Alcohol detox programs can help you live a sober lifestyle.

Alcohol detox centers provide a safe place to eliminate alcohol from the system while maintaining the withdrawal symptoms that are associated with the abrupt quitting of alcohol use. Attending an alcohol detox program and safely detoxing from alcohol can provide the basis for a long-term recovery from alcoholism or alcohol abuse.

Alcohol Detox Symptoms

Alcohol detox is a dangerous process that has the potential to kill an individual if not conducted in a safe environment under medical supervision and care. The withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol detox can be difficult to deal with, they may be painful and it’s possible for them to even become life threatening, but this doesn’t mean that one should continue drinking instead of safely eliminating alcohol from their system. For an individual who drinks heavily or for a long time, detoxing from alcohol can result in the following withdrawal symptoms:

• Sweats

• Convulsions

• Nausea

• Hallucinations

• Tremors or Shakiness

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Seizures

This is why it is so important that you don’t detox from alcohol alone or without proper medical care such as can be received at an alcohol detox center. During the first few days after an addict stops drinking, the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol will begin to occur. For some, these symptoms begin right away and for others it takes a couple of days for the symptoms to really set in. It is during these first days that alcohol withdrawal has the potential to be fatal and should be addressed in an alcohol detox center.

Alcohol Detox Centers – The Basis for Alcohol Treatment

Attending an alcohol detox center is just the first step to getting well and recovering from alcoholism. In an alcohol detox program the alcohol that remains in the body will be completely eliminated so that when the addict attends alcohol treatment the withdrawal symptoms will have (mostly) subsided. It is the goal of alcohol detox centers to provide a safe and medically supervised environment in which an individual can take the first steps toward recovery from alcoholism. Research shows that individuals who attend only an alcohol detox program are likely to relapse but when alcohol detox programs are paired with the follow up treatment and care that is provided by alcohol treatment programs the chances and likelihood for long term sobriety increase.

Alcohol Detox Medications

During alcohol detox the addict is given medications that can help to reduce or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms that are felt while detoxing from alcohol. Various medications are used such as to treat seizures associated with alcohol withdrawal, antianxiety medications help to treat shakes or anxiety caused by alcohol withdrawal and various other medications are used to help the body adjust to a routine that no longer includes alcohol consumption. Below is a list of the common medications that are used at detox centers when detoxing from alcohol:

• Antianxiety medications can help to prevent the tremors and other withdrawal symptoms associated with detoxing from alcohol.

• Seizure medications may be used to reduce the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms and to prevent seizures during the initial stages of alcohol detox.

• Disulfiram (also called Antabuse) which slows down the effects of alcohol that are pleasurable and also makes the individual feel sick and nauseous when they drink.

• Naltrexone which eliminates any pleasure that is received from drinking thus preventing the individual from wanting to drink is often used as part of the alcohol detox process.