Any kind of addiction can be difficult to recover from. Alcohol addiction can be challenging to stop as you may feel the need to drink anytime something triggers you.
However, you can recover from alcohol addiction and work on sobriety. The following is a guide on the typical phases of alcohol detox.
What Are the Phases of Alcohol Detox?
Although you can recover from alcohol addiction in your home, going to a treatment center can be the safest and most effective way. It would help if you didn’t try to detox by yourself, as some of the symptoms can be challenging to get through and may encourage you to turn to alcohol.
The average detox period for alcohol can take three to 10 days. The detox stages and duration can change depending on your age, weight, overall physical condition, and how much and how long you’ve been drinking. Some long-term heavy drinkers can often have withdrawal symptoms for up to a month or more.
The following are the normal detox stages and the symptoms that typically accompany them:
- Phase 1: The first phase typically lasts six to 12 hours with mild withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, stomach aches, loss of appetite, nausea, or headaches.
- Phase 2: The second phase lasts 12-48 hours, where the symptoms intensify and can sometimes include seizures or hallucinations.
- Phase 3: The third phase lasts 48-72 hours, where you may experience severe symptoms such as sweating, fever, changes in heart rate, blood pressure, confusion, and delirium tremens.
- Phase 4: The fourth phase is anything over the initial 72 hours where your withdrawal symptoms should lessen and are likely to go away within the next four to seven days.
These phases are the general symptoms experienced through detox but vary from person to person. Due to the severity of the symptoms, it’s best if you choose to detox in a safe environment with medical attention available.
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