Alcohol Detox: Is Home Detox Ever Safe?

Is home alcohol detox safe?

It can be, but it depends on many factors. The ability to pay for it is simply not an overriding factor. Indeed, it is often not a lower cost alternative to residential treatment.

Is Home Alcohol Detox Safe?

Residential treatment is always the safest option that provides the best avenue to sobriety and long term recovery. However, for some, the thought of going into a rehab centre is just too much to countenance. For others, there may be logistical reasons or even disabilities which nearly all centres are not geared up for.

Who Can Have a Alcohol Home Detox?

There are national clinical guidelines which clearly indicate who is suitable for treatment at home.

While there are exceptions and variances, usually, the following are exclusionary factors:

• Drinking in excess of 30 units a day
• Previous alcohol detox within the last six months
• History of alcohol withdrawal related seizures
• Certain prescription medications
• History of severe mental illness/overdosing/self harm
• Unable to provide an adult, over the age of 18, to live in and support

What Does a Home Alcohol Detox Involve?

A home detox is a detox: A medical procedure.

What it isn’t is just taking a few pills.

Ideally, a medical professional will visit you on the first day of your planned detox, administer a breathalyser test and check your vital signs.

When your blood alcohol levels falls to a certain range, you are safe to commence your detox. The reason this is done is because the medication has the same effect on the brain as alcohol. If you were to commence treatment with a too high blood alcohol level it would make you ill.

Over the first day or two, the medical professional will visit several times a day. They will assess you using a recognised rating scale. Additional detox medication can be provided: This is very common and is always taken into consideration on your drug chart (prescription).

In the coming days you will only need a visit once a day.

Ideally, treatment should start on a Monday. This is because should there be any problems, it is easier to access services on weekdays.

You will need an adult, over the age of 18, to stay with you, at least for the first few days, who can call for help in the unlikely event of an issue. They are also there to offer moral support, hold your hand and make the tea!

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms: What You May Experience

Alcohol is a drug that works on certain receptors in the brain.

After a period of drinking, your brain adapts to the presence of alcohol. If you stop, suddenly (or reduce too quickly) the brain can’t cope with this immediate change. Incorrect chemical messaging occurs: this is what causes withdrawal symptoms.

In severe cases (and not those that should ever be treated at home) left untreated, alcohol withdrawal can be fatal.

Overcoming alcohol withdrawal is nothing to do with willpower or going to the gym. It is science.

First signs:

Withdrawal symptoms can start as soon as 4-6 hours after your last drink of alcohol. These include symptoms like:

• Anxiety
• Mood changes
• Difficulty sleeping as well as feeling tired
• Tremors
• Headaches
• Palpitations
• Nausea and an upset stomach
• Sweating
• Irritability

For those who are suitable to be treated at home, this should be the limit of withdrawal symptoms.

Second signs

After a day or two, someone who has severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, left untreated, can expect to experience seizures. A single seizure can be fatal.

In addition, they may encounter hallucinations. These are extremely distressing to see.

Continuing signs

Should someone not seek treatment by the end of day two the risk of death becomes a real possibility.

Delirium is now a fast onset risk. The symptoms are:

• Confusion
• Uncontrollable tremor
• Severe disorientation
• Hallucinations
• Dangerously high blood pressure
• Rapid heart rate
• Fever
• Uncontrollable sweating

Left untreated, death is a real risk.

How long does a home detox take?

As home treatment plans are for the lower end of the spectrum cases, the plan should last a week.

Symptoms should start to peak around day five. However, there may be some residual symptoms for a couple of weeks. This is the brain trying to readjust.

Vitamin B tablets need to be continued for a few months. These can be purchased from a health food shop or a chemist. No prescription is needed.

What is the assessment process?

You will need to speak to a clinician (and you can talk to one of ours without charge) who will need to discuss with you, the following:

• Pattern of drinking
• Current alcohol intake
• Previous alcohol treatrment
• Medical histroy
• Medications
• Your need for treatment at home

It may be necessary to get a medical summary from your GP. This can be obtained from the admin team at your surgery without a doctor being engaged.

All modern NHS GP computer systems have one button push process for formulating a medical summary. You are not at liberty to explain why you want it.

Is Home Alcohol Detox Safe?

A blood test may be required. Your GP might be able to help. If not, there are private walk in labs all over the UK.

Pills in the post

Providing alcohol detox at home is a grey area.

Some companies, on the internet, will sell you pills in the post after a very cursory telephone call. This is illegal and very, very dangerous.

A medical doctor, on the General Medical Council register of addiction specialists (GP/registrar/consultant) who provides addiction services in a regulated service can see you as a private patient as a “side hustle” without having to register that service.

This does not cover nurse and pharmacist prescribers.

When a medical doctor uses this exemption, they have to conduct the entire process without involving anyone else. The second a 3rd party becomes involved, the service has to be registered with the care inspectorate for that area, such as the Care Quality Commission for England.

Sadly, there are companies on the internet who will sell you pills in the post for over £1,850.

The medication costs less than £20. They will use, illegally, a nurse to assess you , over the phone and prescribe medication. The nurse will get around £200. That is a profit of £1,600+

If you use one of these companies, there is no quality assurance, no clinical oversight, no proper assessment and no one comes to your house.

One of the sales staff will call you over the first few days but that is it.

When you call such companies, they will want full payment, up front, before they assess you. In the unlikely event that they refuse you treatment (they totally disregard safety factors) getting a refund will be a very slow process.

Is Home Detox lower cost than rehab?

No!

it is possible to have a weeks treatment in a fully equipped , registered, rehab centre for less than the majority of home detox companies charge.

While most centres will not take people for less than two weeks treatment, there are those that will accept clients for a week, depending on the circumstances.

Is Home Alcohol Detox Safe?

A detox at home, even if provided with medical supervision, will never address the reasons as to why you are drinking. Therapy in rehab will.

How Can Find Me a Rehab Help?

You can speak with one of our addictions clinicians, without charge.

Our clinician will be able to assess you , in confidence and let you know if you are suitable for treatment at home.

Is Home Alcohol Detox Safe?

If you are suitable and want treatment at home, we can refer you (without charge) to a clinician who can assist you at home. We don’t provide at home treatment ourselves.

We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office.

If you want a referral to a residential rehab, we only signpost to those that are properly registered.

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