Alcohol Detox Program

Despite being legal for adults to consume and easy to acquire at legitimate businesses, alcohol is a dangerous and addictive drug. It underlies thousands of deaths each year in our country and is often linked with other tragic outcomes like reckless driving, child abuse, and domestic violence. Fortunately, with the help of drug and alcohol detox centers, many people have successfully turned their lives around. If you’re seeking an outstanding alcohol detox program in Tennessee, call 619.458.3435 or reach out online. The caring team at Apex Recovery is standing by to help you.

Signs it May Be Time for an Alcohol Detox Center

Because drinking, and even binging, is incredibly common in the United States, recognizing that your own or a loved one’s behavior is problematic can be tough. Sadly, alcohol abuse is widely normalized, and drinking often begins at a very early age, setting up negative patterns that can last for decades. If you suspect that you or someone you care about might be struggling with alcohol addiction, consider whether any of the following symptoms are present:

Withdrawal from activities or commitments that previously held strong value or appeal
Depression, anxiety, or irritability
Withdrawal symptoms such as headache, sweating, trembling, or irritability start to occur if a long gap occurs between drinking episodes
Difficulty sticking to limits placed on the number of drinks per sitting
Tolerance, or the need for greater and greater quantities of alcohol to get the same effect
Blackouts (gaps in your memory of events that occurred while you were drinking heavily)
Risky behaviors like drinking and driving or having unprotected sex

What to Expect from Alcohol Detox Treatment

Detoxing from alcohol on your own can be not only very unpleasant but also dangerous. During the period when your body is ridding itself of the substance, you may experience mood disturbance such as severe anxiety or irritability. Physically, nausea, aching, sweating, and trembling are all common, and sleep disturbance is also likely. In severe cases, those detoxing from alcohol hallucinate or have delusions that can pose a danger to their safety. In some more extreme cases, seizures, unconsciousness, coma, and even death can occur.

For all these reasons, if you have a serious chemical dependence on alcohol, it’s strongly recommended that you detox in a professional clinical setting. During inpatient detox, you will receive 24-hour supervision and medical staff will monitor your vitals to make sure you are safe and receiving adequate hydration and nutrition. As much as possible, detox will also help you get some exercise to help produce a natural “high” and more effectively flush the drug out of your system. In some cases, your doctor may also provide pain medication to manage some of your more uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Following detox, it’s essential to follow up with individual and group therapy for the best odds of lasting recovery. Sadly, many people relapse shortly after detox if not given the resources and support they need to cope with stressors and triggers to drink going forward. In individual therapy, clients can learn about the root causes of their addiction, get help with any co-occurring mental health issues they may have, practice cognitive and emotional regulation skills, and make a concrete relapse prevention plan. Group therapy typically begins soon after detox as well, and this powerful peer support offering may continue well beyond the scope of inpatient or outpatient care.