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Inpatient alcohol detox

Home Inpatient alcohol detox

Begin your journey to sobriety with Recovery Centers of America’s inpatient alcohol detox program

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol, there is a way out. The caring, expert team at Recovery Centers of America is here to help you break the cycle of alcohol addiction. Our world-class treatment services are founded on science and delivered with heart.

You don’t have to, nor should you, begin your journey to sobriety alone. Nor should you have to wait. Which is why Recovery Centers of America offers same-day admissions. Once you’re here, the process of alcohol detox is overseen by our expert medical and clinical staff, who help you pass through the physical and psychological pain of withdrawal and move onto the next phases of treatment. While alcohol withdrawl symptoms can range from mild to severe, you do not have to suffer. Our team will take all available measures to relieve your symptoms as painlessly as possible.

You’ll feel safe and comfortable during the alcohol detox process

Your safety and comfort are our priority, so we strive to ensure you make it through the early period of withdrawal with minimal discomfort.

Within a secure, therapeutic environment, our team of compassionate and attentive medical professionals will safely administer medications to ease your symptoms. Our clinical staff will be there to help with drug cravings and the many emotions that often accompany those first days of treatment.

Don’t wait to get the help you or a loved one urgently need

What to expect during alcohol detox treatment

Here is what you can expect with RCA’s Alcohol detox Services.

Detox typically lasts three to seven days

While the duration of detoxification varies according to the severity of use, as well as other underlying medical conditions, at an RCA facility the process typically takes between three and seven days.

RCA will do everything to make sure you are comfortable

The symptoms of alcohol detox and withdrawal can span temporary anxiety and insomnia to seizures and delirium tremens. If you’re experiencing physical detox, medications to manage withdrawal symptoms including anti-anxiety, anti-seizure and other medications will be administered. In other cases, a secure, comforting place within a nurturing and therapeutic atmosphere are enough for beginning treatment.

Safety and comfort medications will be provided during your alcohol detox.

There are two types of medications (primary, for safety, and secondary for comfort) that can be administered during detox. Primary, or direct, medications manage detox symptoms specifically, and typically consist of anti-anxiety and anti-seizure medications. For secondary or comfort medications, you will be assessed every one to four hours to alleviate both physical and emotional pain. Comfort medications for physical suffering need not end with detox but can go longer as needed.

You’ll have a team of alcohol detox experts by your side

A team of expert, caring medical, nursing, clinical and support staff will be by your side every step of the way. You will be assigned a case manager, who handles scheduling of ongoing care.

We take every measure to assure you are safe

You will undergo a screening that covers everything from medical history and extent of alcohol and substance use, psychiatric problems, family issues, and a medical exam to determine the seriousness of withdrawal or other possible medical emergencies. To protect all of our patients and staff, we also inspect your belongings to make sure that no one is bringing in any drugs/alcohol or other contraband. You will also be instructed in the guidelines and treatment procedures, allowing for informed consent to treatment. Once admitted, recovery support specialists check in on you every 30 minutes to ensure your well-being.

You will feel supported and reassured during your alcohol detox

In addition to individual support sessions with a case manager, you will be able to join in-person groups such as 12-step meetings and recovery skills groups.

After alcohol detox, the journey continues…

While detox gets you through acute periods of withdrawal, other symptoms—particularly psychological ones—might persist past the initial detox period, making continuation of treatment after the initial detox period critical. Our continuum of care includes:

Inpatient Treatment

Once your body is safely detoxed in a secure environment, you would typically move on to residential inpatient care, through which your mind, body and spirit continue to be healed in the course of our comprehensive treatment programs.

Outpatient, in-person or via telehealth

Following inpatient residency or after detox, outpatient programs (including digital health options) permit you to maintain your personal and professional schedules while attending individual and/or group sessions each week.

Medication For Addiction Treatment

Either after detox or independently, Medication For Addiction Treatment (MAT) is used to return brain chemistry to normal levels, reduce cravings and regain normal bodily functions. As part of a comprehensive treatment program including behavioral counseling and support systems, MAT has been shown to reduce the rate of relapse and promote long-term recovery.

Long-term recovery

Ongoing support through a recovery community is available through 12-Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, as well as the Recovery Centers of America Alumni Association, which allows you, and even your family and friends, to be committed and connected for a lifetime of recovery.

FAQs: What happens during alcohol detox & withdrawal

What is alcohol withdrawal?

Alcohol withdrawal is the range of symptoms, physical and psychological, the body undergoes as it reacts to decreases in alcohol and then to the absence of alcohol after an extended period of drinking.

What causes withdrawal?

When you drink a lot of alcohol regularly, your brain chemistry adjusts over time to offset the sedative effects of alcohol. Over time the brain becomes dependent on alcohol and your internal brain chemistry compensates for this by producing larger quantities of stimulating chemicals like serotonin or norepinephrine. Hence when withdrawal is sudden, the brain is put in an accelerated, overstimulated state.

When do alcohol withdrawal symptoms start?

The effects of withdrawal and its symptoms could begin two hours after the last drink.

What are the signs of alcohol withdrawal?

Early withdrawal symptoms include headache, sweating, shaking, anxiety, agitation and insomnia. You may experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms, from mild anxiety and fatigue to nausea. Some symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are as severe as hallucinations and seizures. At its most extreme, alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening.

Why can alcohol withdrawal cause seizures?

After a long period of heavy drinking, your body gets used to having a certain level of alcohol, a depressant, in your system and adjusts to that. So when you suddenly stop, there is a shock to this system that can lead to seizures.

Is alcohol withdrawal dangerous?

Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, with some severe, untreated cases resulting in fatalities, but is generally safe under the guidance of proper, professional care obtained as soon as possible.

What is the timeline of alcohol withdrawal symptoms and what are they?

Common symptoms include shaking, sweating, headache, abdominal pain, anxiety, agitation and insomnia. More severe symptoms extend to hallucinations, seizures and delirium tremens. In general, the four main categories of symptoms are as follows.

  • Five to ten hours after the last drink. In the initial phase of withdrawal, typically five to ten hours after the last drink and cresting between 24 and 48 hours, you might experience tremors—shaking or trembling. Physically, the tremors could be accompanied by rapid pulse rate, increased blood pressure, fast breathing, sweating, nausea and vomiting. On the psychological side of the spectrum, withdrawal effects here include anxiety, agitation, irritability, hyper alertness, vivid dreaming, nightmares and insomnia. If you have a long history of heavy drinking, you could have a seizure six hours after stopping drinking.
  • 12 to 24 hours after the last drink. From this point, and continuing for as long as two days, you might experience visual hallucinations, often of tiny moving objects grouped together, as in a pile or heap, like crawling insects or falling coins.
  • Six to 48 hours after the last drink. The onset of seizure, often several within the space of a few hours, comes with peak risks occurring at the 24-hour mark.
  • Two to three days after last drink. The most severe and threatening form of alcohol withdrawal, delirium tremens (DTs), is marked by global confusion and nervous system overdrive, potentially leading to heart failure. Starting two to three days after the final drink, and peaking at four to five days, its physical signs include dangerous fluctuations in dehydration, breathing, blood circulation, body temperature and reduction in blood flow to the brain. Psychological symptoms are acute confusion and disorientation, loss of consciousness, irrational ideations and erratic behavior.

How can I detox from alcohol?

To detox safely from alcohol, cease consumption in a controlled, therapeutic environment, where physical and mental health are regularly monitored and maintained, sometimes with the aid of temporary comfort medications to cope with withdrawal.

How long does it take to detox from alcohol?

The duration of detox varies according to such factors as age, weight, medical history and pattern of use, among others. Typically, acute withdrawal symptoms last no longer than four to five days after last ingesting alcohol, but can in some cases last up to two weeks.

Can I detox from alcohol at home?

While the wish to detox at home is understandable, affording the comfort of familiarity, no extra cost and personal privacy, these considerations are outweighed by the risks of unmanageable physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, without appropriate medication and care, risking health (in potentially life-threatening ways) and a failure to detox.

What happens during alcohol detox?

Within the first two to twelve hours after last consuming alcohol, you might experience headache, agitation, sweating, shaking and insomnia. Between 12 and 24 hours, withdrawal symptoms continue, along with anxiety and depression. Most severe withdrawal symptoms emerge within 72 hours, including increased heart and blood rate, and risk of hallucinations and seizures. Between three and seven days, withdrawal symptoms for most people will on the whole decrease.

How will I get through alcohol withdrawal?

You can get through alcohol withdrawal by placing yourself in a safe and supportive environment, where mental and physical withdrawal symptoms can be adequately relieved as a first step in comprehensive treatment.

Don’t wait to get the help you or a loved one urgently need

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