The reality is that one in three visits to a hospital emergency room is related to alcohol consumption. Did you know that one in ten deaths among working-age adults was due to alcohol consumption? These are some serious statistics (cite: 1). If you or a loved one has a severe dependency on alcohol, it’s wise to play it safe. Alcohol has caused enough problems in your life. There is no reason to do anything fool-hardy when it comes to ending your alcohol dependency.
A professional medically run detox program will deal with the physical symptoms first. You are probably already aware of the multitude of symptoms; dehydration, insomnia, nausea, mild sweating, elevated blood pressure, headaches, anxiety, and over-all depression. If you are in later stages of alcohol dependency you may have dealt with hallucinations, seizures, hypersensitivity, mood swings, involuntary reflexes, shaky hands, and uncontrollable cravings for more alcohol.
Monitoring these symptoms and dealing with them helps substantially in the first week, but some of these symptoms may last for almost the entire duration of the detox program. Various medications are used to treat these symptoms, to reduce the physical trauma involved with alcohol withdrawal bringing the body back into equilibrium without the alcohol. These alcohol medications should be part of a customized plan which has been designed with you and your situation in mind. Your customized detoxification program should be formulated under the direction of a medical doctor to make sure the program is safe.
Then as the physical withdrawal symptoms taper off, the detox team must continue to work on nutrition, ensuring peaceful sleep, and help with the psychological withdrawal symptoms, which can often be the main cause of alcohol dependency relapse. At this point in the program preventing a relapse becomes the main goal (cite: 2).
A well-run medical detox treatment program is the best answer for those wanting to end their dependence on alcohol. It gives people their lives back. It brings families back together, and it is a win/win for all concerned. A comprehensive detox program with a team of caring and understanding individuals helping you, nurturing you through the process is the best way to go.
References:
1.) “Trends in Alcohol?Related Emergency Department Visits in the United States: Results from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, 2006 to 2014,” by Megan E. Slater, et. al., first published: 02 January 2018.
2.) “Reductions in physical pain predict lower risk of relapse following alcohol treatment,” by A. Jakubczk. Et. al, Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependency, Jan. 1, 2016; 158: 167-171. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.11.020