Alcohol Detox

Alcohol detox is the phenomena which occurs when an individual abruptly ceases to drink alcohol. Part of the detox is to supply the patient with a substance which will act as a cross-tolerant to minimize alcohol withdrawal. The prerequisites to determine the need for an alcohol detox include the age of the individual, the quantity of alcohol ingested over a determined period, the history of alcohol ingestion, the medical background of the person.

The alcohol withdrawal symptoms will take between 6 to 72 hours to develop after the last drink. Symptoms will range from mild anxiety to alcohol seizures. Also while the person detoxes, a medical exam to verify different health issues associated with alcohol intake should be looked at such as blood work, liver Cirrhosis, pancreatitis, arrhythmia and different heart conditions.

What occurs when a heavy drinker stops drinking?

A sudden stopping of alcohol use can be extremely dangerous as the abrupt change in biochemistry actually shocks the body and mind, both of which have become fully dependent on the regular effects of alcohol. The withdrawal symptoms that occur within a very short period of time after the last drink are not only uncomfortable – they can be dangerous, even fatal. Usual reactions during alcohol withdrawal : sweating, headache, “the shakes” , anxiety, nausea, dry-heaves, hallucinations, convulsions or seizures, delirium tremens, coma, heart failure and sometimes death.
It cannot be emphasized strongly enough that it is highly risky for a person with a heavy alcohol history to attempt to stop drinking alcohol without medical care. As a preventative to coma, stroke, heart attack, seizure, loss of brain cells and other complications the person is given small and exactly timed doses of a sedative (for instance a benzodiazepine over several days), which will allow the brain to slow down to a safe level through the initial critical period of the detox.
Therefore, Medical Supervision is ALWAYS recommended for withdrawal from alcohol.

Two things you need to know about alcohol detox:

1. Detox is very safe with medical supervision, and extremely dangerous without it.
2. Detox, while vital, is only the first step to a full recovery . It is foolish to not plan for follow up recovery steps. Never expect recovery to be complete after medical detox. Though it does safely open the door to alcohol rehab, it will NOT help a person to rebuild their life or change their thought processes or repair their marriage or find spiritual change all on its own.

^{References:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20040315/1443.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_detoxification}

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