Alcohol Detox Program in Philadelphia For Union Members
When alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse has been present for an extended period of time, most likely your body has become addicted to alcohol. This means that when you attempt to stop drinking or cut back significantly, your body does not know how to function without it and you may experience some very painful and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Not only is quitting drinking after severe addiction on your own dangerous, but those who attempt to go about it alone may also quickly relapse to offset withdrawal symptoms.
If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop drinking alcohol, you need addiction treatment from a recovery center. Detoxing from alcohol is not as simple as having the willpower to go through it, alcohol withdrawals can actually be dangerous and even fatal.
Your best chance of taking care of your alcohol abuse disorder is checking into a medical detox treatment at a drug or alcohol rehab in Philadelphia. An alcohol detox program at a treatment facility can give you the proper guidance and support necessary to get you through withdrawals safely and comfortably. Medical detox offers an addiction treatment program with around-the-clock supervision from medical professionals who can monitor your vitals and administer appropriate medications to ease withdrawal symptoms. An alcohol detox program can increase your chances of completely eliminating alcohol from your body because you will not be tempted to use and the medications can reduce withdrawals, which may have caused you to relapse if you attempted it on your own.
Another advantage of alcohol detox programs is that once you complete your treatment, you can easily transition into alcohol rehab programs like inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization, and outpatient alcohol rehab. Alcohol detoxing and ridding your body of harmful substances is just the beginning of recovery. The true recovery that can help you achieve long-term sobriety requires a comprehensive rehab program that will get to the root of your issue through various types of treatment like individual therapy and group therapy while providing relapse prevention programs.
What Is Alcohol Detox Like?
Alcohol detox can look very different from person to person and from facility to facility. It is one of the most important steps in the recovery process because its main goal is to flush out all alcohol from your body. Generally, withdrawal symptoms will last between 1 to 2 weeks but can be longer for those with severe alcohol addiction. But you don’t have to go through the process alone with medical detox.
The first thing that happens when you check into alcohol detox is that a team of specialists will give you a physical and psychological evaluation. This will help them create a personalized treatment plan for you. The same team will monitor your vitals 24/7 and administer medications to ensure your comfort and safety. Many facilities will provide you with healthy and nutritious meals and some even have housekeeping services. During this time, you may start some individual and group therapy as well.
What to Expect During Detox?
Even if you do not experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, the process can be highly uncomfortable. The symptoms are enough to make it difficult for you to take care of yourself or any children or pets and you may need assistance from loved ones. Simple activities like feeding yourself, getting up to use the bathroom, and cleaning up after yourself may feel impossible during this time. The longer or more severe your addiction, the worse symptoms will be. You can expect to feel cravings and get very dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea. An inpatient residential treatment while you detox can provide you and your loved one’s peace of mind while you detox. You can expect to have around-the-clock support and care from highly qualified staff.
How long is Detox
How long the detox lasts varies from person to person. The longer or more severe your alcohol addiction, the worse your symptoms will be and the longer it will take to detox. Typically, detox will last between one to two weeks and symptoms start just hours after your last drink. The general timeline of alcohol detox symptoms may look like this:
6 to 12 hours after the last drink: early withdrawal mild symptoms start to appear which include anxiety, stomach upset, headache, insomnia, and small tremors.
Within 24 hours: you may experience tactile, visual, and auditory hallucinations
Between 24 to 72 hours from the last drink: most symptoms will have peaked, however, more mild symptoms may persist for weeks. During this time, seizures are at their highest risk. Delirium tremens may appear during this time as well.
Symptoms of Alcohol Detox
Alcohol triggers dopamine and serotonin release in the reward system of the brain. The brain links positive feelings that are a result of these chemicals with drinking and causes you to crave more. The brain also becomes dependent on alcohol to release these chemicals, so when you stop drinking, the depletion of these hormones can cause several withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol also inhibits GABA, which decreases anxiety and is sedative. Stopping alcohol use causes a hyper-aroused state.
Minor alcohol detox symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Headaches
More serious alcohol detox symptoms are:
- Tremors
- Disorientation
- Seizures
- Extreme hallucinations
- And in rare cases, Delirium Tremens
Delirium Tremens is the most severe and serious symptom associated with alcohol withdrawals. It is not very common, but it is also impossible to predict if someone will experience it. This is why it is so important for anyone with alcohol addiction to detox in a treatment facility with a medical detox program. Delirium tremens can start within two to five days after the last drink and can be fatal. Delirium tremens symptoms can range in severity and include agitation, irritability, aggression, nausea, vomiting, impaired consciousness, rapid heartbeat, trembling, hallucinations, and seizures.
Acute Detox
Acute describes life-threatening or critical conditions in the medical sense. Therefore, acute detox happens in those with severe addiction. For this type of case, the person must be monitored 24 hours a day while they detox at an in-patient care facility. There is a high risk of fatal side effects, respiratory failure, and seizures. However, at a treatment center, medical personnel can monitor your vitals and administer appropriate medications or care to prevent or treat any of these more serious conditions.
Sub-Acute Detox
Sub-acute detox is for individuals who are undergoing less severe withdrawals when compared to full acute detox. The patient does not require as much medical supervision and can be done in an outpatient setting. This could be in an intensive outpatient program, urgent care center, doctor’s office, or an inpatient rehab detox facility. In some mild cases, it can even be done at home with occasional visits from a doctor. Subacute is adequate for people in better health and with less severe addictions. However, sub-acute detox can still take hours, days, or weeks to complete but it allows the patient more freedom.
Union First Helps Our Clients Keep Their Job While Undergoing Behavioral Health Treatment
Alcohol abuse disorder affects 6% of the adults in the US, about 1 in 12 men and 1 in 25 women. Alcohol addiction can create very dangerous health conditions when the person attempts to quit. Many people with alcohol use disorder may be reluctant to get adequate help for their alcohol addiction and go through a very necessary medical detox program because they are afraid of taking time off work.
You should never have to choose between losing your job or receiving life-saving care. With Union First, you can rest assured your employment status will not be threatened because of taking time off to go through an alcohol detox program. We provide resources and expertise for our union members and we will always fight to secure your job. Our team is available around the clock to get you the substance abuse treatment you need while protecting your job.
Why Choose Union First for Alcohol Detox
When you choose Union First, you choose much more than a team who will protect your employment. Our services reach far beyond that and include alcohol detox placement and alcohol and drug rehab placement as well. Navigating the drug and alcohol rehabilitation market can be overwhelming for anyone. We help you find the right treatment facility by assessing your case and basing our recommendations on your individual needs.
No one is truly prepared to know what they require from a treatment facility and how to ask the right questions. We will take factors such as whether they take your insurance, if they offer the services you require, such as behavioral therapy, and if they have a residential component when making our recommendations that will give you the best chance of recovery. At Union First, we use a network of reputable, licensed treatment providers and a wide range of treatment programs in Philadelphia options such as alcohol detox, residential inpatient treatment, and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) so we can always fit you with the right program. Some of our other services include Telehealth visits that will get you talking to a therapist within 24 to 48 hours and training for unions and union leaders that will provide tools on how to manage a crisis. Please give us a call today!