Each year, millions of Americans consume alcohol recreationally and experience little to no adverse effects. However, for countless other individuals, alcohol use quickly devolves into alcohol abuse. For these people, drinking becomes their way of dealing with life’s daily issues, and as they rely more heavily on this addictive substance, they begin to develop alcoholism. For long-term sufferers of alcohol addiction, their bodies become inundated with the harmful chemicals in alcohol. And the longer they drink, the harder it becomes to find sobriety. That is where medically supervised alcohol detox programming can help.
What to Expect at Our Florida Alcohol Detox
In detoxification, your body learns how to function without alcohol again. Each time you consume alcohol, it can have damaging effects on your body, and the harmful effects can range from your kidneys, to your brain, and everywhere in between. Alcohol detox begins the process of bodily healing by removing your physical dependence on alcohol, which allows your body to recover from the damage that alcohol has done.
First Step in Alcohol Addiction Recovery
In this way, detox serves as the first step in alcohol addiction recovery. And there are two primary ways to undergo alcohol detox: the “cold turkey” method and a gentler, safer process known as medically supervised detox. Generally, people who elect to quit alcohol at home choose to go cold turkey. However, most health care professionals do not advise this, because quitting alcohol abruptly with no medical support can drastically worsen symptoms, and in some cases it may even make them life-threatening. In these cases, many people feel forced to drink to stop the alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which greatly lowers the success rate of cold turkey detox.
Professional, Medically Supervised Detox
On the other hand, professional, medically supervised detox can help you safely detox from alcohol while minimizing withdrawal symptoms. At The Blackberry Center, our team of physicians, nurses, and other health care staff monitor patients’ symptoms and vitals 24/7 to ease their discomfort during alcohol withdrawal. Additionally, our safe, sober environment eliminates virtually any chance of relapse during alcohol detox, which greatly increases our patients’ odds of a successful recovery.
We Employ Medication Assisted Detox to Minimize Your Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
When our physicians decide a patient needs medical assistance to get through detox, they may prescribe Ativan (lorazepam) to minimize the signs of alcohol withdrawal. This medication is carefully monitored to prevent abuse, but when used properly, it can make alcohol detox much more comfortable for people in need. While detox is a key part of addiction recovery, it is only one piece. To address the mental aspects of your alcohol addiction, you will want to continue your recovery with intensive alcohol addiction recovery programming. Our central Florida addiction treatment center offers a dual diagnosis program that treats co-occurring alcohol addiction and mental health issues, and a partial hospitalization program that serves as a less intensive option or as a follow-up to inpatient addiction treatment.
Our St. Cloud, Florida Alcohol and Drug Rehab Facility
Frequently Asked Questions
Family involvement is an integral component of an effective drug treatment program. In many cases, the difference between long-term sobriety and relapse is the ability of a recovering individual’s loved ones to offer the necessary support (and to make the necessary changes) to promote healthy living. Though every recovery experience is unique and personal, most effective treatment programs will encourage strong family involvement in the recovery and aftercare process.
The use of medications during rehab depends upon the needs of the client. The Blackberry Center provides medically supervised detox services.
Because addiction recovery often involves the treatment of co-occurring disorders such as depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, certain medications may be prescribed to treat these conditions during rehab.
However, you will never be forced to take any medications that you do not want to take. When you enter rehab, you do not give up your rights as a person or a patient, in fact, one of the primary objectives of effective rehab programs is to allow you to take greater control over your life.
Drug rehab treatment can vary from a few days to months. Research shows that the longer a person remains in treatment, the greater the likelihood that long-term sobriety will result. As with most aspects of treatment (such as therapy types and program structures), determining ideal length of stay involves an analysis of a number of personal factors.
What Our Patients Have to Say
Sobriety Starts Now
The path to recovery from alcohol addiction is rarely straightforward. But no matter how you got here, what matters is that you are ready to begin a new life free of alcohol addiction. And our talented, compassionate staff are ready to help you. If you’d like to discuss our alcohol detox and what it can do for you, call our admissions team at 888-512-9802 or fill out a confidential contact form. What you’ve done in the past is unimportant. What matters is acting today to establish a happy, sober life for yourself in the future.