Best Alcohol Detox Program in Dallas for Union Members
If you’re struggling with drinking too much alcohol, you might need to attend a supervised detox before you’re able to go to treatment. Detox at a treatment facility allows you to be more comfortable after your last drink, so you’re less likely to need alcohol to get through the process.
Many of those with alcohol use disorder, especially those who have been drinking for a long time, may have put off getting help because they’ve heard horror stories about withdrawal. If you do it alone, it can be quite painful (and lonely). But a supervised detox doesn’t have to be so painful.
What is Alcohol Detox Like?
Drinking too much alcohol causes major changes in your brain chemistry. Because alcohol is present, your brain alters the way it releases several different neurochemicals. It changes the brain’s reward pathways. Drinking feels pleasurable (at first) because you get a release of the feel-good chemical dopamine. That encourages you to drink more because you feel good. (You also get a dose of serotonin, another feel-good chemical.)
Alcohol also causes the release of more GABA, and that one has a sedative effect and is the reason you end up slurring your speech when you’ve had too much. It’s also why you lose your inhibition when you drink. Alcohol affects your brain and body in other ways as well.
But when you abruptly stop drinking, your brain no longer has all the alcohol that it’s used to, and so it’s out of balance with chemicals and neurotransmitters. The time that it takes your brain to adjust back to an alcohol-free environment is what causes the withdrawal symptoms.
The symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe, and change very rapidly. If you’ve built up an alcohol dependence, you’re more likely to experience more severe symptoms. These issues can come and go without warning, which is why it’s important to be supervised while you’re in detox. You may need medical help.
What to Expect During Detox?
When you arrive at the facility, you’ll be assessed by the staff as to what kind of detox is necessary (or if you can go straight to rehab.) This assessment will also include your mental and physical health. At a medical detox, you might receive medication or other treatment to help you stay comfortable.
The peak stages of detox (within a few days after your last drink) is typically when people who are trying to detox by themselves have a high risk of relapse because they want to stop the pain they’re experiencing.
Normally, the worst of detox is over in a few days.
About 6 to 12 hours after your last drink, you’ll start experiencing some of the milder symptoms, like headaches, anxiety, and upset stomach. Other symptoms will come and go, with seizures usually happening one to two days after you last picked up a drink and DTs (delirium tremens) two to three days afterward.
However, not everyone will undergo seizures and DTs or some of the other more severe symptoms. These are almost always reserved for drinkers who have been imbibing very heavily for a long time. It’s not unheard of for someone who hasn’t been drinking that long (or hard) to have a seizure or DTs, but it’s not as common.
After the third day (typically), symptoms start disappearing or being less uncomfortable. The doctor might reduce your medication at this point, and the risk of relapse starts to decrease.
If you have some physical issues, like being underweight or dehydrated, you can expect that those will be addressed. Because many of those with alcohol use disorder drink instead of eating decent food or drinking water, they tend to need IV fluids when they’re in detox.
How Long is Detox?
In detox, you’ll be kept more comfortable while your brain adjusts to the lack of alcohol. The exact time frame depends on several factors. One of them is your physical health, along with your age and drinking history. While someone who hasn’t been drinking for very long and doesn’t imbibe a heavy volume might be able to clear their withdrawal symptoms in three days, a heavy drinker who’s been drinking longer may take a week before their brain adapts to the new environment.
Although detox typically lasts a week to 10 days (depending on the severity of the drinking), symptoms may continue to appear up to two weeks after the last drink. Being in rehab during this time will help reduce the risk of relapse, as you begin to understand the causes underlying your alcohol use disorder. You’ll also start learning or relearning healthy habits that will help prevent relapse as you transition back home and later in life too.
Symptoms of Alcohol Detox
There are a variety of signals that you’re going through alcohol withdrawal. Some are more psychological or mental, and others are more physical.
On the mental side, you might experience:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Feeling weak or exhausted
- Mood swings
- Fuzzy thinking
Physically, look for:
- Dilated (large)pupils
- Fast heartbeat accompanied by high blood pressure
- Trembling hands
- Fever
- Nausea and/or vomiting
The above symptoms can be severe, but they are probably not life-threatening. However, there are withdrawal signs that could be deadly without medical help.
- DTs (high fever, seizures, and extreme agitation)
- Hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that aren’t there)
- Seizures
Acute Detox
Not everyone who’s withdrawing from alcohol will need to be supervised 24/7, but some will. If you’ve been drinking heavily for a long period, you’re more likely to need more intensive care during your detox. You’re at a higher probability of experiencing life-threatening conditions.
If so, you’ll need an acute detox facility, which is generally located in the same place as inpatient rehab. (Detox only rids your body of the toxins, but you’ll also need rehab to understand what led to the drinking problem.) In acute detox, you’ll be constantly supervised so that help is ready if your withdrawals become life-threatening.
If you need acute detox, you’ll likely need to attend a residential facility as well to give yourself the best chance of recovery. Inpatient rehabs are very structured, so you don’t get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT). You eat healthy meals with the rest of the community at specific times of the day, and everyone goes to bed at the same time as well. In the mornings and afternoons, you’ll be in therapy sessions and possibly some classes for life management skills. After dinner, you’ll be able to enjoy some fun activities and hobbies.
Sub Acute Detox
If you need a safe place to detox but you don’t require 24/7 monitoring, you can go to a sub-acute detox. While these may be in a residential facility, you can also go to urgent care, a doctor’s office, or even your home with doctor’s visits if appropriate. You’ll need to be in better health, mentally and physically, and have less of a dependence on drinking for this to work well for you.
After sub-acute detox, or after inpatient treatment after acute detox, outpatient rehab will help you continue to recover and put healthy habits in place. Partial hospitalization (PHP) programs are very much like inpatient rehab, except you go home (or to sober living) at the end of the day instead of staying at the facility.
Intensive outpatient (IOP) and other outpatient care typically occur after work and on the weekends so that you can transition back to the real world. But this time you’ll have tools and resources to help manage stress, instead of being overwhelmed and needing the crutch of alcohol to deal with what life throws at you.
You may also want to spend some time in a sober living house, especially if you’re concerned that your home environment isn’t conducive to recovery. Sober living gives you extra support and additional recovery community resources to help you solidify your sober foundations.
Union First Helps Our Clients Keep Their Job While Undergoing Behavioral Health Treatment
While you might be worried about withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking, you may also be concerned about having a job to go back to once you’re out of rehab. Whether you need inpatient or outpatient care, Union First will help you make sure that your employer doesn’t retaliate against you or fire you for going to rehab.
Those that have less of an alcohol dependence may be able to attend outpatient programs that take place after work and on the weekends, so your employer doesn’t have to know. But otherwise, if you need more intensive care to get and stay sober, you’ll need someone in your corner who can help you figure out how to recover and remain at your job.
Why Choose Union First for Alcohol Detox
Our service is an employee assistance program, and we specialize in case management, telehealth, placing you in the right recovery program, and protecting your job. Our mission is to help union members achieve sobriety and lead the happy, sober life they deserve while protecting them from losing their jobs as they recover. We’ll help you find an alcohol detox that’s just right for you.
Don’t wait any longer to start your journey of recovery. Call us at (855) 215-2023 and we’ll help you navigate the maze of options to find the ones that are right for you.
