Who needs alcohol detox?
Alcoholism is as affection characteristic to people who abused alcohol for a long period of time. Many people ask themselves after a period of drinking if they need professional alcohol detox or can try detoxing at home.
People who drink a glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage a day do not need alcohol detox because they cannot develop an addiction from that quantity of alcohol. The question is whether an individual feels the effects of withdrawal after not drinking for a few hours. Binge drinkers , who only have a great intake of alcohol during weekends or parties will not feel the effects of withdrawal.
But, for the people who drink heavily every day and feel the effects of withdrawal the next day will need alcohol detox, preferably a professional one.
The sole reason for this is that alcohol affects the brain and the whole metabolism of an individual.
The main symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are: headaches, shakiness, upset stomach, anxiety, and muscle pain. In some severe cases, alcohol withdrawal may present more dangerous manifestations such as hallucinations, delirium tremens, paranoia, and depression.
Even without the symptoms of withdrawal, any individual may observe whether he/she needs an alcohol detox. Besides the physiological symptoms of alcohol abuse, there are several psychological manifestations: irritability, aggressiveness , agitation, and domestic problems associated with these symptoms. In addition, alcoholics will isolate themselves from family, community, and friends and will prefer to spend their time drinking, rather than spending time with their family.
Also, alcoholics experience social problems related to drinking: consuming alcohol in inappropriate situations such as driving, at the workplace, at school, and in public places.
The major sign of alcoholism is tolerance. Many alcoholics drink in order to relax and they will develop a social habit from this. After a period of time, this drinking pattern will turn into an alcohol tolerance and people suffering from alcoholism will have to consume a larger quantity of alcohol in order to feel the same effect.
Other signs of alcoholism are:
- The impossibility to stop drinking even though the individual realises the negative effects of alcohol abuse.
- Many people who abuse alcohol do not consider themselves alcoholics, because they only consume low alcohol percentage beverages such as wine or beer.
- They give up their hobbies or activities in order to drink.
- They start to lose weight because of the physiological effects of alcohol: it slows down the metabolism and gives stomach aches resulting in loss of appetite and nausea.
- Black out: many people who abuse alcohol experience black outs and loss of memory consisting in the incapacity of remembering the events that happened during their drinking period. This sign usually results in domestic problems or even legal issues.
Alcoholism is an addiction as serious as any drug addiction. Untreated, this addiction may result in many physical and psychological issues that may lead to serious life-threatening diseases and domestic problems. People who experience any of the signs named above should seriously consider seeking professional help for their affection.
