Alcohol Detox at Home
Alcohol addiction, formally referred to as alcohol use disorder, is a chronic disease that can impact all areas of your life.
Without treatment, it may get worse – and can cause serious harm to your physical and mental health. It can cause long-term central nervous system damage, increase the risk of developing cancer and is a leading cause of more than 60 health issues such as high blood pressure and organ damage.
If you have the desire to stop drinking, it’s important to seek treatment. This can involve detoxification on its own, or part of an alcohol rehab treatment plan involving therapy and secondary treatment.
You don’t have to attend a rehab clinic to get sober and beat your addiction – you can do so from the comfort of your own home. This involves completing a detox from home and attending rehab online.
Read on to learn more about the process when undergoing a home detox, including what to expect from a detox from home – and how our team at Help4Addiction can help you overcome your alcohol addiction.
What Is Alcohol Withdrawal?
Alcohol abuse can quickly turn into alcohol addiction and alcohol dependence. If you are dependent on alcohol, you will experience symptoms of withdrawal when you suddenly stop drinking alcohol, or drastically reduce the level of alcohol that your body is used to.
You may be wondering why you experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking. This is because of the way alcohol affects your brain.
Alcohol consumption increases the effects of GABA, a neurotransmitter, and decreases glutamate levels, making you feel calm and relaxed.
However, the more you drink over time, the more your body gets used to these changes. Your body will produce less GABA and more glutamate to compensate for the changes.
When your drinking habits change, your body will continue to compensate for the changes, which causes uncomfortable symptoms. These symptoms will often peak around the third day, although acute withdrawal symptoms may persist for longer periods.
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Withdrawal Symptoms
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant – however, most people don’t experience severe withdrawal symptoms. That being said, the more severe the addiction, or the longer you’ve been addicted to alcohol, the more severe your symptoms may be.
You may experience a range of physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms. Some relatively common alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:
- Changes in appetite
- Stomach ache
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Tremors
- Headache
- Anxiety
- Trouble sleeping and staying asleep
- Mood swings
- Alcohol cravings
What is a Detox?
Before you stop drinking alcohol, you should have an idea of what it means to detox from alcohol. A detox is an act of cleansing your body of a substance. During a detox, you will stop taking alcohol completely in order to overcome the physical dependence.
You may have heard the term ‘cold turkey’. This is when you suddenly stop drinking without treatment – without giving your body time to adjust to the changes in alcohol intake. This can be dangerous if you regularly abuse alcohol and if your body is used to high levels of alcohol.
The length of time it takes to detox can vary from person to person. It can take some people a week but may take others several weeks to detox. The general rule of thumb is that the longer you’ve been addicted to alcohol, or the more severe the addiction, the longer the detox will take.
It’s important to note that detoxification alone does not address the social and psychological aspects of addiction – only the physical aspects. This is why we recommend that you detox as part of a larger treatment plan, including therapy and aftercare.
You may undergo therapy once the withdrawal symptoms subside. This can include CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), group therapy, counselling and many more – all of which can teach effective coping strategies to prevent relapse.
Detoxing From Home vs In Clinic
Alcohol detoxification can take place at home or in a rehab clinic. One size does not fit all when it comes to overcoming addiction – an at-home detox may work for you, but not for somebody else.
The two main forms of alcohol detox are inpatient detoxification and outpatient detoxification. During an inpatient detox, you will reside in a residential rehab facility.
Your meals and accommodation will be provided as part of the cost of rehab, and you’ll attend rehab sessions in the same centre after completing a detox.
However, as an outpatient, you will detox from alcohol at home – but still receive support, whether it be online or via check-ins.
Both forms of detox can include alcohol detox medication to ease the process and relieve the symptoms of withdrawal.
However, an inpatient detox can help to relieve some of the temptations. With a home detox, you may still have access to alcohol, making it harder to successfully avoid alcohol. We always recommend that you clear all drugs and alcohol out of your home before beginning a detox.
A rehab centre or medical facility is the best place to detox from alcohol if your alcohol dependence is severe.
You have the best chance to safely detox from alcohol with medical assistance – especially if a chronic health concern arises due to severe withdrawal symptoms or delirium tremens. After all, severe and acute symptoms can persist – and if left untreated, can be dangerous.
Arranging An Alcohol Home Detox UK: The Process
A professional medical detox at home can be quickly and easily arranged with Help4Addiciton – we are on hand to arrange the process for you, and provide you with the guidance you need to make an informed decision.
Our detox plan includes an initial 1-1 assessment with your prescriber, as well as addiction medication used for treating alcohol withdrawals. You’ll then receive follow-ups and ongoing advice from your prescriber, as well as our friendly support team at Help4Addiction.
We’ll be available anytime between 8 am and 10 pm, 7 days a week if you need us. Read on to learn more about what to expect from a home detox.
Step 1 – Eligibility Check
The first step of the detox process is contacting us for help. This will involve completing an online questionnaire, which will give us the information we need to ensure you get the right help for you and your circumstances.
This will also give you an insight as to whether you are eligible for an at-home detox – whether you can safely detox from alcohol at home or whether you’ll be better off completing an inpatient detox/ medically-assisted detox.
You may not be eligible for a home detox if you:
- Regularly abuse alcohol beyond 30 units a day
- Have had a history of fits, seizures, or epilepsy
- Are taking medications that conflict with anti-addiction medications
If none of the following applies to you, there is a good chance you will be eligible. Again, you can answer our questionnaire to find out your eligibility.
Step 2 – Consent
Once you have contacted us and completed the questionnaire, you’ll need to provide us with your consent – which includes your signature.
We want to offer the best online private rehab and home detox, and upon receiving your electronic signature, we can begin to help you overcome your alcohol addiction.
Step 3 – Alcohol Detox at Home Process
The assessment process is completed online, meaning you don’t have to attend a rehab facility or medical facility to begin your home alcohol detox.
You will have your assessment online with one of our doctors on either Skype or Facetime. Then, the doctor will send the prescription to a pharmacy that will send it to you the following day. However, we can also arrange for you to pick up the prescription from your local pharmacy.
You’ll then take the detox medication as per the doctor’s instructions. The detox medication provided can help to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, and ultimately streamline the detox process.
Finding The Right Detox For You
At Help4Addiction, we understand that it can be overwhelming trying to find the right detox for you. This is why we dedicate ourselves to helping people find the right alcohol rehab treatment for them – and can do the same for you.
Whether you’re looking for private rehab treatment, luxury rehab, or NHS-operated rehab, we can help. Likewise, we can help you decide the best detox option for you – for example, whether you would benefit from a home detox or an inpatient detox.
It isn’t just addiction to alcohol we can help you overcome; we can help you to overcome drug addiction too, whether it be cocaine addiction, heroin addiction, addiction to prescription drugs or more.
Contact us today to begin your recovery journey – and remember, you are not alone with your addiction; we are here to help.
About Author
Nicholas Conn
Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He is the founder and CEO of a drug and alcohol rehab center called Help4addiction, which was founded in 2015. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.
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