The First Steps in Alcohol Recovery
Before you can begin the lifelong journey of alcohol recovery, you will have to go through alcohol detox. This is usually worse than unpleasant. It can be absolutely dangerous, in fact. Alcohol detox should only be attempted with medical supervision.
When you stop drinking, your body goes through a sudden change. You will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms. If these are minor discomforts, the medical staff will be there just in case it becomes worse. It is often the case that things will seem to be going fairly smoothly at first, and then more severe withdrawal symptoms will set in rapidly.
The mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms are not much different from illnesses you have dealt with at home before. You may have tremors and feel shaky. Sometimes, you will perspire profusely. You can have some intense headaches when you go through alcohol detox.
Other minor effects of alcohol detox are uncomfortable as well. You may vomit quite a bit as you are going through alcohol withdrawal. You may be very restless. It is common to lose your appetite during this time. Considering what you are going through, it is not surprising.
If you are lucky, you can sail through alcohol detox with such minor effects as these. If you do, you will be ready to start the long process of alcohol recovery. You will be ready for the education and therapy you will receive in the alcohol rehab center. You will be in a fit condition to accept the information and to respond to it.
However, if you have more major symptoms, your stay might take longer. Alcohol detox usually lasts between three and fourteen days. If your alcohol withdrawal is difficult, you may be in an inpatient medical facility for a couple of weeks or longer. If that is what it takes to begin alcohol recovery, it is all the more reason to start right away.
Alcohol withdrawal for the unfortunate, or for the long-time alcoholics, can be frightening and even dangerous. If a patient of an alcohol detox program experiences Delirium Tremens, or the “DT’s,” they will have a host of severe symptoms. This is where medical intervention is often required.
Hallucinations during alcohol detox can be vivid and frightening. They can involve all senses; besides visual hallucinations, you can hear and see things no one else can, too. You need to be protected when you are having hallucinations because you are not able to understand what is real. You could possibly hurt yourself by making a wrong judgment.
After the DT’s begin, neither you nor your doctor can stop them. They can culminate in severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms like Grand mal seizures, strokes or heart attacks. This is when alcohol detox can become deadly.
Having a doctor on hand during alcohol detox can help you get to the alcohol recovery phase faster. Certain medications can be used to alleviate alcohol withdrawal symptoms or eliminate them altogether. Alcohol recovery can only begin after the body and brain have been cleared of the substance. Alcohol detox can get this done. |
