Alcohol Detox Treatment Center
It’s estimated that 4% of the U.S. population (roughly 12 million people) are suffering from Alcoholism and another 4% are alcohol abusers. The health consequences from alcohol related disorders are alarming and the general population is not aware of these health issues, specifically the dangers of detox of alcohol. What’s more concerning is that only 10% of alcoholics seek any type of treatment and another 90% die prematurely without any alcohol detox treatment. When an alcoholic stops drinking alcohol, withdrawal sets in. While detox is necessary to rid the body of toxic contaminents, it can be ery difficult and painful and should only be induced by the supervision of qualified addiction professionals.
What are the Physiological Changes of Alcohol Withdrawal?
Many 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:
- After prolonged heavy use when patients stop using Alcohol, they go through physiological changes causing withdrawal symptoms.
- After 4 to 8 hours of their last use, patients will experience shakes, sweats, chills and heart rate and blood pressure will be increased causing severe anxiety, leading the urge for alcohol use.
- Between 12 to 48 hours of the last drink, patients may experience a mild seizure (usually multiple mild seizures over a short period of time).
- 3 to 5 days after their last use of alcohol, patients may experience Delirium Tremens, which are are severe nervous system changes. Patients are not oriented to time and place and may hallucinate (see and hear things). The mortality rate without treatment can be very high.
- Because detox can be fatal, it’s imperative that the treatment center provides a safe, comfortable, professional supervised alcohol detox.
- Many people want to tough it out but without professional management, brain cell death could be irreversible, so a properly supervised alcohol detoxification is highly recommended.
Neurobiology of Alcohol Use
During alcohol use, brain activity of GABA receptors (inhibitory neurotransmitters) are enhanced and NMDA receptors (excitatory neurotransmitters) are blocked by alcohol. This results in an anti-anxiety effect. Larger amounts of alcohol consumption can cause blackouts and memory impairment.
- 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 delirium tremens.
- There are other neuroreceptors involved such as opiate, serotonin and other neurochemicals in the brain.
- High NMDA activity is most likely the cause of brain cell death.
- Inspire Malibu uses scientific and evidence based knowledge to appropriately detox patients from alcohol.
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, the liver and the heart, as illustrated below. In the brain, memory loss, dementia, hearing voices, paranoia, severe depression and sleep disturbances can occur. In the liver, alcoholic liver disease in the form of a fatty liver, cirrhosis and cancer can occur. In the heart, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia and heart failure can occur.