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What Happens in Alcohol Detox?

According to alcoholismhelponline.com, a detoxification program is the first and most necessary step in treating alcoholism. It's required in order to save the liver and other organs that have been damaged due to mass alcohol consumption. Physically, detox can be the most challenging part of recovering from alcohol abuse, though mental, emotional and psychological battles may continue long after the patient leaves the detox facility on the road to recovery.

  1. Drying out

    • The alcohol must be out of a person's system before healing and therapy can begin, and that can take three to seven days, according to alcoholismhelponline.com. At a detox center, the alcoholic may experience withdrawal symptoms caused by her brain's cravings for alcohol. Those symptoms can include sweating, shaking, vomiting and even seizures. Treatment center doctors and nurses may administer medication to combat alcohol withdrawal-related illness.

      But not everyone who goes to detox experiences withdrawal symptoms, according to drugrehabilitation.org. The effects can range from annoying to devastating. In extreme cases, an alcoholic can suffer a potentially fatal withdrawal condition called delirium tremens (DT), which can include delusions, hallucinations and seizures. DT is the most common among alcoholics with a long history of alcohol abuse who have had previous withdrawal experiences.

    After withdrawal

    • A variety of medications can be used during and after detox, according to alcoholism-detox.com, including anti-anxiety medications, vitamins such as B1 for treating delirium tremens; disulfiram, which slows down the pleasure affects of alcohol and makes the patient feel nauseous when drinking alcohol; naltrexone, which blocks the brain from getting any alcohol-related pleasure; acamprosate, which reduces desire for alcohol.

      According to the Malibu Horizon drug and alcohol treatment center, detox only addresses the physical issues of alcohol addiction and should not be considered a complete alcohol treatment. Treatment professionals typically endorse a combination of therapies, which can include counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, to promote long-term abstinence from alcohol and to avoid relapse.

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