An alcohol detox can be the start of your recovery from alcohol addiction, but it is not recommended that you undertake detox alone. If you’re physically dependent on alcohol, you will experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop alcohol without professional help. These withdrawal symptoms can be moderate, severe, or even life-threatening. A medically-assisted detox is a safe and comfortable way to remove alcohol from your system. If you drink daily or most days, or you are bingeing heavily, always seek advice to help you stop drinking.
There are some key things you need to know about alcohol detox and getting help with alcohol. You can always get in touch with Help Me Stop for a confidential chat on +44 (0) 208 191 9191 or email us at enquiries@helpmestop.org.uk. Please read on for more about alcohol detox.
Getting help with alcohol is the first step, and making the first call is often the hardest thing to do. We are here to help you move confidently into recovery from alcohol addiction, with the medical support and recovery strategies you need to stop and stay stopped.
You can read more about our programmes here.
What is Alcohol Detox?
Alcohol detox is a medically-assisted process, which removes alcohol safely from your system. A short course of prescribed medication (typically around 7-10 days) minimises your withdrawal symptoms, as alcohol leaves your system. You should always seek professional and qualified help with detox. If you have an alcohol assessment with Help Me Stop, we can advise on the best detox and rehab options for you. For some, a short in-patient stay is advised. For others, it’s relatively simple to manage an alcohol detox at home, prescribed and overseen by medical professionals.
It is imperative to note that detoxing without medical assistance can be dangerous, and this is absolutely not something you should be doing by yourself.
Who is Alcohol Detox For?
An alcohol detox is necessary for people with a physical addiction to alcohol, who cannot stop drinking alcohol without experiencing a range of withdrawal symptoms, including:
- Shakes
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Dry Heaving
- Vomiting
- Fits
- Delirium Tremens (DTs): tremors, hallucinations, disorientation and anxiety
These alcohol withdrawal symptoms can vary, depending on many factors including the amount of alcohol you consume, how often you drink, whether you use other substances, your body mass index, co-existing health conditions, and more. A specialist alcohol assessor can help identify the signs of physical dependence, to determine whether you need a medically-managed detox.
At Help Me Stop, we treat people from all walks of life for alcohol addiction. Some clients need an alcohol detox protocol, others don’t. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Our alcohol assessment, and in some cases medical tests, will determine the right pathway for you.
If you need alcohol detox, get in touch with us for a confidential conversation.
Side Effects of an Alcohol Detox
Without medical assistance, there can be many risks or unpleasant side effects from alcohol withdrawal. This is why an alcohol detox must be planned and monitored by professionals, who work closely with you to ensure your safety and comfort throughout the process.
If your body is reliant on alcohol, it is dangerous to go ‘cold turkey’ or try to detox yourself. There’s a significant risk of physical and mental health complications, including alcohol relapse.
Getting Help with Alcohol Addiction
Getting help with alcohol addiction is a big step. It isn’t always easy to pick up the phone or email for alcohol help, far from it. Most of our team are in addiction recovery, so we’ve been exactly where you are now. We are here to listen without any judgement, to provide specialist support, and help you every step of the way.
Help Me Stop offer non-residential rehab in London and online to help you recover from alcohol and drug addiction. Our pioneering rehab programme is six weeks long and centres around integrative psychotherapy, incorporating the 12 step approach to addiction treatment, person-centred therapy, CBT, group and one-to-one counselling sessions, recovery workshops, and more. With professional and peer support, you will learn many strategies and tools to overcome your addiction. While detox typically commences before your therapeutic rehab programme, we know that it is important for our clients to know the plan. Often, clients can start their therapy midway through a detox, to start benefiting from the therapeutic support. We created our non-residential rehab programme because we knew there was a gap for affordable and accessible rehab. Most of our team has been through addiction in the past, and many couldn’t access expensive traditional rehab in London.. This was one of the main motivations for creating our Dayhab model, to offer non-residential rehab to those seeking help with addiction at a fraction of the cost of residential rehab.
Our programmes are designed to fit around your daily life. The Dayhab model allows you to practise and integrate recovery strategies and tools into your daily routine, without having to step away from work or family commitments for your rehab programme.
Getting help with alcohol and addiction can be tough, and we want you to know that we are here to listen and support you. You can find out more about our London rehab centres and our Online Rehab programme here. Family and close friends are also very welcome to enquire on behalf of a loved one.
Get in touch with us for a confidential chat on +44 (0) 208 191 9191 or send us an email to enquiries@helpmestop.org.uk.
