Addiction rehab is an important first step toward overcoming a substance use disorder. But what’s the first step of rehab? For many, the first step in rehab is drug and alcohol detox. Going to an alcohol detox center program may be the most important decision you make in your recovery.
An alcohol detox center program is about ridding your body of chemically-induced impulses and helping you through the period where withdrawal symptoms are at their strongest. These initial withdrawal symptoms can be potentially dangerous without proper medical attention, and that’s what detox is here for. Therefore, addiction treatment programs are vital for the recovery process.
What Are Some General Withdrawal Symptoms?
Alcohol detox handles the period at the beginning of your rehab in which the influence of alcohol is strongest. The way addiction works, your body adapts to the presence of alcohol by building up a tolerance. What tolerance does is shift your body’s perception of what’s normal.
Your body adapts to having alcohol in your system so that you can feel normal while you’re on them. And the other side of that is you feel abnormal when you’re not drinking. Since your brain chemistry has been altered to feel like your alcohol-induced state is normal, you find yourself reacting to not having alcohol in your system – since your body has created this resistance, it needs to use it. These reactions are called withdrawals, and they can range in severity from mild to life-threatening.
An alcohol detox center program is about getting you through those withdrawal symptoms by lessening the severity of the chemical reactions going on inside you. What are some withdrawal symptoms? Here are some common ones to look out for in any kind of detox:
- Abdominal pain
- Constant exhaustion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Debilitating headaches
- Nervousness and shaking
- Seizures
- Full-body muscular pain
- Visual and auditory hallucinations
- Insomnia
Some Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Can Be Particularly Severe
Alcohol detox is one of the most difficult types of detox there is. Detox is about getting you through withdrawal symptoms by lessening the severity of the chemical reactions inside you. Withdrawal symptoms for alcohol are a big deal because they’re potentially fatal.
But what are withdrawal symptoms? Simply put, withdrawal symptoms are the physical reactions your body has to not getting the substance it’s addicted to. They vary from person to person, but there are some common ones to look out for, like
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- irritability
- Agitation
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Potentially fatal delirium tremens, or DTs
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can start popping up just a couple of hours after you quit drinking and can persist for as long as two weeks.
How An Alcohol Detox Center Program Can Help
A big part of the detox process is medical detox. This involves administering a medication that blocks or alleviates withdrawal symptoms, and that method alone made up the majority of detox treatment for a while.
During alcohol detox, medications are generally used to help patients cope with and minimize withdrawal symptoms. Because these medications carry their withdrawal risks, they are tightly administered, and our medical professionals closely monitor patients. Northpoint Seattle also embraces holistic detox, which utilizes diet and physical fitness as a major program component.
Alcohol detox entails more than just abstinence from alcohol. It’s a comprehensive approach that includes understanding the causes of addiction and equipping patients with the tools they need to remain abstinent in the long term. Through counseling, education, and therapy, individuals can identify their triggers for drinking and develop strategies to manage cravings and urges. As clients progress into rehab treatment, we ensure they get the best treatment possible by providing them with the support, knowledge, and guidance they need to make positive changes in their lives.
There’s no good reason to delay getting help. Call Northpoint Seattle today at 425.414.3530 to get your recovery in motion.
Learn More About Alcohol Detox from Northpoint Seattle
Northpoint Seattle does not handle detox in-house, but we are proud to work with some of the best alcohol detox clinics across the state of Washington. We work with clinics that utilize the most modern, holistic methods for alcohol detox, and we make sure to incorporate them into our treatment plan.
If we think your recovery will require detox treatment, we will refer you out to one and pick up your treatment once the process has finished, which can take up to two weeks.
Our goal is to help you successfully stop using drugs without worrying about relapsing. And we will make sure you get whatever treatment you need – even if we don’t provide it. If you would like to learn more about how Northpoint Seattle can help you with your addiction, call 425.414.3530 today.