Liver
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:
- Steatosis, or fatty liver
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Fibrosis
- Cirrhosis
Alcohol Detox Treatment Center
We specialize in alcohol detox services for alcoholism and alcohol used disorder at our detox facility.
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 not aware of just how serious the health issues associated with alcohol abuse can be, specifically the dangerous consequences of alcohol withdrawal. Alcoholics themselves underestimate the dangers of alcohol abuse, as only 10% of alcoholics seek any type of treatment.
When an alcoholic stops drinking alcohol heavily, withdrawal sets in. The symptoms of withdrawal are painful and potentially life-threatening. Alcohol Detox rids the body of contaminants; this can be a very difficult process and should be supervised by qualified addiction professionals.
Initial Treatment
Detox patients are looked after thoroughly, with regular readings of vital signs and symptoms are assessed. 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 make sure that the patient is getting their 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.
Our evidence-based alcohol detox treatment program is 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 period 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 are increased, causing severe anxiety
- 12 to 48 hours of the last drink, patients may experience a mild seizure (usually multiple mild seizures over a short period of time)
- 12 to 48 hours after their last drink, the patient may experience a mild seizure (usually multiple seizures over a short period of 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 serious 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
During withdrawals, the patient may experience distinct auditory and/or visual hallucinations. Unlike the hallucinations that occasionally occur during Delirium Tremens, which are reported as being clouded and disorienting, these hallucinations are fairly 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
Detox Medications
There are a few medications that are used to immediately treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms, including:
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines (benzos) are used more than any other kind of drug to treat alcohol withdrawal. They’re used to prevent the patient from progressing into a more severe withdrawal.
- Lorazepam (Ativan) or alprazolam (Xanax) and other similar drugs are used in an inpatient setting (administered onsite) to lessen the initial withdrawal side effects
Anticonvulsants
Involuntary movement due to withdrawal-related seizures can be controlled with Nuerontin (gabapentin) 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) in addition to benzos are usually enough to get the job done.
Beta Blockers (Propranolol)
Can be used if patient’s blood pressure and / or heart rate are high
Antipsychotics
Can be used if patients are experiencing Delirium Tremens or when they are disoriented, seeing things or hearing things.
Trinity Behavioral Health is State Licensed by the Department of Health Care Services
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 pleasure center of the brain – meaning that alcohol consumption is rewarded with dopamine, thus encouraging further drinking. Alcohol addicts literally have to fight what their brain is telling 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. This produces an anti-anxiety effect.
An opposite reaction occurs during alcohol cessation, resulting in low activity of GABA and high activity of NMDA, causing high anxiety, shakes, sweats, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, seizures and DT.
Alcohol cessation also has an effect on amino acids (proteins). Alcohol use inhibits glutamate-induced amino acid excitation, and abruptly stopping that alcohol use leads to unregulated excitation.
- There are additional neuroreceptors 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 affects all organ systems in the body, the most critical of which include the brain, liver and heart, as illustrated below.
Brain
Alcohol abuse has shown to harm parts of the brain that affect memory, movement, judgment, and speech.
One study found in binge-drinking rats, alcohol decreases the amount of neural stem cells, as well as 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
Heart
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:
- Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
- Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
After Detox
Detox is just the first step of the recovery process. After alcohol detox, there are a variety of inpatient and outpatient services to prevent further withdrawals from happening again in the future.
- Exercise: It’s amazing how many health benefits are associated with a simple workout. Just 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 – frequents 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 awareness 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 obviously 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 better manage stress is vital to understanding how to better manage addition.
- Family Therapy: Very important to engage family or significant others to participate in treatment.