Alcohol Detox Services in the UK

Last updated on June 17th, 2021 at 11:27 am

*This page medically reviewed Dr Robert Lefever, world renowned addiction treatment expert, 09/04/21*

Alcohol Detox is the First Step in Recovery from Alcohol Addiction

A drinking problem can be one of the most daunting things to overcome in life, especially if it is at a level that is life-threatening. However, the first step in treatment to first that there is a problem. Lying to yourself won’t do you any good and it will only prolong the issue, resulting in symptoms that can be challenging to live with.

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome is another name we give to the symptoms we experience when going through detox. Alcohol Withdrawal syndrome can also be referred to as AWS. If you suffer from Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome it will be especially hard to go through unsupervised alcohol detox and it may even harm you to try[ii].

One of the best ways to deal with an addiction is to visit an addiction treatment centre. They are equipped with understanding staff and facilities that can help you conquer your alcohol use by putting you into the right alcohol detox program. Life doesn’t have to revolve around drinking, not when you seek professional help.

What’s Detox?

The word detox is often mislabelled as a full treatment to process alcohol addiction. Detox is a cleansing step that helps you get rid of alcoholism. Usually, it takes about 72 hours to get clean of the chemicals you are used to.

What is the Alcohol Detox Process?

Detox shouldn’t be confused with completely getting rid of the addiction. If you stop alcohol without treatment in an attempt to quit your alcohol use, the effects of dependence will start to sink in around an hour after you have stopped drinking. 72 hours[iii] later, you may be in recovery – or you may be in hospital, fighting for your life. That is what makes detoxing from alcohol a challenge.

During detox treatment, the alcohol is completely flushed from your system, meaning that it will likely trigger alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can last long term if they aren’t dealt with completely.

The detox process is hardest for those that develop Alcohol withdrawal Syndrome since every cell in their body is telling them to drink[iv]. If you have been addicted to alcohol, alcohol dependent, or engaged in alcohol abuse for several years, expect detox to be the toughest part of the challenge of recovering from addiction.

Do I Need a Detox from Alcohol?

One of the easiest ways to tell if you need an alcohol detox is to see how much time you can pass without drinking. If you don’t “feel right” without drinking, then you may have developed an alcohol dependency. People often think that treatment for a drinking problem is all about willpower, but the reality is that there are chemical changes in your system that have adapted to the constant intake of alcohol.

As a result, alcohol abuse is a real issue that isn’t just about willpower. You will crave alcohol if you extensively use it. In fact, going cold turkey without treatment and suffering from withdrawal symptoms can put your life at risk. The first 24 hours are often the most crucial in medical terms.

Seeking out treatment means all your rights are reserved, particularly if you are at home in England or Wales. You will have your rights reserved even if you accidentally overdose – in the UK, rehab treatment is possible no matter what stage your mental health, or how much medical care and medical advice that you may need while going through alcohol withdrawal. Regardless of the causes of alcoholism, help is available to get you back to normal.

How can Alcohol Detox Put your Life at Risk?

If you have Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and you try to detox from alcohol at home after being addicted for a long time, you will suffer badly. One of the side effects of trying to go cold turkey with AWS is cardiac arrest. If you come off alcohol after drinking for many years without medical help, you may suffer a heart attack and die. That’s how serious this is. Seek Detox help through a program like ours before that happens. Start your online consultation now.

You should only detox at home if you have spoken to a medical professional first. You can read more about private alcohol home detox, here.

Alcohol Abuse or Alcohol Dependent?

Alcohol abuse is the drinking of alcohol to excess on reasonably frequent occasions. Alcohol dependence is the regular drinking that is symptomatic of most alcoholics. If you feel you can’t get through the day without a drink, you may be suffering alcohol dependence. If you feel you need to have a binge drink every Friday or Saturday night, you are probably an alcohol abuser.

If you are unsure which type of drinker you are, keeping an alcohol journal may help.

What are Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

Alcohol withdrawal is the term used to describe the symptoms experienced when a heavy drinker decides to stop alcohol use or reduces their intake. It’s caused by the alcohol in your system changing your central nervous system to account for the extra alcohol intake. Your body works harder to keep functioning normally when it detects a heavy amount of alcohol. If it gets used to this sensation, then your brain will continue to operate as if there’s alcohol in your system even when you don’t drink as much.

This eventually creates a dependence on alcohol, and you can experience withdrawal symptoms. The key to a successful recovery, therefore, is to stop alcohol misuse in a medical facility within the correct medical conditions[v].

The alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be wide and varied. We have attempted to collate the most frequent symptoms below.

What Are the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal?

Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be mild or severe depending on how long you were a heavy drinker for.

The common symptoms of withdrawal are as follows:

• Feeling of anxiety
• Hand tremors
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Insomnia
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Frequent nightmares
• High blood pressure[vi]

These are considered mild symptoms that will likely appear a few hours after your last drink. If you only experience these symptoms, then your body is likely in a state where quick recovery is possible. However, there are also severe symptoms that you might experience if you’ve been a heavy drinker long term.

Severe Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

• Difficulty focusing
• Confusion
• Increased heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Fever
• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Delirium tremens (DT) (If you believe you are experiencing the Delirium Tremens effect, it’s important to call us immediately and we can advise)
• Intense tremors
• Vivid hallucinations
• Rapid mood changes
• A feeling of impending doom
• Sudden severe confusion
• Deep sleeps that last over 18 hours

If you experience any of these symptoms after stopping or reducing your alcohol consumption, it’s important to contact help as soon as possible. Remember, seeking recovery treatment from alcoholism and drug use could save your life, especially if you are experiencing these intense symptoms[vii].

It usually stands that the worse your addiction was, the worse the detox and withdrawal symptoms may be.

Detoxing from Withdrawal Symptoms: What is Delirium Tremens?

Often referred to as DT, delirium tremens[viii] is a severe form of confusion that is often caused by alcohol withdrawal. It’s a rare condition that only affects around 5% of people that suffer from the symptoms of withdrawal and often starts around two to three days after your loved one’s last drink. This is one of the most dangerous conditions once you go cold turkey from any drug, hence the importance of seeking treatment before you decide to quit.

You can read more about the health risks of a prolonged high alcohol intake in the Help4Addiction Pages.

What Does Alcohol Detox Involve?

Detoxing and recovery support from alcohol programs are straightforward. they often involve an intake exam so that your doctor or detox team can examine the current state of your body to see what kind of support is required. This may include taking a blood sample and discussions about your dependency so that the team can get a better understanding of your time spent unwell and recovery needs.

Next, you’ll often receive support for your alcohol detox. This includes specialised medicine to help cope with the withdrawal symptoms and other health conditions that may be detected by the intake exam. Your detox team will primarily focus on trying to handle the mental and physical issues associated with detox withdrawal, and you may have to get your blood pressure and heart rate checked on a regular basis to anticipate what withdrawal symptoms may manifest throughout your recovery.

Finally, detox programs will ultimately help you quit by examining the reasons why you drink, how to cope with your issues and how to avoid relapse in the future. There are other more detailed aspects of an alcohol detox, but they will depend on the type of treatment that you pick, so if you need more information, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and contact us for more advice.

What Can I Expect if I Quit Drinking?

There are often two types of detox treatments people can go through. outpatient care and inpatient care. Below, we have more information on each.

The first is outpatient treatment. This usually involves day treatments mixed with medications to provide relief for your withdrawal symptoms. Outpatients detox programs are recommended for those with light to mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms, who are in good health. This is best for people who only have a slight issue and are healthy both mentally and physically, if you suffer from seizures or have suffered from seizures in the past private home detoxes are not recommended. It can only happen if your home environment is safe enough to help you stop and your health is considered good enough. You should also have someone to care for you, while you recover, and the situation should be reviewed if this changes.

Inpatients, on the other hand, usually involve staying at a hospital, clinic, or rehab centre. A person will live at the location for several weeks or months and will always receive help to reduce symptoms and boost recovery. This is preferred for people whose home factors are affecting their alcohol issues, or if your withdrawal symptoms are proving to be difficult to manage or handle at home. Inpatient addiction treatment is often more effective because you will be monitored for most of the day, and you will have access to potent medications that won’t be available if you detox at home.

There is a wonderful study on the different effects of inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment in the US National Library of Medicine for those with the interest in further reading.

How Long Will Detoxing from Alcohol Take?

Alcohol detox starts within hours of your last drink. However, without professional assistance and medications, people find it easy to relapse. The duration of a full program will depend on how severe your withdrawal symptoms are.

Factors that could affect your alcohol detox and rehab treatment timeline include:

• How serious your alcohol consumption?
• How long you have been abusing alcohol.
• How often you drink.
• Other substances taken while drinking.
• The weight and age of a person.
• Mental health concerns.

It’s important to remember that detox is just the first step to serious recovery from alcohol and it can take several weeks and months or multiple tries in order to fully rid yourself of a drinking problem.

How do you Cleanse your Body from Alcohol?

Alcohol detox will be the first step to getting help towards your recovery, this includes alcohol withdrawal treatment. Alcoholism often starts due to complicated problems in one’s life which pushes them to drink heavily as a mental refuge. Identifying and admitting these effects is often the second step.

Be wary of diets and special detox plans that aim to cleanse your body by doing a certain thing or buying a certain product. Often, research has proven these to be useless. Your liver and kidneys will detox your body in good time. Let them do their job and allow time to pass to be free from alcohol completely.

Can your body recover if you stop drinking?

It can! Your body will start to heal the moment that you quit your substance abuse. Sometimes it takes under a week for your body to be clean, but people can also be several weeks or even months before withdrawal symptoms are reviewed. You will find it useful to include medications helpful for controlling effects in rehab.

The NHS includes detox medications as acamprosate, disulfiram, naltrexone and nalmefene, to name a few[ix].

How Long Does It Take to Reset my Body from Alcohol?

You may find that relapsing into serious alcohol addiction is easy even after a successful detox. Therefore, it’s important to stay in touch with people that encourage sobriety. You should also stay on top of your general health if you stop alcohol abuse, so that your body can get back to normal.

Feel free to give us a call if you’d like some information on how you or your loved one can stay off alcohol after a detox program. A healthy person can reduce recovery to only a few months if they eat right, exercise often, and stay away from drinking.

Where Can I Go to Find Professional Help?

There’s plenty of help available and various treatment options to help you beat your dependency problem. If you feel that you or a loved one needs rehab treatment for alcoholism, then call us on 0203 955 7700 24 hours a day for advice on the process to combat it. Calls are completely free, and you’ll be put through to a friendly non-judgemental and professional person that you can call and speak to anonymously for help regarding your situation. It is time to get your life back and start living again, call now.

Where Can I Go And Find Professional Help?

There’s plenty of help available and various treatment options to help you beat your dependency problem. If you feel that you or a loved one needs rehab treatment for alcoholism, then call us on 0203 955 7700 24 hours a day for advice on the process to combat it. Calls are completely free, and you’ll be put through to a friendly non-judgemental and professional person that you can call and speak to anonymously for help regarding your situation. It is time to get your life back and start living again, call now.

Frequently Asked Questions