The Process of Alcohol Detoxification

On any given day, close to a millio
Americans are treated for alcohol addiction. Part of the treatment many problem drinkers go through is alcohol detoxification. Alcohol detoxification is described as the immediate termination of alcohol intake coupled with the ingestion of medicines that help to assuage the withdrawal symptoms that accompany prolonged drinking.

Withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, headaches, palpitations, shaking of the hands, profuse sweating, clammy skin, pallor, dilated pupils, involuntary movements of the eyelids, spasms, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and a general awful feeling. These physical symptoms are accompanied by feelings of anxiety or nervousness, depression, irritability, excitability, emotional volatility, confusion, and disturbed sleep. Approximately one in twenty people suffer from more severe symptoms known as delirium tremens (or DTs) that can entail fever, tremors and convulsions, extreme agitation, deep confusion, and auditory and visual hallucinations. People who have DTs need immediate treatment. Untreated delirium tremens may lead to serious physical complications resulting in death.

Prior to treatment for alcohol dependency, the individual first undergoes physical and medical assessment by a medical practitioner. A determination is made as to whether the individual may proceed with alcohol detoxification at home or whether it is advisable to refer him to an alcohol detox center.

On the first day of getting sober, a high dosage of the prescribed drug is usually given. The most commonly used drug in treatment for alcohol dependency is chlordiazepoxide, which is used to manage the anxiety associated with acute alcohol withdrawal. The dosage is gradually reduced in the following days. Vitamin supplements, particularly B1, are normally prescribed as well. Several times during detox, the individual will be checked on by a medical practitioner. The individual will most likely experience some withdrawal symptoms during this sobering up process, but nothing as severe as if he had no medication.

Although the individual can be weaned from physical dependence in a matter of days, the behavioral and psychological and effects of alcohol abuse are long term. For this reason, alcohol rehab centers offer psychological and behavioral therapy as part of their alcohol addiction treatment programs. The individual is helped to identify the circumstances that trigger him to drink and is motivated to find ways to handle and avoid such feelings and situations. If the individual has a life partner, the partner is often brought into the therapy process as studies have shown that the participation of a spouse is a main factor contributing to an individual's quitting alcohol and getting sober.

Alcohol treatment centers are all too aware of the craving for alcohol that an individual will continue to face for a long time. Upon leaving the alcohol rehab, the individual is encouraged to continue with alcoholism counseling and to join support groups to reinforce behavioral and lifestyle changes he's made and to prevent relapse. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with its 12-step program, has helped many to maintain a sober lifestyle. For those who do not adhere to AA's profession that alcohol addiction is a permanent curse one needs to permanently keep at bay, there are other recovery programs that view alcohol addiction as a treatable condition.

To help the recovering addict, medicines are available that alleviate alcohol cravings as well as drugs that deter alcohol drinking by causing unpleasant symptoms upon alcohol ingestion. However, there is no substitute as effective as will power and a firm determination.