For those who have never been in addiction treatment, or known someone who was in an addiction program, detox is little more than a world. Sure, you might know the word, know the basic concept of the process in dictionary terms, that it involves weaning a person off drugs through the withdrawal process, but beyond that, it’s just empty language, no true understanding of it all. But detoxing from alcohol is a major step towards addiction recovery and it’s vital that the patient understand the symptoms and challenges on the path to sobriety.
Detox can be a difficult process for the addict seeking to end their alcohol abuse.
Alcohol can literally alter a person’s biochemistry with extended use, which can cause serious problems down the line if the heavy drinker then tries to stop drinking.
Alcohol, after all, is a depressant. This is because serious drinking causes the brain to release more of a calming neurotransmitter than usual, causing that feeling of slowdown that can accompany intoxication.
To compensate for this continual issue in a heavy drinker’s life, the rest of the brain will become more active to try and balance things out again, but if the alcohol stops drinking, and therefore stops overproducing that calming neurotransmitter, the accelerated brain activity now causes a different imbalance that can cause elevated central nervous activity. In the worst case scenario, this elevated activity can lead to a fatal seizure.
Proper detox care will watch for such side effects of withdrawal, but withdrawal has numerous symptoms which can cause serious discomfort and difficult. The heaviest withdrawal symptoms tend to occur within 48 and 72 hours of the detox process. These symptoms can include tremors, nausea, sweating, vomiting, anxiety, headaches, auditory and visual disturbances and, of course, heavy cravings for alcohol. Very serious alcohol withdrawal can lead to delirium tremens, or DT, which can include heavy shaking, agitation, confusion and the possibility of seizures.
The challenge of detox is to navigate these symptoms without falling back into substance abuse to try and mitigate these effects. In a clinical environment inside an addiction treatment program, the patient can be observed and treated with medication to try and help without falling back into the bad habits of addiction.
A successful round of detox is an invaluable step forward on the path to sobriety. It is not the entire journey – the road to recovery is longer and more challenging than just navigating withdrawal during detox – but it is a necessary first step on that path.
At Good Landing Recovery, patients can get the help they need to get through detox and begin the path of recovery. The doctors, nurses and other staff there are there to help the patient make it through withdrawal and get the extended care they need to successfully prepare for a lasting recovery after leaving rehab.
Detox can be an ordeal for those who are not prepared for its challenges and symptoms. But it can be done with help. Good Landing is there to help such patients in detoxing from alcohol and finding the courage and fortitude to move forward on the path to sobriety.