Detoxification in general gets rid of foreign bacteria or illnesses. Some people detoxify in order to rid themselves of sinus infections, kidney problems, or colon problems. If you have to detoxify for health reasons other than alcohol dependency, some home remedies can help speed up the cure. One website suggests drinking cranberry juice on a regular basis. It helps to cleanse the body from the inside. Another website touts water’s magic. The site says to drink plenty of water and take baths and showers in order to eliminate the toxins from your body.
But what if you need to rid your body of an illness that you’ve had for years? While some people think that alcoholism is a choice, a lot of people believe that it is actually a disease. If you feel the need to make a change in your life once and for all, why not try alcohol detox? Alcohol detox is the most necessary step for an alcoholic to make in order to ensure substantial recovery. Oddly enough, detoxification is achieved through administering drugs to the patient.
When you begin the detoxification process, you will experience increasingly serious withdrawal symptoms. Believe it or not, this is a good sign. This means that a lot of the alcoholic poisons are leaving your body. Depending on which website you visit, there are two or three stages of withdrawal. All agree on the symptoms that you will face. Here are a few of the more common occurrences.
- Insomnia: Insomnia is a key symptom for many detoxification patients, no matter what substance you’re cleansing yourself of. Many doctors don’t consider this symptom very serious, so you may still be an outpatient if you suffer from insomnia as a result of detox.
- High blood pressure: This is another “mild” symptom. If your pressure becomes too high, however, you may have to stay in the hospital for a while.
- Vomiting: Vomiting is natural because you’re getting rid of the toxins. Think of vomiting as another elimination source. Remember the adage, “better out than in.”
- Seizures or convulsions: This symptom is a very serious and will probably require hospitalization. If seizures are present, this could mean that you’re in the middle of the detoxification process.
- Hallucinations: If you experience hallucinations, you’re probably in the final stage of detoxification. Many people experience hallucinations through having odd ideas, or by seeing things or people who aren’t there. Hallucinations can be intertwined with paranoia. This symptom is also considered severe.
- Depression: One of the last symptoms of detoxification, depression can last for months after initial treatment (if you stay clean). This is a very pivotal symptom because depression can lead to alcohol abuse.
If you choose alcohol detox, you shouldn’t stop there. Think of detox as a band-aid. What if a dog bites you and it had rabies. Do you simply cover the wound? No, you get to the root of the problem. An alcohol treatment center should be waiting in the wings after your initial alcohol detox. An alcohol treatment center offers counseling and tries to find out why you decided to drink in the first place. Detoxification is simply removing the toxins from your body, not addressing your reasons for doing so.
By Michelle Presbury