What is Alcohol?
Alcohol, often known as beer, wine, or hard liquor, is a is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by means of distilling fermented, starches, grains, fruits, or vegetables. Alcohol has been used for centuries to celebrate, relax, and to provide a sense of well-being. Like many addictive drugs, Alcohol use over time can lead to addiction. Within weeks of daily use of alcohol, the human body develops tolerance to Alcohol, requiring higher and higher doses of Alcohol to obtain the same effect. Physical dependence also involves withdrawl, which can lead to the uncomfortable physical symptoms when Alcohol is decreased or stopped.
What is an Alcohol Detox?
An Alcohol detox allows your body to comfortably get off Alcohol without withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms occur when you stop drinking Alcohol or drink significantly less than normal. Withdrawl symptoms are minimal at first and include anxiety, irritability, sweating, headache, tremor, shakiness, dizziness, muscle aching, fatigue, insomnia, palpitations, and concentration and memory difficulties. Nevertheless, if you don’t consume Alcohol soon, these symptoms can get worse and can lead to extremely dangerous withdrawl symptoms including delirium, seizure, and even death.
At Palm Beach Outpatient Detox, we don’t think you should have to fear stopping Alcohol because of withdrawal symptoms. There’s a way that you can detox off of Alcohol in the comfortable setting of your own home with a long acting benzodiazepine initiation followed by a gradual taper of the medication and finally, no medication.
Why Do I Need a Alcohol Detox?
Long term use of Alcohol can have a number of social and physical consequences. As tolerance to Alcohol develops the body requires more and more Alcohol or withdrawl symptoms will occur. As more Alcohol is needed daily, a person often spends a great deal of time and/or money obtaining more Alcohol. Daily, Alcohol use often leads to missed work and possibly family and or legal conflicts. The need for Alcohol can turn into an obsession. Often important social and recreational activities are given up or reduced to obtain and use Alcohol. Alcohol can also take a physical toll on the body and affects nearly all tissue and organ systems, and heavy drinkers show damage to tissues such as brain, liver, and heart, and increased risk of numerous diseases and birth defects. An Alcohol Detox can allow a person to take control of their life again and to once again obtain a “clear-headed” perspective on life.
What Can I Expect From an Alcohol Detox?
Without medical supervision, an Alcohol detox can be an extremely difficult, uncomfortable, dangerous, and even painful experience. You can expect stomach cramps, headache, extreme anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, agitation, irritability, sweating, hot and cold flashes, dizziness, tremors, and muscle pain. These symptoms begin within hours of your last dose, peak after a few days and last for as long as a few weeks.
With a prescription to a long acting benzodiazepine you can detox off of Alcohol without experiencing these symptoms. Long acting benzodiazepines stay a long time in the blood system, thus diminishing withdrawl signs and symptoms on discontinuation. This medication will allow you to break your physical dependence to Alcohol as your doctor slowly lowers your dose over one to two weeks and eventually stops it. Dr. Scanlan will also use other non-addictive medication along with the long acting benzodiazepine to help with the taper and to keep you feeling calm and able to sleep at night, while getting detoxed.
Palm Beach Outpatient Detox, offers outpatient detoxification treatments for opiates, alcohol and benzodiazepines in a comfortable office setting that is both affordable and allows clients to continue to work and be at home with their families. For many individuals this offers a way of easing back into daily living over a several weeks and into a recovery based way of life. Palm Beach Outpatient Detox covers areas which include Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin and St. Lucie Counties in the South Florida area.
For information on detoxification please call Palm Beach Outpatient Detox at (561) 901-0040.