Alcohol Detox – Your Way to Recovery
Stress and problems usually cause someone to resort to drinking alcohol, to forget the worries of a hectic and stressful day. However, if taken more than normal, it results to dependence and alcohol abuse. Some alcoholics, upon realizing how alcohol abuse is taking its toll in their lives and relationships, opt to undergo alcohol detoxification.
As an alcoholic’s body is filled with alcohol, detox is the process whereby one avoids or refrains from consuming alcohol, coupled with medication to aid the process, and change in the diet of the patient. A usual and indispensable accompaniment to detox is the support of family, friends, and loved ones, and the dedication of the patient to see the treatment through.
Body parts such as the liver and kidney also play essential functions in the body’s detoxification, but there are different treatments in place for those considered to be “severe” alcoholics. In these so-called detox facilities, are volunteers such as doctors and nurses who sacrifice time and effort for the treatment of these alcoholics.
Apart from detox facilities, home detoxification could be also be done in some situations. While this may be possible for moderate drinkers who consume only controlled amounts of liquor, this cannot be for extreme cases. For cases involving severe withdrawal symptoms, the misuse of other substances and hallucinations, admission to a detox facility is necessary.
In likewise severe cases, medication is compulsory to relieve heavy drinkers. Periods of anxiety and tetchy insomnia, lasting for about two days are cautioned to the patient. Detoxification drugs such as the usual benzodiazepine are used in the detox process, alongside the drug Diazepam which is also used commonly as well. A stern warning is that these drugs could be lethal if mixed with large amounts of alcohol, which is why these drugs such diazepam is supervised when administered to the patient.
Taking about five to six weeks, the detoxification process also includes a patient’s diet. This consists of food rich in protein and fiber, together with taking huge amounts of water the whole day through. Other alternative beverages such as tea help in stimulating the kidney to eliminate alcohol from the body.
The detox process is held inside a rehabilitation or detoxification facility, where despite being long and tedious, it has saved many lives from the ill effects of alcohols. As these facilities are also often located in the vicinity of lesser-populated places in the country, alcoholics are given sufficient space and quiet time to think about their lives. There are also enough personnel to attend to each patient.
