Many people who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction believe that through their own willpower, they can overcome these monsters themselves. Unfortunately, this is almost never the case. Addressing drug and alcohol addiction may prove to be extremely difficult without the help of professionals.
Drug and alcohol addiction can be treated and there are various ways you can seek help. For a start, you could see your GP for advice or contact an organisation that specialises in helping people with addictions. There are also a number of addiction treatment centres which offer a range of services to help with your recover journey.
One of the most popular options in treating alcohol addiction is alcohol home detox. However, even if you decide to detox from alcohol abuse at the comfort of you home, finding professional supervision is extremely crucial. Home alcohol detox and withdrawal carry the risk of serious health consequences, which can include hallucinations, seizures, and even death. Finding a proper detox programme is important to ensure that you have a safe recovery.
Another thing to bear in mind about private alcohol home detox is that if you are the one looking after the person with addiction problem, it is important that you regularly speak to the health professional supervising the withdrawal to make sure you are clear about your role and understand what you will need to do to help the person through their withdrawal.
According to the NHS, how and where you have the detoxification will be based on your level of alcohol dependency. In mild cases, you should be able to take advantage of home alcohol detox plan without the use of medication as your withdrawal symptoms should also be mild. On the other hands, if your consumption of alcohol is high (more than 20 units a day) or you’ve previously experienced withdrawal symptoms, you may also be able to alcohol detox at home with medication to help ease withdrawal symptoms. A tranquiliser called chlordiazepoxide is usually used for this purpose.
Drug addiction is a serious disease that afflicts millions of people around the world. Not everyone who abuses drugs becomes addicted, but it can happen to anyone, regardless of whether their drug of choice is a prescription medication or an illicit drug.
At Serenity Healthcare you can find expert advice and support on anything relating to drug or alcohol addiction. To speak to someone anonymously about any kind of addiction, you can also call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90. To find out more about the treatment, support and advice available for people dealing with addiction, read the Treating Addiction Q&A from the NHS.
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the founder of Psychreg. He writes for the American Psychological Association and has a weekly column for Free Malaysia Today.
