For many people, treatment for alcohol addiction begins with detox. If you’re not sure if you need detox, this post is for you. You can learn about the features and benefits of detox, and you can take an alcohol withdrawal quiz to help you make the best decision for your health and your sobriety.
What Is Detox?
When you become dependent on alcohol or another drug, your body adapts to the presence of this substance. When you abruptly stops using the substance, your body may react with a variety of distressing (and, in the case of alcoholism, potentially dangerous) physical and psychological symptoms. This experience is known as withdrawal.
Detox is short for detoxification. In the context of alcohol addiction, detox is a short-term program that helps people get through alcohol withdrawal safely and with minimal discomfort.
During detox, you will be under the care and supervision of a team of experts. Depending on the nature and severity of your withdrawal symptoms, your treatment in detox may involve both medication and therapy.
Alcohol Withdrawal Quiz
If you’re not sure if you need detox, this quick alcohol withdrawal quiz can help:
- When you can’t drink, do you become agitated or irritated?
- If you haven’t had a drink for a while, do you become nervous or jumpy?
- Do you find it difficult or impossible to sleep if you haven’t had a drink?
- Do you develop tics, twitches, or shakiness when you haven’t had a drink for a while?
- When you stop drinking, do you experience nausea or vomiting?
- When you’re not drinking, do you become depressed?
- Do you find that you struggle with excessive fatigue when you try to stop drinking?
- When you stop drinking, does it feel like your heart rate speeds up?
- When you’re not drinking, do you become confused or disoriented?
- Have you ever experienced hallucinations when you weren’t able to drink?
If you answered yes to any of the questions in this short alcohol withdrawal quiz, you may be a candidate for detox. Of course, the best way to determine if you need detox or other alcohol treatment services is to be assessed by a doctor or another qualified professional.
Benefits of Alcohol Detox
Here are a few examples of the many benefits of beginning or resuming your recovery journey in an alcohol detox program:
- Safety: In cases of severe alcohol addiction, withdrawal can be dangerous. Sometimes, trying to get through alcohol withdrawal without professional help can even be fatal. When you enter a detox program, you benefit from the care and supervision of a team of experts who can protect your health.
- Comfort: Withdrawal is never a pleasant experience. But when you’re in a detox program, the professionals who care for you may provide medications to ease some symptoms and therapeutic support to help you manage any remaining discomfort.
- Predictability: If you try to get through alcohol withdrawal on your own, the intensity of your symptoms can be exacerbated by a fear of the unknown. In detox, the experts who care for you will be familiar with the process. They can explain what is happening, let you know what you can expect next, and give you a reasonable estimate of how long the process will take.
- Structure: If you try to withdraw at home, easy access to alcohol can quickly derail your efforts. In detox, you will be in a structured and closely supervised environment where you won’t be able to acquire alcohol or any other dangerous drugs. This eliminates a temptation that could undermine your success.
- Success: Alcoholism can have a powerful negative effect on your confidence and self-esteem. Completing detox is a tremendous success, and proof that you are capable of more than you once may have believed. The sense of renewed possibility that you experience when you finish a detox program can serve you well throughout your recovery journey.
What Happens After Detox?
Detox can be an essential step on the path toward an alcohol-free future. But it’s just one step. Once you have completed detox, the ideal course of action may be to transition directly into a follow-on treatment program.
Depending on your strengths, needs and treatment goals, you may be best served by spending time in one or more of the following outpatient programs:
During outpatient treatment, you can participate in therapy to help you gain a solid foothold in early recovery. Your accomplishments in therapy may include:
- Replacing negative thought patterns with productive ways of thinking
- Gaining important information about the disease of alcoholism and the process of recovery
- Identifying the triggers that could push you into relapse
- Developing skills to help you avoid triggers or respond to them in a healthy manner, without resorting to alcohol abuse
- Improving your conflict resolution and stress management capabilities
- Finding positive ways to fill the hours that you previously dedicated to abusing alcohol
- Sharing support with others who have had similar challenges and who are working toward a common goal
- Connecting with community-based resources that can help you maintain your progress after you have transitioned out of treatment
Begin Alcohol Detox in Atlanta, GA
Peachtree Recovery Solutions is a premier provider of comprehensive outpatient treatment for adults who have been struggling with addictions to alcohol and other drugs.
At our alcohol rehab in Atlanta, dedicated professionals offer personalized care within a safe and highly supportive environment. We understand the many ways that alcoholism can impact your life, and we’re prepared to provide the customized solutions that will empower you to achieve successful, long-term recovery from addiction.
When you’re ready to start living the healthier life you deserve, the Peachtree Recovery team is here to help. To learn more or to schedule a free alcohol addiction assessment, please visit our admissions page or call us today.