A Guide from the Patient’s Perspective: How to Proceed with Hospital Alcohol Detox

Are you someone willing to quit alcohol but skeptical about the consequences of alcohol withdrawal or alcohol detox?

It may seem to others that quitting alcohol means saying no to drinks. But people with alcohol habits and their near ones know that it is a hard thing to do. Many may have tried and failed due to symptoms they face while trying.

However, with strong determination and hospital alcohol detox programs, you can overcome the challenges involved in alcohol withdrawal. In this article, we have discussed the symptoms of detox and the process of hospital alcohol detox.

What Is Alcohol Detox?

If someone is addicted to alcohol and trying to get rid of alcoholism then alcohol detox is the first step towards an alcohol-free life. Like any other detox program, the purpose of this process is to flush out the effects of alcohol from your body. In this course, the first ever thing to do is stop consuming alcohol. The patient will have to go through other medications and treatments once the detox program is completed successfully.

Most of the people face health issues right after they stop drinking alcohol. These problems are called alcohol detox symptoms and sometimes they can be life-threatening. It is advised by experts that hospital alcohol detox programs are safer and better.

What Are The Symptoms Of Alcohol Detox?

If you are thinking of alcohol detox then be prepared to face some irritation and a sense of uneasiness in your body right after you stop consuming alcohol. The severity of symptoms will depend upon the level of alcohol use disorder(AUD). This means the withdrawal symptoms will depend upon the quantity and endurance of consuming alcohol.

Mild symptoms may start appearing within 6 to 8 hours since the last drink and are managed with medicines. Generally, symptoms stay for two weeks but some of the patients may experience the symptoms prominently for months and even a year.

Mild Symptoms:

• Headache,
• Fever,
• Vomiting,
• Nausea,
• Anxiety,
• Restlessness,
• Sweating
• Shakiness,
• Sleeping problems,
• Nightmare,
• Hallucinations

On the other hand, some severe symptoms may be observed in some patients who need immediate medical attention. Especially people with other health conditions, heart and liver diseases, nerve problems, etc. The severity of symptoms is not predictable before going into the detox program. that is why it is better to go for a hospital alcohol detox program where you will be medically supervised.

Severe Symptoms:

• Faster heartbeat,
• High bool pressure
• Extreme agitation, anger, fear,
• Extreme hallucination,
• Seizers

Why Do You Need Medical Help For Alcohol Detox?

While going through an alcohol detox you may face some health issues that need medical attention. Remember that this process and its symptoms are hard enough to break you and force you to go back to alcohol for immediate relief. If you opt for a hospital alcohol detox program you will be under medical supervision to take necessary action based on the situation. Hospital alcohol detox programs are often clubbed with counseling sessions and meetings with fellow patients to boost your inspiration and determination. This is why you need medical help for alcohol detox.

Be Ready For Detox

By now you may have understood that it won’t be an easy detoxification journey. Here the key player is mental strength more than physical. So strengthening your mind is the most important part of being ready for alcohol detox. You may take the help of inspirational books, professional counselors, and your dear ones to boost your mental strength.

Process Of Hospital Alcohol Detox

Alcohol detox can be done on an inpatient and outpatient basis with medical help. However, an inpatient detox program is beneficial for people suffering severe detox symptoms. Apart from medical supervision, the hospital can take care of the mental and psychological challenges that occur in a detox program.

Assessment

• The first step of this process is assessing the severity of detox symptoms that may occur. The doctors or medical help can assess this by analyzing the alcohol consumption pattern of the patient.
• Then the psychiatric condition of the patient will be examined by experts. This helps them understand if the patient needs any special care for mental well-being.
• Then they assess the medical conditions and physical health to understand whether the patient has any history of other health conditions. It helps to take precautions for deterioration of health due to the detox symptoms and the medication for the detox program.

Medical Supervision

Once the alcohol detox process starts, medical practitioners keep a close eye on the changes and symptoms of the patients 24×7. They have experience with the symptoms like when they occur and how long they will stay. They also understand when to take action or give medications to patients with mild to severe symptoms. This is the best part of inpatient hospital alcohol detox.

Medications

The doctors prescribe medicines based on the symptoms and health condition of the patient. Based on the patient’s reaction to the drug doctor decides to continue or change the medicine further.

Monitoring and Reassessment

After medication and close supervision, it is important to reassess the progress of the detox program. Sometimes, the patient’s reaction to the alcohol detox changes frequently and gets severe suddenly. With monitoring and reassessment, disastrous situations can be avoided. The reassessment and monitoring process helps complete the alcohol withdrawal program.

Conclusion

We must agree that alcohol withdrawal or alcohol detox is a stressful process to go through due to the symptoms the patients suffer for detoxification. This is the reason most people are either frightened to try or tried but fail to succeed.

Those who genuinely want to try or may pursue it for the sake of their loved ones can consider the hospital alcohol detox programs. Inpatient hospital alcohol detox programs have all-around support starting from medical supervision to handling the psychological challenges of patients. The success rate of inpatient hospital alcohol detox programs is much higher than outpatient arrangements.