Reasons why you should not detox from Alcohol on your own
Thankfully some addicts’ experiences make it abundantly clear to them that alcohol was not serving them anymore. They start tapering off the doses if not abandon drinking for good. Though the approach towards recovery is optimistic, they miss on the detail that detox is not a process that one can handle on his/her own. It turns out shame is the major reason why people attempt to detox on their own.
In hindsight, detox is not a safe or an easy process to carryout without medial attention. Addicts need medical professionals to help them manage their withdrawal symptoms which could sometimes prove fatal in long term addiction. In short term addicts who don’t drink too heavily or frequently, withdrawal may only leave them with mild and quickly passing symptoms like headaches, anxiety, tremors, and nausea. Whereas in long -term addicts, sudden withdrawal from alcohol could land dangerous and unmanageable symptoms such as seizures, severe psychosis, cardiovascular incidents, and exacerbation of current health issues (i.e., diabetic comas, metabolic and electrolyte consequences, etc..). Let us discuss in detail the reasons why detoxing on your own could be dangerous
Binge drinkers
Heavy drinking, or binge drinking, is drinking more than 4–5 drinks on one occasion or more than 7–8 drinks per week. This is a high amount of alcohol for a person to ingest in a week and more the amount of alcohol ingestion, the more dangerous could be the withdrawal symptoms. According to a research heavy/ binge drinker outweigh the moderates in stats. Therefore, we can expect that most people who try to quit alcohol on their own are bound to encounter these dangerous physiological and psychological symptoms which could sometimes prove fatal to them.
Experienced addicts who tried quitting at home reported episodes of hallucinations, shaking, vivid dreams and nightmares, insomnia, headaches, nausea, and tingly sensations even with a tapering dose.
People with co-morbidities
metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular issues, migraines, previous brain injuries, and diabetes along with certain illnesses cause severe negative consequences in alcohol users. The symptoms could become very severe and very dangerous for these addicts when they try to quit addiction on their own. Since withdrawals tend to cause impairments to blood sugar, blood pressure, nerve transmission, and electrolyte balance, they can result in acute exacerbations of the above conditions.
Frequent prior trials to quit
Many addicts lack an understanding of the degree of their addiction and therefore end up making many trials to quit their addiction at home or without medical guidance. Research shows that frequent withdrawals can damage the nervous system of these addicts so much so that the future withdrawal symptoms become much more severe for them. The neurotransmitters involved in repeated binge addiction and withdrawal cycles can become seriously compromised over time. Also, frequent trials to quit and relapse can lead to a kind of “over-stretching” of the nervous system that makes these persons’ ability to cope with withdrawals independently a near zero eventually.
Older age
As we age, our nervous systems become less functional and as such, older age can result in severe alcohol withdrawal consequences. Also, older years mean more serious health conditions that may contribute to worsening alcohol withdrawal.
Experience of seizures in prior detox
Persons who have experienced seizures of DT’s during the prior detox are highly likely to undergo a more serious withdrawal process. In this case, medically supervised alcohol withdrawal is quint essential. It has been observed, the more severe previous withdrawal has been, the more likely a person is to develop chronic alcoholism in the future. This is another explanation why medical support and supervision are necessary for these people.
Use of combination drugs
It is a know fact that the nervous system compromises more with abuse of other drugs besides alcohol. In this case, other drugs are held responsible for further degrade of the nervous system causing more serious withdrawal symptoms. Drugs like opiates and benzodiazepines are particularly notorious due to their potentiating effects on alcohol.
Use of other drugs in addition to alcohol
Interestingly, benzodiazepines are frequently used to help ease alcohol withdrawal but are used in small and tapering doses. However, if a person is also addicted to high amounts of benzodiazepines, withdrawal treatment needs to be adjusted and supervised accordingly. Withdrawing alone without help can be very dangerous when these drugs are involved. Other complicated combinations include cocaine, sedatives, chronic use of cold and allergy medication, and medications for mental illness, to name a few.
Though trying to detox is a good idea, understanding the stage of addiction and consequences thereof saves a day for the addicts. If any of these above-mentioned issues are part of your alcoholism, it is a safe bet to seek medical supervision and support. Even though many of your experiences may put you through shame that prompts you to go solo, it’s not worth compromising your life.
Phoenix Rehab Services is a leading Rehabilitation Centre in India for Substance Abuse and Behavioural Addiction. At Phoenix, we can help provide the right tools to you or your loved ones on the journey to lead a healthy life free from addiction. Our reliable & effective Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Program is headed and supported by experienced & dedicated de-addiction therapists and is driven by motivated staff that is equipped to handle the various needs of patients and has years of experience in treating addiction.
Our top inpatient de-addiction program in the world, expert team handling this program, our state-of-the-art facility located in Hyderabad, India and our multi-disciplinary and medically guided holistic approach to individual patient scenarios will help you heal from your physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual ailments towards total Recovery.
Our Integrated Drug & Alcohol Addiction Recovery Program is a 12 Step Program approved by the World Health Organization. We are proud to mention that we enabled hundreds of successful recoveries from around the globe. In fact, the very first in-patient in our rehab happened to be from overseas.
