The detoxification process is generally the first phase of treatment at alcohol rehab facilities. While many individuals find themselves apprehensive by the prospect of detoxification, the process represents the beginning and necessary steps towards sobriety. Modern alcohol rehab facilities offer on-site detoxification facilities, equipped with medical staff, comfortable accommodations and psychological counselors. For the majority of alcoholics, detoxification lasts less than two weeks, affecting positive changes such as increased calm, clarity of thought and an increased sense of well-being by the completion of the process.

Why Do Alcohol Rehab Facilities Offer Detoxification?

Alcohol recovery is multidimensional in its best forms, largely because addiction itself is comprised of many facets. The main two factors causing the majority of alcoholism cases are physical and psychological or emotional. The physical addiction to alcohol is simply a natural response to ethanol; a complex mix of reactions involving genetics, brain chemicals and the effect of alcohol on both. The psychological and emotional factors occur both as reasons for using alcohol – and as fallouts from the ongoing effects of ethanol on the brain’s neurological and reward systems. However, before alcohol recovery can be achieved on a deeper level, the physical addiction to alcohol must first be broken.

How Does Detoxification Work at Alcohol Rehab Facilities?

Alcohol, like many addictive substances, causes neurochemical imbalances during the throes of addiction. Until alcohol is removed from the body for a prolonged period of time, the body cannot begin to heal and the mind cannot see past the forces of addiction. In particular, alcohol initiates brain-based mechanisms, causing denial and withdrawal cravings to distort thinking. Denial itself works as a stubborn lens on logic and viewpoint, causing individuals to fall into rationalization, minimization and blame-shifting despite earnest attempts to recognize addiction. When combined with continual alcohol intake and its accompanying cravings, individuals find themselves often without the motivation to stop drinking – or even sometimes the awareness that they need to do so.

Detoxification allows the mind and body to recover from alcohol dependency and return to their natural states. Because of this, many individuals find that it is not until after successfully detoxing that they can begin the inner work of addiction recovery.

What Is the Detoxification Experience Like at Alcohol Rehab Facilities?

Perhaps most importantly, during detoxification, alcoholics receive medical supervision in order to guard against potential complications that can arise as the body eliminates alcohol from its system. Very real and dangerous mental and physical responses can occur during the alcohol detoxification process – including delirium tremens (colloquially known as “the shakes”), liver complications and suicidal tendencies, among a host of others. Proper medical supervision can guide individuals through the alcohol detoxification process safely and comfortably.

Withdrawal symptoms that do arise can be managed by a combination of medical and psychological care. Clinical therapists will be on hand to help patients deal with depression, anxiety or delusions that might arise. Additionally, most alcohol rehab facilities have the capacity to prescribe psychological medications such as anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drugs, antidepressants and anti-psychotics if needed during detoxification. Over-the-counter or nonaddictive medications and herbal remedies can be dispensed to aid insomnia, pain (such as migraine headaches), nausea or other ailments.