Which Drinkers Need A Medical Detox?
Anyone who suspects that they have a physical addiction to alcohol is strongly advised not to suddenly stop drinking without discussing the matter with a doctor or suitably qualified therapist first. Some who fail to do so may get away with giving up immediately, especially if they are still quite young, but others will cause themselves serious harm. It is simply not worth taking the risk.
Undergoing a medical detox can help those with physical addictions avoid causing themselves too much harm whilst withdrawing from alcohol. Nevertheless, those who complete such a process have only one the first battle and not the war. Overcoming a drink problem can require considerable willpower and may also necessitate understanding why you were drinking heavily in the first place, and this could require getting treatment for the psychological problems that caused you to do so. So undergoing a medical detox should not be viewed as some sort of magical cure by those with drink problems. It can represent a very important first step on the road to recovery but once it has taken place many other factors will come into play, including the type of support network of family and friends available to the drinker.
If someone with a physical addiction to alcohol tries to give up without medical help, the withdrawal of alcohol will trigger the body into a state of emergency. This can burn up so much energy that memory loss or even death can result from the brain being deprived of vital vitamins. These risks can, however, be greatly reduced by the individual undergoing a medical detox, which involves being regularly administered drugs over a number of days or even weeks.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be throwing up every five minutes or hallucinating about pink elephants or about insects crawling all over the ceiling to have at least some degree of physical addiction. Many people are physically addicted without realising bit. It is quite possible for someone with a physical addiction not to have a drink first thing in the morning or even at lunchtime. They can go all the way through the working day without drinking but by the time they get home they will feel pretty agitated if they don't start drinking straight away. These agitation levels will start to die down within a quarter of an hour of them having knocked back their first drink and will then continue steadily right up until the time that they go to bed.
It is not unusual for drinkers who fit into this category to still be pursuing successful careers and to set great store by the fact that they are not actually an "alcoholic." The classic defence runs along the lines of "I only have a couple of drinks in the evening to unwind from the strains and stresses of the office." But problem drinkers commonly underestimate their drinking by at least half, so "a couple" can easily mean three or four, and a glass of wine or spirits poured at home can easily amount to three or four pub measures. So they could be drinking the equivalent of around 15 drinks in a pub every evening.
Other symptoms of physical addiction include experiencing a desire for alcohol first thing in the morning, sweating, shakiness, hiding alcohol from friends and family, and becoming increasingly moody and argumentative either whilst drinking or when drink is not available. Even those who merely experience minor anxiety, agitation or difficulty with sleep when they attempt to give up may have developed a physical addiction which warrants medical attention.
If a medical detox is considered necessary it doesn't necessarily have to involve being an inpatient in a hospital or private residential rehab clinic. In some cases it can be possible to receive treatment at home or simply to visit your GP, hospital or a specialist clinic on a regular basis.
Undergoing a medical detox can help those with physical addictions avoid causing themselves too much harm whilst withdrawing from alcohol. Nevertheless, those who complete such a process have only one the first battle and not the war. Overcoming a drink problem can require considerable willpower and may also necessitate understanding why you were drinking heavily in the first place, and this could require getting treatment for the psychological problems that caused you to do so. So undergoing a medical detox should not be viewed as some sort of magical cure by those with drink problems. It can represent a very important first step on the road to recovery but once it has taken place many other factors will come into play, including the type of support network of family and friends available to the drinker.
If someone with a physical addiction to alcohol tries to give up without medical help, the withdrawal of alcohol will trigger the body into a state of emergency. This can burn up so much energy that memory loss or even death can result from the brain being deprived of vital vitamins. These risks can, however, be greatly reduced by the individual undergoing a medical detox, which involves being regularly administered drugs over a number of days or even weeks.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be throwing up every five minutes or hallucinating about pink elephants or about insects crawling all over the ceiling to have at least some degree of physical addiction. Many people are physically addicted without realising bit. It is quite possible for someone with a physical addiction not to have a drink first thing in the morning or even at lunchtime. They can go all the way through the working day without drinking but by the time they get home they will feel pretty agitated if they don't start drinking straight away. These agitation levels will start to die down within a quarter of an hour of them having knocked back their first drink and will then continue steadily right up until the time that they go to bed.
It is not unusual for drinkers who fit into this category to still be pursuing successful careers and to set great store by the fact that they are not actually an "alcoholic." The classic defence runs along the lines of "I only have a couple of drinks in the evening to unwind from the strains and stresses of the office." But problem drinkers commonly underestimate their drinking by at least half, so "a couple" can easily mean three or four, and a glass of wine or spirits poured at home can easily amount to three or four pub measures. So they could be drinking the equivalent of around 15 drinks in a pub every evening.
Other symptoms of physical addiction include experiencing a desire for alcohol first thing in the morning, sweating, shakiness, hiding alcohol from friends and family, and becoming increasingly moody and argumentative either whilst drinking or when drink is not available. Even those who merely experience minor anxiety, agitation or difficulty with sleep when they attempt to give up may have developed a physical addiction which warrants medical attention.
If a medical detox is considered necessary it doesn't necessarily have to involve being an inpatient in a hospital or private residential rehab clinic. In some cases it can be possible to receive treatment at home or simply to visit your GP, hospital or a specialist clinic on a regular basis.
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