An alcohol detox program starts with an evaluation.If you’ve ever woken up with a severe hangover and wished you’d had less to drink the night before, you’re not alone. Hundreds of thousands of Americans who drink regularly actually want to change their alcohol use habits, but does this mean that they need an alcohol detox program to do so?

Below, we’ll explore how to know if you should use alcohol detox to change your alcohol abuse habits, and whether you should consider adopting sobriety. We’ll also tell you where you can go for professional alcohol abuse or addiction help if you feel this avenue is right for you.

Defining Alcohol Abuse and Addiction

Of course, rarely will doctors or health professionals say that alcohol is a healthy substance. However, there is such a thing as “normal drinking.” For most people, normal drinking means having the occasional drink with dinner or friends but not overdoing it. In other words, for women, moderate drinking is having a maximum of three drinks in a day and a maximum of seven drinks in a week. For men, moderate drinking is having no more than four drinks on a single day and a maximum of 14 drinks per week.

If you’re drinking every night or more than these amounts on a regular basis, you probably need to curb your drinking habits. This may mean going to a professional alcohol detox program for help.

How do you know if you have an alcohol abuse disorder or a full-blown alcohol addiction? Let’s explore.

Technically speaking, the definition of alcohol abuse goes something like this–the habitual misuse of alcohol. On the other hand, the definition of alcohol addiction or alcoholism can be defined like this–a disorder or pattern of alcohol use that involves a preoccupation with alcohol and drinking, uncontrolled drinking, and the continued use of alcohol despite negative consequences and effects.

In scenarios in which you have a heavy pattern of alcohol abuse as defined above or in which you have a full-blown addiction to alcohol, detox is necessary.

Detoxing From Alcohol

If you’ve decided that your alcohol use habits are out of control and you want things to change, that’s a great start. Accepting this means that you’re thinking critically about what you put into your body and whether or not your habits are helping or harming you. An alcohol detox is what you’ll need to do to make this change.

Detoxing means stopping the intake of alcohol abruptly. Essentially, those who drink heavily have built up a tolerance to alcohol. Many of those who have serious addictions will notice that they experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms if they do not drink on a regular basis. These are signs that a professional detox program is necessary to rid your body of this drug. A detox program will help you get over the withdrawal hump so you can begin to work on sobriety.

The thought of detoxing can be a scary one for people who are addicted. They are used to relying on alcohol in order to curb negative thoughts and feelings or relax and have fun in social situations. After all, alcohol is a common social lubricant. But detoxification is absolutely necessary in order to recover from any alcohol abuse or addiction problem.

Seeking a Professional Alcohol Detox Program

What you need to know about detox is you cannot do it on your own. In fact, it is dangerous to attempt detox on your own at home. This is true even if you have help from a loved one or family member. Only a professional alcohol detox program can help you safely and effectively detox your body from alcohol. That way you can begin full-blown addiction treatment and get sober.

At Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, FL, we can help. We now offer an alcohol detox program for alcohol as well as numerous other programs, such as:

Contact Beaches Recovery Today

To learn more about Beaches Recovery call 866.605.0532. An addiction specialist would be happy to speak with you. It’s time to start your alcohol detox program.

It’s never too late to get help. Healing begins here.