How To Help Someone Detox From Alcohol
By Midwest Detox Staff
Do you have a loved one who is addicted to alcohol? Watching someone go through the depths of alcohol addiction is always heartbreaking. You feel helpless as the person you once knew becomes consumed by alcohol. It is natural to want to help.
But how exactly do you do this? In this blog, we’ll take a look at the do’s and don’ts of helping someone detox from alcohol. Read on to find out what you should do.
How Alcohol Detox Works
If someone has been drinking alcohol in large amounts for a long period of time, they are likely to go through alcohol withdrawal. This is the period following drinking cessation when their body attempts to reestablish equilibrium. During this stage they will feel very unwell, and even run the risk of death.
Knowing this, you can see why it is not recommended that when you are helping someone detox from alcohol that you do it by yourself. Unless you are trained in alcohol detoxification then you simply will not have the knowledge and skills involved to help someone successfully navigate away from alcohol withdrawal.
For this reason, you should make sure that your loved one gets professional help in the form of a medical alcohol detox. This is a place that has staff who are experienced and have qualifications related to detoxification.
A professional alcohol detox helps you to be as safe and as comfortable as possible when going through withdrawal. Staff at the detox center will assist you with medication, concern, nutrition and a number of other things that you may ask for.
Good detox centers, like Midwest Detox, are designed with your comfort in mind. While alcohol detox may still be challenging at points, being at a center like this makes it significantly easier.
Can You Detox From Alcohol At Home?
Detoxing from alcohol is one of the difficult events that a person can go through. Heart rate and anxiety shoot up, restless leg syndrome begin, and the person going through detox can start experiencing delirium tremens. These are just a few of the symptoms that combined make alcohol withdrawal a very difficult process and as such, no one should go through it without professional help.
Unfortunately these are not the only symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal also comes with symptoms like seizures that can kill. It is possible to take medication so that alcohol withdrawal is safe, but the medications themselves can be dangerous, and require guidance from medical professionals.
Besides the risk of death, alcohol withdrawal can be incredibly unpleasant. With support, though, the uncomfortability and danger that comes with alcohol withdrawal can be significantly reduced.
The bottom line is: do not attempt to go through alcohol withdrawal without the aid of professionals. It simply is not worth the risk.
The Benefits Of An Alcohol Detox Center
There are a number of benefits that come with attending an alcohol detox center. Here are some of those benefits.
Keeps You Safe
As mentioned above, alcohol withdrawal is very dangerous. Attending an alcohol detox center means that you will have access to medications that will keep your body stable, meaning that your risks of coming to serious harm while you are in the throes of addiction are minimal.
You will also have trained staff around you who can check on your vital signs, to make sure that the process is moving in the direction that it should be. If you do a detox at home, you may have someone with you, but unless they are medically trained they will not be able to tell whether your vital signs indicate whether the detox is progressing as it should be.
Increased Level of Comfort
Alcohol withdrawal tests the resolve of anyone who goes through it. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly challenging. If you are at a center like Midwest Detox, you will be given support that will significantly increase your level of comfort.
Often people who are in the grips of alcohol addiction are not able to feed themselves in a manner that provides the right nutrition for their bodies and minds. At Midwest Detox, you will be provided with nutritious meals that will help you to keep your strength up and give your body the building blocks that it requires to recover from alcohol addiction.
The environment has been made as pleasant as possible. You will have comfortable bedding, the furnishings are tasteful and you will have access to entertainment to help the time in withdrawal pass more quickly.
What Happens At An Alcohol Detox Center
The best alcohol detox centers support their patients, providing an experience that is as pleasant as possible for an alcohol detox center.
The majority of the time you spend at an alcohol detox center will involve clinincal and holistic treatments along with socializing with others who are at the center, and resting so that you can recover from withdrawal.
While some centers do not allow cigarette smoking, Midwest Detox does. We have smoking areas where people who want to smoke cigarettes are able to. We allow this as we believe that it is important that cigarette smokers be allowed to smoke while detoxing, as it can make the process less challenging. Smokers are already withdrawing from alcohol, there is no need from them to withdraw through from nicotine at the same time!
Get Help From An Alcohol Detox Center Today
At Midwest Detox, You will have your own bedroom and bathroom, which are two aspects that you should simply not do without when you are going through alcohol withdrawal. You will also be around supportive staff who will look after all of your medical needs, while also making sure that you feel listened to and cared for.
Every effort is made to provide an environment that is as comfortable as possible. At Midwest Detox we believe that while detoxing is hard, it doesn’t have to be miserable.
We pride ourselves on our level of care, and understand that getting this first tentative stage of recovery is absolutely crucial for long-term recovery. For more information on how we can help you to get and stay clean, contact us today.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Reach out to Midwest Detox at 414-409-5200 or send us a message today.