Getting help for alcohol addiction doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Although the obstacles may seem impossible at first, the biggest one is accepting the need for help in the first place. At that point, the alcohol addiction treatment process can begin. But it’s important to understand the importance of clinical supervision for alcohol detox. At New Start Recovery’s alcohol addiction treatment center, we not only provide comprehensive, medically supervised alcohol detox but help individuals enter into the appropriate treatment program so they can make a lasting recovery.
Overcoming Alcohol Addiction Alone is Dangerous
There is a pervasive attitude out there that people should just “pull themselves up by the bootstraps” when dealing with their problems. But that can be fatal for those struggling with an alcohol use disorder looking to quit. Self-detoxing or going ‘cold turkey’ often does more harm than good and invariably leads to relapse.
After prolonged periods of drinking or regular drinking over a long time, alcohol alters a person’s brain chemistry. The body becomes dependent upon alcohol to release certain chemicals and thus for individuals to function normally. Gone is any pleasure in drinking because addiction means that without enough to satisfy one’s dependency, a person will experience painful withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, it’s vital to enter into an alcohol addiction treatment program.
Understanding Alcohol Dependency
Withdrawing from alcohol can shut down critical body functions. In 2017, we saw True Blood actor Nelsan Ellis die from complications of alcohol withdrawal. While we don’t know his situation, his story is all too common. The shame and stigma surrounding alcoholism likely kept him from seeking professional help (especially as a celebrity). That help could have saved his life, which now serves as a cautionary tale.
For heavy drinkers with a long history of abusing alcohol, clinically supervised in-patient detox offers a safe way to withdraw from liquor. Withdrawal symptoms and their intensity will vary from person to person, but they are uniformly unpleasant, routinely pushing individuals to return to drinking to make them subside. Under medically supervised detox, individuals are not only monitored but made comfortable, and in some cases, given medications to help them deal with withdrawal symptoms. Some common withdrawal symptoms from alcohol include:
- Headaches
- Tremors
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Wild and sudden mood changes
- Stomach issues
- Irregular heart rate
- Hyperthermia
- Abnormal breathing
- Seizures
The Phase of Our Alcohol Addiction Treatment Program
- Alcohol detox
- Residential treatment
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)