Alcohol Detox: Five Things You Should Know

A friend of mine went to the doctor’s recently and proudly announced that he had stoppedrndrinking. A bottle and a half of wine a day for so many years and he packed it in just like that.rnTo my friend’s complete surprise, the doctor had reservations. Of course, it was a good thing torngive up or radically reduce his alcohol intake, he said, and well done for that, but it wasrnpotentially dangerous to just quit without medical supervision. I would have told him the same because, while I am not in the medical profession, I do haverngreat experience in these matters. That’s because I am a recovering alcoholic. Nine years nowrnwithout touching a drop, and quitting was the best thing I have ever done, no doubt about it.rnBut when I finally made the big decision and took my first steps on the long road back, I did itrnwith professional help. Man, I was messed up.Not just an alcoholic but a drug addict too (drug of choice: meth). I ruinedrnthe second and part of the third decade of my life, became distanced from my family, lost myrnself-respect and went to prison for two years. And of course, I did untold damage to my bodyrnalong the way - damage which may only become evident in later years. There are many aspects of health that you may never have considered, so maybe this is therntime to have a think about other things too. After all, it’s the dawn of a new era. My new dawnrnmay now be a few years ago, but the magic of that sunrise still lingers in my mind.rnThese days I’m a successful businessman, a partner in a tech company that does various thingsrnin the online world. I’m fit and healthy (as far as I know) and have a good life.rnBut cleaning up was no picnic, let me tell you. Anyone who has ever been for a healthy “detox week” during which they gave their not-rnparticularly-abused system a spring clean, will know that even low-level detoxing doesn’t havernyou dancing around the place immediately. You feel nauseous and tired, your headaches andrnyou’re wondering why you did this in the first place. The benefits come later.rnMultiply that experience by however many times for a heavy drinker who has crossed the linerninto alcoholism and you should be able to see it’s potentially harmful.rnYou may like to take a closer look at what alcohol detox is all about. So here are five things to consider regarding alcohol detox. 1. Don’t expect instantaneous results You will immediately stop damaging yourself, which is obviously good, but your body isrngoing to react. It’s been used to having all this stuff poured into it, and suddenly it’s notrngetting it anymore. Your mind knows this is good, but your non-thinking body just knowsrnsomething is not normal. In addition to generally not feeling well, your hands may shake.rnYou will feel anxious and panicky because your brain just knows that the machine it is inrncharge of has ingredients missing. Somewhere in the background, your mind will bernsaying “It’s okay, I want to do this and it’s good,” but the body will be in shock.rnThe more you used to drink, the worse it is likely to be. 2. This is a good pain Just as mothers describe giving birth as bearable only because they know it’s for thernultimate good cause, what the detoxing alcoholic goes through is the horrible first stagernof what is going to be a great experience. 3. You can do it It’s a natural process. And it’s not just you: millions of people have successfully gonernthrough alcohol detox already. Men and women, rich and poor, tough guys and delicaternsouls. Hang in there and be a success story 4. It gets a little better every day Once the initial shock has passed, you’re well on the road to recovery. Even as you’rernexperiencing cravings, your mind will be telling you-you're on the right track, your headrnwill be clear and you will almost hear your liver sighing with relief. Your eyes will losernthat telltale bloodshot look and your whole appearance will become firmer and sleekerrnbecause you will have more energy. 5. Your life can detox too It’s not just their body that alcoholics screw up. They damage relationships, theyrnsabotage their own career and they generally waste their life. When you detox your bodyrnyou detox your life and, like a polluted river that gets cleaned up, there will be happy fishrnswimming in your waters and people will want to spend time with you when they wouldrnhave been afraid to in the past. I hope that’s been of some help to you and if it’s an issue in your life, I hope you can tu it around like I did with mine. Maybe you’ve seen someone going through this or you’verngone through it yourself. Why not leave us a comment and add your contribution to thernsubject?