Detox from Alcohol

You have been in this place before. You’re wondering why you can’t “just cut back” on your drinking. You’ve made the decision a hundred times to stop drinking. You may have denied for a long time that you even have a problem, but you know deep down that you cannot control your use. However, there is always something that pulls you back into alcohol’s grasp. No matter how well-intentioned you are to not drink tonight, tomorrow or this week – there is always a reason to go back. That reason is: you are likely addicted to alcohol. The first step to getting over the constant voice in your head telling you to drink is to detox from alcohol.

Addiction to alcohol is not a matter of free will. You have learned this very clearly since all your efforts to quit on your own have failed. Your family and friends have probably expressed their concern to you, or alcohol may have even caused damaging negative consequences to your life. It’s important to know that your alcohol addiction is a matter of actual chemical wiring in your brain. The more you drink, the more tolerance you build. The more tolerance you build, the more your dependency on alcohol rises. This makes your brain believe that you actually require alcohol in order to function. The only way to end this cycle is to detox from alcohol.

Tough Withdrawal Symptoms

One of the many reasons you have been unable to quit drinking alcohol is because of the way you physically feel when it’s been a while since your last drink. When someone addicted to alcohol stops drinking, it is much more than just a bad hangover. It is actual withdrawal symptoms; your brain calling out and needing more alcohol in order to function. Once you’re able to overcome this hump of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, your brain will be able to re-wire and realize it doesn’t actually need alcohol to function.

Some withdrawal symptoms associated with detox from alcohol include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Headache
  • Anxiety
  • High blood pressure
  • Shaking
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Mood swings
  • Insomnia
  • Changes in eating patterns

Delirium Tremens

One of the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol is delirium tremens. Since alcohol directly affects your central nervous system, there can be serious consequences when there are drastic changes to it. One of the drastic changes includes quitting alcohol. It can come on quickly and actually be fatal, so it is important to safely detox from alcohol under medical supervision.

Navigating Triggers

Detox from alcohol can not only leave you in physical pain, but it can leave you with a lot of emotional work to deal with. One thing you will need to deal with is navigating your triggers. Walking past the alcohol aisle in the grocery store, being invited to a night out, a bad day at work or having an argument with your spouse might be some of the many things that drive you to drink alcohol.

Learning how to overcome these triggers and cope with them without turning to alcohol is a skill that can be learned in treatment. It is almost impossible to overcome them alone, and it is very likely that you will relapse. This is especially true when you first begin detoxing from alcohol; most relapses occur within the first few days.

Irresistible Cravings

Thanks to all of the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and dealing with difficult triggers when you first start to detox from alcohol, your cravings will be at an all-time high. This is your brain telling you that it requires alcohol in order to function. Learning how to overcome cravings, or prevent them altogether with medical help, is essential to your long-term recovery.

The Answer is Medical Detox

If you are ready to detox from alcohol, you do not have to experience any of the above negative consequences of detox. With medical detox, you won’t experience any uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. You will be met with around-the-clock medical care, should delirium tremens present itself. In addition, you will be far away from your regular triggers. You will learn how to deal with them in a positive and healthy way so that when you return home you can deal with them properly.

Finally, medical detox will help ease your cravings. There are medications available to help stop your cravings, and you will also have it administered right before you leave treatment. This makes your first moments at home much easier, ensuring your long-lasting sobriety.

About Pinelands Recovery Center

Detox from alcohol is extremely important in your road to recovery. Beginning treatment to end the cycle while finding the root cause of your alcohol addiction can finally free you from the prison that alcohol has kept you in. The first step is detoxing, and we can help make it a comfortable and safe experience for you.

Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford is widely known as one of New Jersey’s finest, most respected addiction treatment facilities. With comfortable 30-bed accommodations and 24-hour professional staff, we can offer clients a serene, relaxing environment amid the lush piney woods. This stress-free setting with its sense of warmth and welcoming enables you to feel comfortable and confident about your clean and sober life ahead.

We will establish clear goals, both general in nature and specific to your needs. At Pinelands, we continue to monitor those goals, to make sure that our clients are progressing and buying into their recovery plan. We thrive on assisting clients in feeling connected to the recovery community, share and demonstrate effective coping techniques, help clients to modify attitudes and patterns of behavior and everything else you will need to be happy and productive living a sober, healthy life.

We ensure that clients complete their planned concrete tasks, encourage hope, optimism and healthy living. Our recovery program is not a revolving door treatment program; it is a recovery model designed to help clients go on to lead productive, happy lives. For more information, visit pinelandsrecovery.com