If you are at a point in your life where you are wishing to stop your alcohol intake completely, you may be considering a home detox. But before you go ahead with this there are a few things that you should know.
Firstly, whether it is safe for you to detox at home or not will be dependent on the amount you are drinking and the frequency. Daily drinkers are more likely to experience dangerous withdrawal symptoms than those who don’t. It is management of these symptoms that is key to detoxing safely. If you have previously experienced withdrawal symptoms, such as delirium tremors (uncontrollable shaking) heightened anxiety and agitation or any of the other symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal, it is not safe for you to just stop suddenly
There are a three ways of detoxing from alcohol at home, the first is to gradually reduce the amount you are drinking over a week to zero, the second is to obtain a medical detox from your GP or local drug and alcohol services and the third is to pay for a detox to be administered and supervised by a qualified practitioner who will stay at your home until the detox is completed.
If you have previously experience withdrawal symptoms from alcohol such as alcoholic seizures, we would not recommend you detoxing through reducing your alcohol intake. This can be very difficult to manage, and is really only suitable for someone who is only mildly addicted. A visit to your GP will confirm if you are in need of a medical detox or if it safe for you to taper off your alcohol intake over a period of time.
If it is decided by your GP that medication is required in order to manage your withdrawal symptoms, you may be prescribed a medication such as Chlordiazepoxide ( Librium) or some other Benzodiazepine medication that is proven to be effective in reducing withdrawal symptoms from alcohol. Of course this can present a further problem, adhering to the prescribed dosage can be difficult. We hear many stories of patients taking more than the prescribed dosage in the early days of detox confusion and vulnerability, leading them to running out of detox medication too soon and returning back to drink. Another risk is that the patient will drink in addition to taking the medication, leaving them in an even worse predicament than before.
If you are alcohol dependant, The safest way to detox from alcohol in your own home is with medication and medical supervision. If you are adamant that a rehab facility is not for you, then Addiction Helper can arrange for a clinical nurse to oversee a medical detox in your own home. If you have medical complications such as liver disease, diabetes or a heart condition, then even this can be dangerous and an inpatient admission would be strongly recommended. Furthermore, a detox only removes alcohol from an alcoholic; it does not deal with the issues that are underpinning the addiction. If the psychological aspect of the addiction is not addressed, it is likely the person will drink again in the not too distant future.
