Alex Atwood's Blog: Is It Dangerous To Detox At Home? Drugs And Alcohol

Danger of Home Detox

Detox or detoxification is a fairly common topic in health circles today. It is a word frequently used in television, newspaper, and online advertisements for all types of products that promise to get rid of toxins from your body system. Many people have been led to believe that detox is a simple process without risks or side effects. However, detoxing from alcohol is a completely different procedure and potentially riskier than a simple colon cleanse aimed at losing body weight.

What is drug and alcohol detox?

Drug or alcohol detox is a complex procedure used in removing alcohol or the drugs from the body of an addicted person. It is usually the first step in recovery from drugs or alcohol dependency. There are many methods of achieving detox from simply deciding to stop on your by going “cold turkey” to home-based herbal kits and entering a residential medical rehab center. You may be tempted to simply go cold turkey and stop abusing drugs or alcohol on your own at home without the support of medical practitioners but unfortunately, this is a risky decision because drugs and alcohol have severe and sometimes life-threatening side effects when one suddenly stops using them.

Withdrawal symptoms

Abuse of drugs and alcohol alters the chemical circuitry in your brain. Continuous use of these substances creates a physical dependence on the substance. Without the drug alcohol in your body, the brain has to struggle to find its natural balance which leads to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, chills, sweating, intense cravings, uncontrollable shakes and tremors, irregular heart rate, lack of sleep, irritability, hallucinations, anxiety, agitation, fever, muscle aches, depression, suicidal thoughts, and even death in severe cases. The severity and the length of time these symptoms take depends on factors such as the type of substances abused, the duration of abuse, the dosage last taken, and the level of dependency.

When you try to detox at home you are likely to suffer from relapse and subsequent use of higher levels of the drug or alcohol. Detox at home could also lead to drug overdose, medical complications, and mental health problems. For example, alcohol withdrawal causes headaches, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, loss of concentration, body aches, irritability, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. According to the Annuls of General Psychiatry, between 5 and 24% of people who withdraw from alcohol addiction suffer from a potentially fatal withdrawal condition known as delirium tremens. This is a severe withdrawal symptom characterized by seizures, fever, hallucinations, and confusion. Without proper medical attention, delirium tremens can be fatal.

Detox at a licensed medical facility

When you stop taking drugs or alcohol suddenly after a long period of usage, you end up shocking the body which results in unpleasant painful reactions. It is highly recommended that you give your body a slow and controlled weaning process that reduces the dosage levels with time. The detox process should be monitored closely by qualified medical professionals to avoid any health issue that may arise. There are medications given to patients in management of intense withdrawal symptoms, the medications also help to reduce intense cravings for drugs or alcohol after prolonged use.

Attempting to detox at home without the help of a medical professional is dangerous given that you do not have an idea of how severe or disabling the withdrawal symptoms can be. Detox is only successful when conducted in a licensed detox center under 24-hour medical supervision and support. Detox of South Florida is a premier detox center that has helped many overcome alcohol and drugs dependency.

The following blog post Is It Dangerous To Detox At Home? Drugs And Alcohol was originally seen on S. FL Detox Team

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