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Alcohol Detox for Women

Alcohol detox is a specific program where patients undergo treatment for alcohol dependency. The detox program can be held in a residence center or can be out-patient. Patients usually experience symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol during the detox process. Women have gender specific issues with alcohol; therefore, women's treatment centers are specifically geared to meet these needs and help women detox from alcohol.

  1. Detox Symptoms

    • When a woman is detoxing from alcohol, she may experience minor issues like insomnia or tremors (frequently known as 'shakes'). Women may also experience more severe symptoms such as seizures or forms of delirium. These symptoms may be best treated in an alcohol rehabilitation center.

    Length of Treatment

    • The amount of time it takes for a woman to detox from alcohol varies. This depends on the length of a woman's use of alcohol, the amounts of alcohol ingested and whether or not other substances such as drugs were used in conjunction with the alcohol. Symptoms such as tremors may last 1 to 5 days depending on the severity of the withdrawal. Symptoms such as depression or brain-fog may last for months after detox.

    Types of Detox Medications

    • There are certain drugs that are administered to women during the detoxification process. These medications can usually be safely administered and are tolerant of alcohol. Some of the drugs that are commonly used on women during detox are benzodiazepines, a type of tranquilizer, which can be administered on a regular schedule or as necessary. Other drugs such as a mood-stabilizing carbamazepine can be used for women who are detoxing as out-patients and is frequently used on women who are suffering from moderate alcohol withdrawal.

      If women experience health issues as a result of alcohol withdrawal, other medications such as beta-blockers may be used in conjunction with the benzodiazepine.

    Long-Term Care

    • After detoxing, whether in a residential facility or as an outpatient, women may find that they need ongoing support and care. Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have twelve-step meetings on every continent in the world to help alcoholics recover from their disease. AA is a spiritual program based on twelve steps of recovery and twelve traditions that help alcoholics stay sober. Many of the available twelve-step meetings are only for women alcoholics and are closed to men.

      AA Serenity is a women's only twelve-step email meeting for women who may have trouble physically attending meetings.

    Care During Treatment

    • Women must care for themselves during and after treatment. This includes eating a well-balanced diet, attending twelve-step meetings and obtaining a female sponsor and generating a support system. A woman may need the assistance of a professional to help deal with gender specific issues that caused or contributed to the abuse of alcohol. According to G.A. Wiesbeck, of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wurzburg, some of the gender specific issues could be physiological such as estrogen or menstrual imbalances.

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