Following successful completion of detox, an inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation program may be recommended to allow further work toward recovery and relapse prevention. ✔️ Some healthcare providers say it can be safe when performed in a closely monitored medical setting under the supervision of qualified medical professionals. Traditional medical detox programs, on the other hand, often are covered by health plans, and even out-of-pocket don’t typically have as high a price tag. Alcohol addiction is generally treated with treatments such as counseling, support groups, and medication-assisted treatment. In contrast, a traditional detox alcohol program lasts about five to seven days on average.
What Are The Side Effects of Drug Detox
- Excessive alcohol use causes a GABA imbalance that the brain becomes accustomed to, so it regulates its neurotransmitter production to account for the influence of alcohol.
- People at high risk of complications should enter a short-term in-patient detox program.
- Individuals experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome should receive treatment according to the severity of their condition.
- In addition to dementia, long-term alcohol use can lead to other memory disorders like Korsakoff syndrome or Wernicke’s encephalopathy.
- Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from mild but annoying to severe and life-threatening.
Your doctor may be able to connect you with shelter programs for people recovering from alcohol addiction. If you drink daily, your body becomes dependent on alcohol over time. When this happens, alcohol detox side effects your central nervous system can no longer adapt easily to the lack of alcohol. If you suddenly stop drinking or significantly reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it can cause AWS.
- It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours.
- After the acute alcohol withdrawal period, some people experience symptoms that last up to a year.
- Stage three begins between 48 and 72 hours after alcohol cessation.
Types Of Alcohol Detox Programs
In a recent study, 95% of people had symptoms that lasted between 2-8 days. Several factors like how long a person has been drinking, age or weight can also impact the length or severity of withdrawal symptoms. Using more than one drug or substance at the same time is an important risk factor. Polysubstance abuse can complicate the detox process and make medical care more necessary. In a recent study on alcohol withdrawal, 37% of people detoxing at a rehab facility or medical center were detoxing from multiple substances, compared to only 15% of people detoxing at home.
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and More
Professional detox is a vital first step, but alone, it is not enough to change the dysfunctional behavior patterns that result in addiction and dependence. To control the outlook and shape their future, a person who’s finished their detox should invest plenty of time and energy into ongoing treatment for their addiction and co-occurring disorders. This severe form of withdrawal may cause seizures, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, psychosis, and extreme fluctuations in body temperature. Night sweats and hot flashes are common, but temporary, during alcohol withdrawal. This may contribute to difficulty sleeping but shouldn’t persist too long after the acute withdrawal period.
Impact on your health
- Medical professionals can help you get through alcohol withdrawal safely.
- They may also need to give medications to help reduce the severity of the symptoms.
- If you are even slightly at risk for severe withdrawal symptoms, professionals recommend medical detox at a hospital, rehab facility or detox center to manage symptoms.