The best way to detoxify from alcohol is with medical professionals at your side. Alcoholics with severe withdrawal symptoms should be in a treatment center. Those people with mild or moderate symptoms can feel secure and comfortable enough to stay at home. But anyone who needs to quit drinking should always have access to a health care provider or counselor. This will help guide you through the emotional and physical difficulties that lie ahead.
Instructions
Step 1
Acknowledge that you have a drinking problem and that it is causing difficulties with your life, job, family and friends.
Step 2
Get rid of all the alcohol in your home.
Step 3
Do not associate with friends or acquaintances connected to your drinking days. Ask for the support of your family and friends who are not associated with drinking.
Step 4
Seek medical assistance either through a doctor, health care provider or treatment center that can help you overcome any withdrawal symptoms or assist you with questions.
Step 5
Be aware of your symptoms. This will help determine the kind of medical assistance you need. Mild to moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, depression, fatigue, irritability and emotional changes. More severe symptoms likely need more closely monitored assistance. They include loss of appetite, nausea or tremors. Symptoms of the final stages of alcoholism can include extreme confusion, convulsions and seizures.
Step 6
Consider inpatient or outpatient detox programs. This depends on the severity of your problem, according to Alcoholics-info.com. Most people who quit drinking can manage it through outpatient services. The more severe your drinking, the higher the probability that you will need inpatient treatment.
Step 7
Drink plenty of water and clear liquids. Cranberry juice can also be used to help purify and cleanse the body. It is often used in recovery treatment centers.
Step 8
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to help with the initial excessive sweating that occurs when you quit drinking. The sweating can deplete the body of potassium. Melons, bananas, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes are high in potassium.
Step 9
Get plenty of B-complex vitamins and niacin, a form of vitamin B3, supplements. Many alcoholics are deficient in B vitamins, according to Dr. John Cleary in the Journal of the Neurological Orthopedic Medical Surgery in 1985.
Step 10
Eliminate or reduce caffeine. Your sleeping patterns will be disrupted when alcohol leaves your system and caffeine will only make it worse. Replace coffee with decaffeinated tea, hot water or warm milk before sleep.
Step 11
Take hot baths to help provide emotional and physical relief for the body.
Step 12
Exercise to help speed up the recovery process. Start out slowly as your body is getting used to recovering. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you might want to begin with brisk walking. Stay active and enjoy your new strength.
Tips and Warnings
- Self-help groups can also help with support and guide you through giving up drinking. You will be with people who have been through similar situations.
