Alcohol Detoxification

Detoxification or 'detox' involves taking a short course of a medicine which helps to prevent withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking alcohol. The most commonly used medicine for detox is chlordiazepoxide. This is a benzodiazepine medicine. Benzodiazepines are the most common family of drugs used for this, followed by barbiturates

Detoxification may or may not be necessary depending upon an individual's age, medical status, and history of alcohol intake.
For example, a young man who binge drinks and seeks treatment one week after his last use of alcohol may not require detoxification before beginning treatment for alcoholism. If an alcohol dependent has a strong desire to drink alcohol. In addition, the body becomes used to lots of alcohol. Therefore, one may starts to develop 'withdrawal' symptoms 3-8 hours after your last drink as the effect of the alcohol wears off. So, even if you want to stop drinking, it is often difficult because of the withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include feeling sick, trembling, sweating, craving for alcohol, and just feeling awful. Convulsions occur in a small number of cases. As a result, you drink alcohol regularly and depend on it to prevent these symptoms. If you do not have any more alcohol the withdrawal symptoms usually last 5-7 days, but a craving for alcohol may persist longer. A common alcohol detoxification plan is as follows: A GP will prescribe a high dose of medication for the first day that you stop drinking alcohol. You then gradually reduce the dose over the next 5-7 days. This usually prevents, or greatly reduces, the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. You must agree not to drink any alcohol when you are going through detox. A breathalyser may be used to confirm that you are not drinking. Your GP or practice nurse will usually see you quite often during the time of detox. Also during detox, support from family or friends can be of great help. Often the responsibility for getting the prescription, and giving the detox medicine is shared with a family member or friend. For example, a partner or parent of the person going through detox. Here are the symptoms for getting the alcohol detoxification, but ot all people who get the detoxification will have these symptoms : Feel quite nervous or anxious for a few days. Have some difficulty with getting off to sleep for a few nights. Have some mild withdrawal symptoms, but they should not be too bad, and a lot less than if you were not taking the detox medicine. Someone who are taking the detoxification should be prescribed vitamins, particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine), if you are alcohol dependent. Especially during detox. This is because many people who are dependent on alcohol do not eat properly and can lack certain vitamins. A lack of vitamin B1 is the most common. A lack of this vitamin can cause serious brain conditions. The medication used for detox does not make you stop drinking. You need determination to stop. The medication simply helps you to feel better whilst your body readjusts to not having alcohol. Even after the period of detox you may still have some craving for alcohol. So you will still need willpower and coping strategies for when you feel tempted to drink. After a succesful detox, one may be advised to take a medicine for several months to help you keep off alcohol. Acamprosate is a medicine which helps to ease alcohol cravings. Disulfiram is another medicine which is sometimes used following a successful detox. When you take disulfiram you get very unpleasant symptoms if you drink any alcohol (such as flushing, vomiting, palpitations and headache). So, in effect, the medicine acts as a deterrent for when you are tempted to drink. It can help some people to stay off alcohol. Alcohol detoxification is an effective process of purging alcohol from the body of an alcoholic for a given period of time. This can be a very difficult and painful period for alcoholics since they are literally forced to give up abruptly an addiction that they had for a long time. It can prove to be quite a nightmare for the patient and extremely stressful for close family members. Patients who are undergoing withdrawal symptoms are known to display some tantrums, hysterics and would even resort to emotional blackmail as a form of resistance to the treatment. The family should be ready to understand and provide a strong support system to help the alcoholic person go through the process successfully and with lesser complications. Aside from alcohol detoxification, the patients will also need to undergo a counseling program that will help them withdraw from alcohol mentally and emotionally. The goal of detoxification is to control the symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) and to prevent alcohol withdrawal seizures, withdrawal delirium, and deaths from complications of AWS. Detoxification from alcohol can be undertaken in ambulatory settings with patients who are alcohol-dependent and show signs of mild to moderate withdrawal when they are not drinking. Detoxification is not a stand-alone treatment but should serve as a bridge to a formal treatment program for alcohol dependence. Outpatient detoxification is an effective, safe, and low-cost treatment for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of AWS. Ultimately, the purpose of outpatient detoxification is to facilitate the patient's entry into an alcohol rehabilitation program. Alcohol detox completion can take from three to fourteen days.