long does it take to detox from alcohol?
When that person cuts out alcohol, there is a period when their brain hasn’t yet received the message and still overproduces the stimulating chemicals. With alcohol out of the equation, though, these chemicals cause withdrawal symptoms. Most people stop having withdrawal symptoms four to five days after their last drink.
Social Support and Treatment Programs
Because denial is common, you may feel like you don’t have a problem with drinking. You might not recognize how much you drink or how many problems in your life are related to alcohol use. Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help. Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.
Management and Treatment
The most prescribed benzodiazepine is chlordiazepoxide, which is only available as a generic in the United States. Read on to learn about the symptoms of AWS, as well as how it can be treated or prevented. You’ll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. AWS is often accompanied by intense cravings to drink and may affect your emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being. Relapses happen during rehabilitation, but what’s important is how you move forward from it.
How is alcohol withdrawal syndrome treated?
AWS can evolve in a few hours or a few days but often develops between 6 to 24 hours after your last drink. Once you stop drinking, though, the sudden change may come as a shock to your brain, which altered some of its chemistry to make up for the alcohol’s presence. Delirium tremens (DT) is the most severe form of AWS and occurs in 5% of people with AWS.
The person should also try to eat three well-balanced meals per day and drink enough water to remain hydrated. In addition, vitamin supplements may be given to replace essential vitamins that are depleted by alcohol use. Once withdrawal is complete, additional medications and supplements may be needed to address complications and nutritional deficiencies that occur because of chronic alcohol use. The first goal of treatment is to keep you comfortable by managing your symptoms. Your doctor’s treatment goal is helping you stop drinking as quickly and safely as possible. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal.
Inpatient Alcohol Detox
- Outpatient detox involves regularly following up with a health care professional before and during detox.
- Detoxing at home may seem like a cheaper, more convenient way to detox from alcohol, but it carries serious risks.
- Consuming more than that can lead to liver damage and heart disease, and increase your risk for some cancers.
It’s also a central nervous system depressant, and your body may become more reliant on ethanol the longer it’s exposed to it. Try to remember that you don’t have to feel shame about your experience. AUD is very common, affecting an estimated 76.3 million people worldwide. By reading up on alcohol withdrawal and learning more about treatment and self-help options, you’ve taken an important step toward recovery.
Additional Alcoholism Treatment Options
A doctor might also recommend certain dietary changes or supplements, such as vitamins B-1 (thiamin) and B-9 (folic acid), to help the body cope with the decreasing alcohol intake. In some cases, a person may choose to reduce their alcohol consumption gradually over several weeks. In these cases, a person should work with a doctor or healthcare provider to develop a schedule that they can follow safely to decrease dependency. Your health care provider or counselor can suggest a support group.
How to Safely Detox from Alcohol
Overall, having a hobby you’re passionate in can improve your mental health. As with other addictions, alcohol dependency can negatively affect a person’s life. Visit the following websites to learn about Alcohol Detox The Recovery Village’s network of rehabilitation facilities. Each center is ready to help people learn how to cope with their Ambien addiction and uncover the root causes for their substance use disorder.