Alcohol Detox Center in Texas

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The first step in overcoming alcohol addiction is to rid your body of the substance, which is often done in an alcohol detox in Texas.

This process is known as detoxification.

It is essentially a natural process where your body works to rid itself of the alcohol waste products and toxins.

Excessive and long-term alcohol consumption leads to the need for intense treatment in an alcohol detox center.

This is often accompanied by medication, medical observation, and counseling.

This is especially true if you have been a heavy consumer for a long time. Depending on the length of use, detox can be quite dangerous and uncomfortable if not medically-supervised to help ease the withdrawal symptoms.

This is because you are likely to experience negative side effects, and some of these can be harmful to you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Effects of Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse affects the body in various ways. Not only does alcohol abuse hurt you physically, but it also hurts you mentally and emotionally. You may even notice these harmful effects from drinking but choose to ignore them.

If you do not believe you have a problem, you may end up with irreversible health complications that have already been endured.

Brain:

Alcohol has a huge effect on the brain, which is why withdrawal occurs.

Drinking causes complications with memory loss and coordination. Research has also found that it can lead to irreversible mental effects. This is because there may be damage to different parts of your brain — specifically the cerebellum, limbic system, and cerebral cortex. Eventually, this will impact how your entire body operates.

Heart:

The heart is vulnerable to alcohol consumption. When you are a heavy drinker, your heart may weaken over time. This not only impacts how oxygen is taken into your system but also how nutrients are delivered to your other organs.

Excessive alcohol consumption can also raise your triglyceride levels. These levels are a type of fat that occurs in the blood. This raises the risk of developing dangerous health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Liver:

Heavy drinkers are at risk for life-threatening liver problems.

This is because your liver is supposed to break down alcohol and remove it from your blood. If you drink too much alcohol in a short period of time, then your liver will not be able to process the alcohol. This eventually leads to a fatty liver.

Fatty liver occurs with the build-up of bad fats in the liver. Obesity is one situation that occurs with fatty liver, but it can also cause liver failure and Type 2 Diabetes.

There are other serious liver complications are associated with excessive alcohol consumption, including:

• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Fibrosis
• Cirrhosis

Even though these are all treatable at an alcohol detox in Texas or another detox center, they do require a medical diagnosis and treatment plan in order to solve them.

Pancreas:

The pancreas is part of the digestive process. It helps to regulate your body’s blood sugar levels, which is essential for existence. Drinking alcohol over many years will negatively impact your pancreas and cause long-term health problems. An alcohol detox center can help improve the condition of your pancreas during treatment.

The Process of Detoxification in an Alcohol Detox Center

Prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to tolerance and biological changes that create false homeostasis in the body. When this balance is disrupted, it is challenging to restore the user to a healthy state.

Despite this, it is possible.

Alcohol detoxification is a step before treatment. Detox from alcohol often takes place safely at both inpatient and outpatient facilities, but it is typically recommended to take place in alcohol detox in Texas at an inpatient treatment center. This is because there is around-the-clock medical monitoring to ensure your treatment program is going well.

There are three steps involved with detoxification in a substance abuse detox center:

1. Intake: During this portion of your medical detox, there will be a medical team who performs a thorough review of your drug, medical, and psychiatric history to fully understand your situation.
2. Medication: Many detoxification programs also involve medications because these are able to mimic the effects of alcohol. This provides the ability to avoid or reduce withdrawal symptoms. Medications may also help with co-occurring disorders.
3. Stabilization: During this period you will go through both medical and psychological therapies. These are to help you balance both your physical and mental state.

Side Effects of Alcohol Detox

Medically-assisted detox limits some of the negative side effects that come with withdrawal. Unfortunately, some of these are unavoidable.

Despite this, there are typically two phases of alcohol detox that occur.

Acute Withdrawal:

Phase 1 is acute withdrawal. It occurs within hours of stopping or reducing alcohol consumption. These feelings can continue for a few days or even a few weeks. This is generally when the most severe side effects occur.

These typically include:

• Anxiety
• Visual and auditory hallucinations
• Convulsions
• Whole-body tremor
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Insomnia
• Profuse sweating
• Shakiness
• Hypertension
• Heart failure

During Early Abstinence:

The longer phase of alcohol detox will occur over a few months. This is called the phase during early abstinence. This occurs because the brain begins to regulate and try to get back to normal functioning. It is also known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome.

Symptoms of Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome include:

• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Insomnia
• Diminished appetite
• Mood-swings
• Depression

Medically-Assisted Treatment in an Alcohol Detox Center

A part of the substance abuse detox process includes keeping your system in balance. You want to avoid any major physiological upsets, along with all other physical problems. Oftentimes, medications are necessary to do help you through the detox.

Benzodiazepines:

Common medications used in medically-assisted treatment (MAT) include benzodiazepines, such as Librium, Valium, and Ativan. These are commonly used for alcohol treatment because they assist in easing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Although benzodiazepines are also effective in treating or preventing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, it is essential to note they can lead to a secondary addiction.
These medications are also able to help avoid withdrawal seizures. Seizures are the most common reason for death during alcohol withdrawal. This means that additional anticonvulsant drugs, such as Keppra, are used as well if needed.

Can I Detox Alone?

If you are a long-term alcohol abuser, it is not recommended to detox cold turkey. This is because it is dangerous and can even be fatal. It is rare, but in some cases, serious side effects may occur, including:

• Seizures
• Anxiety
• Aspiration Pneumonia
• Heart Arrhythmias
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Kidney or Liver Dysfunction
• Fever
• Depression
• Intense cravings
• Extreme nausea
• Hallucinations

This is why it is always recommended to seek medical attention for alcohol or drug detox to mitigate these side effects.

Finding an Alcohol Detox Center

Detox is only the first step in treating alcohol use disorder.

For anyone attempting to overcome an alcohol addiction, ridding the body of alcohol can be painful.

It is important to note that detox does not just simply cure alcoholism.

Instead, it helps clear the mind and heal the body.

After this, you should be able to pursue treatment and get on the road to recovery and long-term sobriety.

To find an alcohol detox in Texas, contact us at Resurgence Texas.

We offer free insurance verification for treatment and a variety of different treatment options.