3 Important Facts About the Alcohol Detox Process

Detoxification is part of every alcohol addiction treatment experience. Detox is widely regarded as one of the more difficult stages of recovery because of the severity of withdrawal symptoms. 

Successfully progressing past the detox stage will require professional addiction treatment, realistic expectations, and the right mindset. Knowing what to expect with alcohol detoxification can help ensure a smoother process.  

Cause of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Alcohol is a nervous system depressant and has a sedative effect. Consuming alcohol will reduce activity in the central nervous system and lower levels of awareness in the brain.  

When your central nervous system activity decreases due to increased alcohol consumption, your brain works harder to maintain homeostasis. This puts a strain on your brain and other vital organs like your heart, lungs and liver. 

Even when you’ve stopped consuming alcohol and the level of alcoholic chemicals in your system decreases, your brain has not yet adjusted and is still compensating for the lowered activity. This leads to you experiencing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

How Long Does Detox Take?

Experiences with detox and withdrawal can vary significantly due to differences in circumstances, history of alcohol use, and whether or not you’re using other substances. 

Detox usually lasts between four to ten days. How long it’ll take to progress past detoxification will depend on you. Some will experience the detox process quickly and be able to move on to receiving addiction treatment immediately. Others will take longer as their bodies adjust and rebalance themselves.

After Alcohol Detox

After completing alcohol detox, patients will then start to receive addiction treatment.  Alcohol addiction treatment helps patients progress toward recovery by facilitating their healing and development with therapeutic resources and treatment services. 

Through addiction treatment, patients reflect on previous behaviors that may have led to their alcohol dependency and grow the skills needed to live a healthy, sober life. During this process, patients also reconnect with their support systems and rebuild relationships that have been affected by their alcohol addiction. 

If you are receiving help at an intensive outpatient treatment center like Twin Town Treatment Centers, you’ll likely be provided with services such as:

  • Abstinence and Relapse Prevention
  • Problem-Solving Skill Development
  • Stress Management
  • Family Education and Counseling

Going through the alcohol detox process alone without professional oversight and care can be dangerous. At Twin Town Treatment Centers, our licensed professionals will guide you through the process to ensure your safety and well-being. We have extensive experience helping with detoxification and know exactly what to do. At our six drug addiction treatment centers throughout Orange County and the Los Angeles metropolitan area, we support our patients through their detox process and then provide them with personalized Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) programs and drug addiction treatments to help them progress in their recovery. Get in touch today by calling us at (866) 594-8844 or filling out our online form to get started. Our team of drug addiction treatment professionals will provide you with a no-cost interview and assessment for alcohol and drug issues.