Did you know alcohol poisoning kills about six people every day? 76% of them are adults between the ages of 35 and 64. Three out of four of them are men.
This makes addressing alcoholism a priority for many but it may prove to be a challenge. This is despite the fact that it’s one of the most preventable causes of death in the United States, second to tobacco. Among the hurdles faced are alcohol withdrawal and detox.
Withdrawal can be painful, after all. It’s a hurdle many fail to overcome.
One of the first steps to beating withdrawal is understanding what it is and what it’s not. Here are some facts and the details to debunk the myths around alcohol withdrawal and detox:
1. Myth: Not Needing Alcohol Detox
To understand alcohol withdrawal, we need to understand the importance of the detox process. Thinking that you don’t need to undergo alcohol detox could bring in dangerous complications. One factor into this is the denial of how severe the alcohol addiction a person has at this point.
A standard drink, as defined by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, amounts to about 12 ounces of beer. It also amounts to 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.
The serving appears to be minuscule; it’s hard to imagine more than five standard drinks per sitting already qualifying as alcoholism. For clarity, that’s five standard drinks for men, four for women.
Anyone who falls under this category would need professional help. Especially in undergoing a safe detox process.
2. Myth: Alcohol Detox at Home
Conducting alcohol detox at home could prove to be dangerous. Alcohol detox symptoms include the following symptoms:
- High blood pressure
- Seizures
- Tremors
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Insomnia
These symptoms lead to Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome. This occurs when a heavy drinker stops drinking in a sudden effort. It also occurs when they reduce their drinking in a significant amount.
Severe cases of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome would have individuals experience Delirium Tremens. Symptoms of this include agitation and hallucinations.
3. Alcohol Withdraw Timeline
How long does it take to detox from alcohol? With the symptoms mentioned above, it takes about 5-7 days. During that time duration, the symptoms begin to decrease.
While this is true, alcohol withdrawal has high variability as it varies from one person to another. This affects the actual time span for detox.
Know that the symptoms may persist longer without proper treatment.
4. Dealing with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
The best way to address Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome is through undergoing medical detox. The aim is to help your body normalize and reach a stable point. It’s the most comprehensive and supportive program to help you go through all stages of withdrawal.
You can view here to know more about how to deal with Alcohol Withdrawal and different treatments for it.
For comparison, you can view this discussion about rapid detox for drug addiction. Note that there are inherent risks and it has a different purpose.
Get Clean With Medical Detox Today!
The path to sobriety may be arduous, but it is also a worthy pursuit to help you get back on track. When you are facing struggles in putting alcohol withdrawal under control, check with your nearest detox center or healthcare professional today.
Did you find this helpful? We have a variety of topics that you can read about, like health and lifestyle. You can view this one about the possible effects in using Viagra recreationally.
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