Can I Detox from Alcohol at Home?

About 17.6 million Americans suffer alcohol use disorder each year. But only a small percentage of these receive the treatment they need. Many of these people wonder if they should detox from alcohol at home. But with addiction to alcohol comes many dangerous possibilities if your detox takes place without medical supervision.

What Happens When You Detox from Alcohol at Home

When you drink heavily, your brain works to counterbalance the depressive effects of alcohol. It produces higher levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and epinephrine. So when you attempt to detox from alcohol at home by going cold turkey, your body floods with extremely high levels of these brain chemicals. This causes many rapid changes and severe complications.

Complications arising when you detox from alcohol at home include vomiting, dehydration, abnormal heart rate and a serious condition called delirium tremens (DTs). DTs occur for about 30 to 40 percent of people suffering seizures during alcohol detox.

Symptoms of DTs include confusion, delirium, and seizures. When you suffer DTs without medical supervision, you can experience head injury, deadly dehydration, choking on your own vomit, heart attack, and stroke. About 15 percent of people suffering DTs die from these side effects.

Symptoms of Withdrawal from Alcohol

About 50 percent of people addicted to alcohol experience difficult alcohol withdrawal symptoms. There are multiple factors influencing the severity of your withdrawal. These factors include your history of alcohol abuse, underlying health conditions and the existence of any co-occurring mental illness.

Symptoms occurring during detox from alcohol start about six hours after you stop drinking. These symptoms, called alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), range from minor to severe. Severe withdrawal includes seizures and delirium tremens (DTs).

Seizures frequently appear as the first symptom of AWS. Some people experience these, but few other symptoms. Without medical detox, some people suffer seizures from six to 48 hours after stopping drinking. Of those having seizures, 60 percent have multiple seizures over the course of six hours or less.

Safe Alcohol Detox in Jacksonville, Florida

Beaches Recovery Detox at Tides Edge in Jacksonville, Florida provides medically supervised detox for safe withdrawal from alcohol. Detoxing at home is never safe. In medically supervised detox you get the comfort, medical supervision and support you need for safe withdrawal. After detox, you enter rehab treatment where you receive the therapies, education, and support you need for lasting addiction recovery.

Treatment programs at Beaches Recovery include:

• Drug and alcohol detox
• Residential drug rehab
• Extended care
• Outpatient care
• Family therapy techniques
• Transitional living and sober living

Therapies at Beaches Recovery include individual counseling, group therapy, holistic treatment, evidence-based practices, and anger management. We also offer experiential therapy like ropes courses, hiking, bowling, and boating. You may also choose a traditional 12 step program or alternate non-12 step treatment.

If you or someone you love need safe, supervised detox and rehab treatment, call Beaches Recovery and Tides Edge Detox now at 866.605.0532. Alcohol detox is easier with the right help.