Find out all you need to know about alcohol detox.
Alcohol addiction is a serious disorder that can lead to death if left untreated. Unfortunately, even alcohol detox can be dangerous if it is not undergone in a qualified alcohol detox center that employs medical staff and professionals who understand the dangers of alcohol detoxification. If you or someone you know is addicted to alcohol, you are probably wondering about alcohol detox, how it works and what happens during alcohol detoxification.
While you may not realize that having a few beers with your friends could turn deadly, alcohol detox is a very dangerous situations that could quickly turn deadly. People who drink excessively actually cause physical changes to their brain resulting in physical dependence to alcohol. As a result, when alcohol is suddenly removed from the body a range of dangerous conditions can happen including convulsions, hallucinations and seizures.
Is there a Safe Way to Detox from Alcohol?
Under proper medical supervision and with the proper medications, alcohol detox can be done safely but it should never be done alone or at home! Alcohol detox can be completed safely when medical staff, who thoroughly understand the risks of alcohol detox, are close by to help you through the process and provide medical intervention in the event that a danger should occur. Most importantly, nobody should undergo alcohol detox without proper supervision.
Alcohol is a depressant that causes the activity of the brain to slow. As a result, the brain tries to overcompensate and make up for the presence of alcohol. When alcohol is removed, the brain continues to race forward which causes a number of dangerous and often uncomfortable side effects that are known as withdrawal symptoms and may include headaches, nausea, convulsions, and seizures. It is during these first few days of alcohol detox that danger is most present because the body is struggling to overcome the lack of alcohol that has transformed the brains working process. After the first few days, the symptoms and dangers of alcohol detox become less and less pronounced.
Alcohol Detox Symptoms
The most common symptoms of alcohol detox include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Shakiness and Tremors
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
Some of the most dangerous symptoms of alcohol detox that must be monitored and treated include:
- Hallucinations
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Delirium Tremens (DTs)
- Heart Failure
Because of the dangerous symptoms of alcohol detox, it is vital that anyone who has drank excessively or for a prolonged period of time seek help at an alcohol detox center to assure their own safety during the alcohol detox process.