Treatment. Adus Healthcare treats all degrees of alcohol addiction, ranging from addiction, dependency and alcoholism. We also refer patients to alcohol treatment centres all throughout the country. The first step in recovery is embarking on an alcohol detoxification programme. This ensures all the alcohol is removed from your system, so the next steps can begin – therapy and counselling.
Alcohol Detoxification
Alcohol detoxification is the first step necessary to begin a successful road to recovery. During this phase, medication will be subscribed to help the inevitable withdrawal symptoms subside. The length of detoxification will depend on the severity of the addiction. Symptoms of withdrawal differ with each individual, but some can potentially be fatal. This is why it’s crucial to be under medical supervision.
You are expected to take an initial assessment before detoxification. Your health records may be requested by a medical professional, this can especially be expected if you are likely to experience health complications during the detoxification period. Following this, your individualised alcohol detoxification plan will be created. You are then free to join a program.
The process
This whole process can take as little as 48 hours from your phone call. As soon as you begin rehabilitation – detoxification starts. If you choose residential rehabilitation, you can expect to receive 24 hour medical care from a team of highly skilled professionals. Potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms are carefully and continuously checked, and treated accordingly.
In addition to physical symptoms, patients can expect to experience psychological changes too; the symptoms most dangerous are those caused by the changes to chemicals in the brain. Drugs such as Thiamine are offers, alongside tranquilisers – like Chlordiazepoxide will potentially be offered to treat symptoms such as delirium tremens.
Staff
The team of medical staff will constantly be monitoring, especially looking for issues such as liver damage that have occurred during the period of addiction. During the detoxification period, withdrawal symptoms that are like to occur, include: delirium tremens, sweating, agitation, cravings, nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations. Of course medical staff are on hand to treat all of these. Patients are observed frequently throughout the day.
Medication
Dosages of tranquilisers are gradually decreased as withdrawal symptoms ease off. If you chose residential rehabilitation, you are expected to move into a treatment centre whilst you are receiving treatment. This means that ‘addiction triggers’ cannot be accessed whilst you are receiving medical help. The process of detoxification can last anything from 9 – 15 days. Individuals with a greater and more serious addiction may find that withdrawal symptoms last a while longer.
Following alcohol detoxification – once the withdrawal symptoms have substantially lessened – you are then able to begin therapy and counselling sessions. This will include traditional psychotherapy, with the addition of alternative methods, such as art therapy and meditation/mindfulness sessions
Call Adus Healthcare today for professional and confidential advice on the best treatment available to you.