ALCOHOL DETOX
Inspire Malibu is unique among addiction treatment centers in that we pride ourselves on providing arguably the safest and most comfortable detox.
Alcohol Detox Treatment Center
We specialize in alcohol detox services for alcoholism and alcohol use disorder in Los Angeles, Agoura Hills, and Malibu, California. We offer services for people living near the surrounding areas of Calabasas, Westlake Village, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Oxnard, Ventura, Tarzana, Encino, and Santa Barbara.
Alcohol abuse affects tens of millions of Americans. It’s estimated that 4% of the US population (about 12 million people) suffer from alcoholism, and an additional 4% are alcohol abusers.
The general population is unaware of just how serious the health issues associated with alcohol abuse can be, precisely the dangerous consequences of alcohol withdrawal. Alcoholics themselves underestimate the dangers of alcohol abuse, as only 10% of alcoholics seek any treatment.
Alcohol Detox rids the body of contaminants; this can be a complicated process and should be supervised by qualified addiction professionals. When an alcoholic stop drinking alcohol heavily, withdrawal sets in. The symptoms of withdrawal are painful and potentially life-threatening.
Initial Alcohol Detox Treatment
Detox patients are looked after thoroughly, with regular readings of vital signs, and multivitamins are often used to compensate for the nutrient deficiencies brought out by alcohol withdrawal.
Those suffering from alcohol withdrawal are also at risk of dehydration, so the caretaker must ensure that the patient gets the necessary fluids.
Safe and Comfortable Detox
Battling the effects of detox is the scariest part of getting sober. The effort never ends, but it all gets easier from there. At Inspire Malibu, we take pride in providing the safest and most comfortable alcohol detox program in the area. Our evidence-based alcohol detox treatment programs are closely monitored by addiction specialists who are available during detox whenever necessary.
What are the Physiological Effects of Alcohol Withdrawal?
Many physiological changes occur when a person stops drinking after a long time of alcohol consumption. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms follow an evidence-based, predictable pattern as follows:
The patient stops using alcohol after prolonged heavy use
- 4 to 8 hours after their last drink, the patient experiences shakes, sweats, chills, and their heart rate and blood pressure increase, causing severe anxiety
- 12 to 48 hours after the last drink, patients may experience a mild seizure (usually multiple mild seizures over a short time)
- 12 to 48 hours after their last drink, the patient may experience a mild seizure (usually multiple seizures over a short time)
- 3 to 5 days after their last drink, the patient may experience Delirium Tremens (DTs), which are a particularly nasty (and sometimes fatal) condition characterized by hallucinations, disorientation, tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia, and agitation.
About 5% of DT cases are fatal. That figure is a lot better than what it used to be, as back in the 20th century before there was widespread knowledge about the severe health risks of alcohol abuse, it’s estimated that over 30% of DT cases were fatal.
Many people want to tough it out and do their detox at home because they’re concerned about treatment costs and/or they’re simply embarrassed. But without professional management, brain cell death can be irreversible, so a professionally supervised alcohol detoxification treatment center is highly recommended.
Alcoholic Hallucinations
The patient may experience distinct auditory and/or visual hallucinations during withdrawals. Unlike the hallucinations that occasionally occur during Delirium Tremens, which are reported as being clouded and disorienting, these hallucinations are pretty clear and vivid.
Risk Factors
Certain people are more likely than others to experience withdrawal symptoms than others. Risk factors include:
- History of heavy drinking
- History of previous Delirium Tremens
- 30+ years old
- Pre-existing pulmonary (lung) disease
- Pre-existing liver disease
Alcohol Detox Medications
There are a few medications that are used to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms, including:
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines (benzos) are used more than any other drug to treat alcohol withdrawal. They’re used to prevent the patient from progressing into a more severe withdrawal.
- Short-acting benzos – lorazepam (Ativan) or alprazolam (Xanax) and other similar drugs are used in an inpatient setting (administered onsite) to lessen the initial withdrawal side effects.
- Long-acting benzos – clonazepam (Klonopin) or diazepam (Valium) and other similar drugs are used in an outpatient setting (prescribed for home use) to help the patient manage the lingering effects of a withdrawal.
Anticonvulsants
Involuntary movement due to withdrawal-related seizures can be controlled with divalproex sodium (Depakote) and other similar drugs, either alone or in combination with benzos.
Barbiturates
When benzos and anticonvulsants aren’t enough to reduce the effects of DTs, barbiturates (especially phenobarbital) and benzos are usually sufficient to get the job done.
Neurontin (Gabapentin)
It is clinically proven to be effective for those suffering from alcohol withdrawal. It also decreases the craving for alcohol.
Beta-Blockers (Propranolol)
It can be used if the patient’s blood pressure and/or heart rate are high
Antipsychotics
It can be used if patients are experiencing Delirium Tremens or when they are disoriented, seeing things, or hearing something.
Neurobiology of Alcohol Use
Large amounts of alcohol consumption can cause blackouts and memory impairment. This is an especially significant problem with college students, as one survey found that 51% woke up after a night of drinking and had trouble remembering what happened the night before, and 40% had done so within the past year.
Alcohol addiction is associated with the dopamine reward system in the brain’s pleasure center – meaning that alcohol consumption is rewarded with dopamine, thus encouraging further drinking. Alcohol addicts have to fight what their brain tells them to do to stop drinking.
Opioid receptors – the same receptors that make heroin as pleasurable and addicting as it is – have an effect as well, as they’ve been shown to respond to alcohol consumption.
During alcohol use, GABA receptor (inhibitory neurotransmitters) activity is enhanced, and NMDA receptors (excitatory neurotransmitters) are blocked and produce an anti-anxiety effect.
An opposite reaction occurs during alcohol cessation, resulting in the low activity of GABA and high activity of NMDA, causing increased anxiety, shakes, sweats, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, seizures, and DT.
Alcohol cessation also affects amino acids (proteins). Alcohol use inhibits glutamate-induced amino acid excitation and abruptly stopping that alcohol use leads to unregulated excitation.
- Additional neuroreceptors are involved, such as serotonin and other neurochemicals in the brain.
- High NMDA activity is most likely the cause of brain cell death
Health Consequences of Alcohol Abuse
Chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism affect all organ systems in the body, the most critical of which include the brain, liver, and heart, as illustrated below.
Brain
Alcohol abuse has been shown to harm brain parts that affect memory, movement, judgment, and speech.
In binge-drinking rats, one study found alcohol decreases the number of neural stem cells and the amount of surviving neurons produced from these stem cells.
Alcohol abuse-related brain complications include:
- Memory loss
- Dementia
- Hearing voices
- Paranoia
- Severe depression
- Insomnia
Liver
The liver is responsible for breaking down alcohol into harmless byproducts, but it can only handle so much.
Alcohol abuse-related liver complications include:
- Fatty Liver
- Cirrhosis
- Cancer
Heart
A history of heavy drinking weakens the heart muscles, which means it cannot pump blood as efficiently.
Alcohol abuse-related heart complications include:
- High Blood Pressure
- Cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmia
- Heart Failure
After Detox
Detox is just the first step of the recovery process. After alcohol detox, there are various inpatient and outpatient services to prevent further withdrawals from happening again in the future.
- Exercise: It’s amazing how many health benefits a simple workout has. Getting your blood flowing and working up a sweat for a half-hour to an hour or so will improve the patient’s mood and promote other healthy habits.
- Nutrition: You are what you eat – frequent servings of dishes that have a lot of Vitamin A (carrots, leafy greens), Vitamin D (dairy), and Vitamin E (avocados, almonds, tomato sauce) will help with the recovery process. Also, drink a lot of water, and cut out the refined sugar and caffeine.
- Yoga and Mindfulness: Many addiction problems stem from a lack of control and awareness. Practicing yoga and understanding the concept of mindfulness can help patients exert more control and understanding over all areas of their lives.
- Individual Therapy: One-on-one sessions with a confidential-by-law professional are an excellent way for patients to work through the deeper motivations behind their addiction. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivation Enhancement Therapy)
- Group Therapy: While group therapy is not as intimate as one-on-one therapy, it does have the advantage of showing patients that they are not alone. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Relapse Prevention Therapy)
- Stress Management: Chronic stress makes many people turn to escapism and indulge in bad habits. Understanding how to manage stress better is vital to understanding how to manage addition better.
- Family Therapy: Essential to engage family or significant others to participate in treatment.
For More Information About Our Alcohol Detox Programs in Los Angeles,
Call Us 1- 800-444-1838.
Further Alcohol Detox Reading:
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