If you’re going to an alcohol rehabilitation facility so you can detox from whatever substance that you’re using, this is the first step of getting your life back on track! Congratulations on taking this hard step to become happy and healthy once more. You can make sure that you stay on this path of sobriety and getting clean by going through medical detoxification.
Instead of doing the withdrawal process on your own – which can be very tough for your mental, physical and emotional health – you can use the help and the amenities of a rehab facility to help you effectively detox without having any of the most unpleasant side effects. Since withdrawal can cause long-term and short-term side effects, such as personality changes, mood problems, irritability, depression, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and body aches, you may find this to be hard to do on your own.
In this case, doing supervised detoxifying is the best way to adhere to your recovery program. Let’s see what you can expect during this withdrawal process at your local rehabilitation facility.
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What you can expect when detoxing from alcohol
If you are going to detox on your own, this can be an unpleasant experience. Not only will you go through the tough symptoms of withdrawal, but you will not have any emotional support to help you get through these tough times. Having professionals, friends, and family around you to help give you motivation and encouragement is key to being able to stick with it through this hard time.
Not to mention, you will not have any medication that can help you ease the side effects of withdrawal, such as nausea and vomiting. If you don’t have any medicine, this can make the withdrawal symptoms much more unpleasant for the one or two weeks that you will be going through the process of detoxing from alcohol.
Furthermore, you need to be aware of how long you will be going through withdrawal. The withdrawal period depends on what substances you were using, how long you were using them for, your level of dependence, and the severity of your addiction. If you have been using drugs for multiple years now and you are addicted, the withdrawal period can be much longer than someone who has recently started using opioids.
Alcohol detoxification symptoms – what you can expect
Lastly, you can expect certain symptoms when it comes to detoxing from alcohol. You may find that you are irritable, anxious, sad, depressed, and not feeling like yourself. The good thing to keep in mind is that these symptoms are temporary – you will be much unhappier if you end up relapsing due to these short-term side effects. Keep the long-term goal in mind while you’re going through these changes!
Factors that can influence dependency
But what factors can influence your risk of becoming dependent on alcohol? If you’re going to check yourself into a rehabilitation facility, you might be wondering why you became dependent in the first place. The psychology behind addiction has been widely studied and addresses a familiar concept – nature vs. nurture. What caused us to be the way that we are?
When it comes to alcohol addiction, it seems various factors come into play when figuring out who is addicted and who is not. There are a few variables that can influence dependency on alcohol, such as a family history of alcoholism, starting to drink at a young age, abuse in your childhood, having a co-occurring disorder or mental health concerns, abusing other drugs, and living in a place where there is constant drinking and drug use.
If any of these apply to you, the chances of you becoming addicted to alcohol can be much higher. However, it can still happen even without any of these symptoms. There are a few signs of alcohol dependence that you should keep an eye out for if you notice it in you or a loved one. By being aware of your previous situation, your friend’s previous situation, and seeing if your environment has influenced your way of life, you can see if any of these warning signs apply to you. Some of the most common warning signs include continuing to drink in your life despite harmful consequences, not being able to get through a day without drinking, making alcohol a priority in your life, not being able to control how much you consume, difficulty stopping after starting drinking, drinking to excess, and craving alcohol.
In addition, there are patterns of alcohol consumption that can be problematic for people. If you find that you or a loved one is following these patterns, it could be time to get help and go through alcohol detoxification. Some of the alcohol dependency patterns include drinking in the morning, drinking for many hours of the day, drinking every evening, and drinking every day.
Keep in mind that if you are addicted or dependent on alcohol, it can change the way that your brain works. In this case, it might make you feel happy and relieved when you take the first drink – but can lead to mental and personality changes later down the line. Alcohol can act on the brain very quickly and alter the behavior for a long time. Since you will enjoy the short-term side effects, this can cause you to become dependent on this substance. You may find that if you do not drink for a day or a few hours, that you will begin to have negative consequences, such as feeling anxious, irritable, nauseous, upset, not able to sleep, restless, angry, and sick.
Conclusion
If you’re detoxing from alcohol, this can be a tough and unpleasant time. Knowing the types of symptoms that you will run into when it comes to detoxifying from alcohol can help you stick with it through the tough times. By knowing what you can expect, you can adhere to your recovery program and ensure that you do not relapse during this recovery period from your addiction.
