It is very dangerous to go through alcohol detox at home, especially if you are by yourself without anyone who is trained in the medical field. With this being said, we don’t want to scare you away from getting sober and into recovery. We just want to make sure everyone knows that there could be some dangerous withdrawal symptoms that require medical attention during the detox process.
If you are concerned about these withdrawal symptoms, our Better Tomorrow team has medication-assisted detox services that can help you through this process.
What is Alcohol Detox Treatment
Before you enroll in a medication-assisted alcohol detox treatment program, you probably want to know more about what this entails and what it could mean for you. Well, first of all, you will be working with a team of qualified medical and addiction recovery professionals who have experience with alcohol detox and withdrawal symptoms. Our Better Tomorrow team is here to help you be and feel safer throughout the detox process.
In our alcohol detox treatment, we will work with you to get alcohol out of your system as quickly and comfortably as possible. We do our best to reduce the risk of dangerous withdrawal symptoms through the medications we provider.
If you are attending a medication-assisted treatment program here at Better Tomorrow, you can expect:
- To get medications that reduce your withdrawal symptoms
- To receive medications that help you to feel more comfortable throughout the alcohol detox process
- Gradually receive smaller doses of medications, so your body can more safely detox from alcohol without as severe effects
If you attend this type of treatment program, it is known as a medical alcohol detox treatment.
One of the most common types of medications used in medical alcohol detox programs is benzodiazepines. You might also receive vitamin supplements.
Reach out to our team today to learn more about the medication-assisted detox treatment or other types of alcohol detox services today.
Safety Risks of Detoxing from Alcohol at Home
There are some people who can safely detox from alcohol at home. However, there are also others with more moderate to severe alcohol addictions who shouldn’t quit cold turkey at home. There are professional detox programs that help you through this process.
Inpatient alcohol detox treatment is the safest and best option when overcoming a moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. However, if you can’t attend inpatient treatment for some reason or another, our team highly recommends at least attending an outpatient detox program to help you through this process.
Most people who have tried to go through the alcohol detox process at home end up relapsing. The withdrawal symptoms are usually too severe to go through on your own. In addition, if you relapse after you quit drinking, there is a much higher risk of alcohol poisoning and worsened withdrawal symptoms when you quit again. For these reasons, we highly recommend that everyone who has an alcohol use disorder or alcohol addiction get some type of professional alcohol detox treatment – whether that be in an outpatient or inpatient setting.
Who Can Detox from Alcohol at Home
If you are not going to attend a professional alcohol detox program, we still want you to overcome your addiction. With this being said, there are some people who may be able to safely and successfully detox from alcohol at home such as those who:
- Have stable housing and an excellent support network
- Can make it to doctor’s appointments and the pharmacy if needed
- Haven’t drank a lot of alcohol recently
- Don’t have severe psychiatric and/or medical conditions
- Don’t have suicidal thoughts
- Aren’t using other drugs
- Don’t have a seizure disorder or history of delirium tremens
The most severe withdrawal symptoms from alcohol detox are seizures and delirium tremens. People who experience these symptoms are going to need immediate medical care.
How Do People Detox from Alcohol at Home
Generally, it takes between 4 and 11 days to go through alcohol detox at home. You should check in with your primary care physician or another medical professional at least once a day for the first 3 to 4 days. Since telemedicine became so prevalent during the Covid-19 pandemic, many doctors are still offering virtual visits. This may be the best route to take when you are detoxing from alcohol at home.
If your doctor prescribes any medications to help you through the alcohol detox process, you or someone in your support team should be able to pick those up at the local pharmacy.
If you are thinking about detoxing from alcohol at home, we understand. However, we want to make sure you prepare yourself for this process. We believe the best steps to going through alcohol detox at home include:
- Being evaluated by a medical professional
- Having a blood test of your liver function and vitamin levels done
- Following through with any recommendations given by the medical professional or your doctor
- Signing a treatment contract if your doctor states that you need one if they are going to treat you for your substance use disorder (this might include drug screenings and alcohol breathalyzer tests throughout the course of your alcohol detox treatment)
- Follow every instruction your doctor gives you to the tee (including when to take medications, which lifestyle changes to make, etc.)
- Begin your detox treatment right away or per your doctor’s orders
- Be as ready as you can be for the physical and/or mental withdrawal symptoms (have protein shakes, vitamin shakes, support partner, towels, plenty of water and Gatorade, and a journal to track your detox process)
If you can prepare yourself for these things, you can be one step closer to living a life of recovery. Just remember, even if you start the detox program at home, but then decide it is too much to do on your own, you can always reach out to a professional detox center to get more help and support in a treatment facility.
Beginning Your Recovery with Alcohol Detox at Home or with Professional Addiction Treatment Help
Do you struggle with alcohol abuse issues? Have you been diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder or addiction? Even if you don’t have a diagnosis, have you realized it is time to get sober and live your life substance-free? If so, now is the time to get the alcohol detox help you need.
Yes, some people with milder alcohol addictions can detox at home. However, we highly recommend that anyone with a moderate to severe alcohol addiction or someone that doesn’t have support at home, gets professional alcohol detox treatment.
Contact us today, here at Better Tomorrow, to begin your recovery with alcohol detox help.
