Can You Safely Detox From Alcohol At Home?

Alcohol detoxification is the most crucial part of treating addiction to alcohol use. It can help reduce the risk of dangerous symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and other serious health complications. While some may try detoxing from alcohol at home, we do not recommend this. Your best and safest option is to seek a medical detox program. 

Medical Detox Programs: The Safest Option 

To minimize the risk of serious complications, the safest way to detox is in a supervised medical setting. During medical detox, a team of professionals can give medications to ease dangerous and uncomfortable side effects and reduce cravings.

You may also be monitored and evaluated for co-occurring mental health issues. These issues can interfere with recovery if not diagnosed and treated. 

Remember that the symptoms of withdrawal can be dangerous when not monitored properly. Medical professionals have the proper knowledge and skills to help you out when withdrawal symptoms become too severe. 

Detoxing at a facility can help you on your path to maintain sobriety successfully. There are many treatment options available to help you reach sobriety, and professionals can help ensure your safety and comfort during this difficult time. 

Other Steps for Safely Detoxing from Alcohol

While a medical detox is your best option to detox from alcohol safely, here are some more tips that can help you have a more comfortable detox process. 

Talk To Your Doctor About Medications

While medications aren’t the first line of treatment that can help with withdrawal symptoms, some healthcare providers may prescribe them during detox. Some commonly used medications include benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, and naltrexone. 

Stay Hydrated and Eat Nutritious Meals

Alcohol detox can be physically taxing, and you must take care of your body during this time. Drinking enough water and eating a healthy diet can help prevent dehydration and nutrient depletion.

Exercise Regularly

Based on the assessment from the physician handling you, light, regular exercise can improve your physical and mental well-being. Light walking or yoga reduces stress and boosts endorphins while in recovery. Don’t attempt strenuous exercises, as these might be too much for your body to handle. 

Find Support Systems

Alcohol detox isn’t just physically taxing; it’s also emotionally exhausting. This is why having a solid support system can make the process less draining. Friends, family, or professional help like therapy and/or 12-step programs can all be good support during detox. 

Can I Detox at Home?

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) strongly advises against detoxing at home. More importantly, you should never attempt to stop drinking cold turkey if you:

• Have previously experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
• Have a history of withdrawal seizures or Delirium Tremens (DT).
• Have serious medical conditions or underlying health conditions.
• Use other drugs – prescription or illegal substances.
• Have a co-occurring mental health disorder.

Risks of Detoxing from Alcohol at Home

Attempting to detox at home can be dangerous. This is because you do not have the support required to monitor your body’s response to alcohol’s absence from your system. 

Here are some of the risks of detoxing from home:

Risk of Severe Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms may start 6 to 12 hours after the last drink and peak within 24 to 48 hours. Without the proper help, the symptoms can worsen and result in life-threatening complications that will require more extensive treatment. Even if you think you can handle it, a home detox poses many risks to the person undertaking it. 

Dehydration and Nutritional Deficiencies 

Since alcohol use can have negative effects on your physical health, you need to detox under the guidance of a medical professional who can manage dehydration and nutritional deficiencies. When you attempt to detox at home, you increase the risk of electrolyte imbalance and impaired immune function. 

Emotional Challenges

One of the reasons why alcoholics have a very difficult time during detox is because of the emotional challenges that come with it. Anxiety, panic attacks, and feelings of hopelessness all make detox more difficult. Detoxing without a medical professional’s guidance won’t provide you with the proper emotional support for these emotional challenges. 

Increased Risk of Relapse

Relapse rates for people who attempt detox at home and do not engage in therapy are much higher than for those who seek professional treatment. Seeking detox treatment from a medical professional offers a safe environment and reduces the risk of complications.

Common Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms from long-term drinking will range from mild to severe. Mild withdrawal symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Mood swing
• Loss of appetite

Severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous and need medical attention. This is more common in those who have been engaging in heavy alcohol use for a long time or have co-occurring conditions that exacerbate the withdrawal symptoms.

Severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

• Seizures
• Hallucinations
• Suicidal thoughts
• High blood pressure and increased heart rate
• Delirium tremens

Benefits of Alcohol Detox and Quitting Alcohol

Getting the proper help for alcohol withdrawal syndrome and detoxing from alcohol provides several health benefits, such as:

Decreased Health Risks

Drinking excessively can impact your health and interfere with your body’s regular processes. Particularly, excessive alcohol consumption can damage your liver.

Serious health issues like cirrhosis or fatty liver disease may develop when your liver is unable to perform at its peak.

Alcohol addiction increases the risk of several health conditions, such as:

• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Pancreatitis
• High blood pressure
• Arrhythmias 
• Dementia
• Fibrosis
• Gastro issues
• Depression, anxiety

The liver, brain, cardiovascular system, and gut have likely suffered harm from frequent drinking; however, as soon as you stop using alcohol, the organs will start to repair themself gradually.

Your liver can regenerate. You will start to feel better overall and see changes in your physical health.

Improved Heart Health

One of the best things you can do for your heart is to stop drinking alcohol. According to research, those who consume large amounts of alcohol are about twice as likely to have cardiovascular issues than people who don’t. 

Alcohol misuse has also been linked with an increased risk for these heart problems:

• Heart failure
• Atrial fibrillation
• Ischemic stroke
• Hemorrhagic stroke
• Myocardial infarction

Giving up alcohol will protect your heart, reducing blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

Mental Health Benefits

Mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression are frequently associated with alcohol addiction. About 9.2 million adult Americans have a co-occurring disorder (mental diagnosis and substance use disorder). Almost half of these adults do not receive any care.

Unfortunately, many people also use alcohol and other substances as a form of self-medication for the symptoms of mental health issues.

Giving up alcohol can help reduce the symptoms of mental illness. Your mental health will gradually improve as you continue to work for your short- and long-term sobriety goals. 

Improved Sleep

Alcoholism causes restless nights or even sleeplessness. Alcohol may initially make you feel sleepy, but because it disrupts the body’s sleep-wake cycles, it makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep all night.

Alcohol use can also keep you awake throughout the night by interfering with the crucial REM stage of sleep. Drinking alcohol can also make it difficult to breathe. Alcohol relaxes the throat, which can cause snoring or sleep apnea.

As such, the longer you go without drinking, the better your sleep will get. This will improve your mood and help you focus and be more productive during the day. 

Improved Relationships

When you drink, you run the risk of developing alcohol use disorder, which, like any other addiction, can harm relationships. If you stop drinking, you will be able to focus on repairing these relationships, which in turn act as a support for ongoing sobriety.

In addition, you will be able to attend more social engagements rather than having to forgo them because of a drinking-related commitment. 

With the improved mood and improvements to mental health that come with giving up alcohol, you’ll also find it easier to interact with others and attend events.

Better Nutrition 

Alcohol can deplete your body’s supply of essential nutrients while also supplying it with an abundance of sugar and empty calories. Particularly with binge drinking, it’s possible to exceed 500 additional calories in a single evening easily.

Your metabolism won’t work properly if you don’t consume enough important foods, including protein, carbs, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Alcohol can also sabotage the nutritional process by interfering with the digestion and excretion of nutrients,

Numerous people who have an alcohol use disorder become malnourished as a result of these detrimental nutritional impacts. When you quit drinking, it’s easier to maintain a healthy body. 

Improved Immunity

Alcohol inhibits white blood cell growth, which is how your body fights infections and germs; drinking alcohol regularly can impair the immune system and your body’s capacity to fight disease.

Because drinking may negatively impact the immune system, it is crucial to cut back to lower the risk of catching colds, flu, and other ailments.

Fewer Safety Risks

Alcohol is to blame for a large number of preventable injuries and traumatic events like severe falls, drownings, car accidents, and suicides. In at least half of all killings, drownings, significant trauma injuries, and drownings.

According to the World Health Organization, around 2.6 million deaths worldwide were caused by alcohol consumption in 2019. Your risk of accidents is dramatically reduced by quitting alcohol and receiving proper treatment. 

Improved Mental Clarity

Regularly consuming alcohol can impair one’s ability to think properly or recall information. Misuse of alcohol can slow down your reaction times and affect your ability to move quickly. You can have a difficult time interpreting other people’s feelings.

Heavy drinking shrinks the hippocampus in the brain, which is essential for memory and learning, leading to these adverse side effects.

Giving up alcohol can help you undo whatever negative effects it has had on your memory, problem-solving abilities, and attention span.

Improved Hydration

Alcohol dehydrates the body and causes the body to eliminate fluids from your blood much more quickly through the kidneys and bladder. Drinking alcohol without enough water can cause dehydration very quickly.

As your organs draw water from the brain to compensate for their water loss, dehydration will frequently cause headaches. Your potassium and sodium levels also drop, which could harm how well your muscles and nerves work.

By receiving proper help for alcohol addiction, you can prevent the headaches, nausea, and exhaustion brought on by low potassium and sodium levels.

Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

Detox is the first step on your path to recovery. However, there are several other treatment options for those struggling with alcoholism. These include:

• Group Therapy: Therapy in a group setting helps provide education on addiction-related topics and provides support from peers, which has many proven benefits to maintaining sobriety.
• Individual Counseling: One-on-one therapy sessions offer opportunities for personal exploration and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Behavioral therapies also help to identify the root causes of addiction, teach healthy coping skills, and aim to change behaviors linked to problem drinking.
• Holistic Therapies: Practices like meditation, mindfulness, art, and music therapy have been proven to reduce stress and increase coping strategies.
• Medication-assisted Treatment (MAT): MAT is often needed to help through detox as well as address any co-occurring mental health issues.

Alcohol Detox Treatment to Manage Alcohol Withdrawal

If you’re looking to quit alcohol, then it’s best to receive treatment from professionals. We know it can be tempting to try detoxing on your own, but doing so can do more harm than good. There are several risks associated with detoxing at home. 

Please reach out to Luxe Recovery if you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction. Our compassionate and highly trained admissions team can discuss the various treatment options with you. Luxe Recovery’s world-class program for substance abuse can help you on your journey to sobriety.