How To Alcohol Detox With Prescription Drugs

However, alcohol is highly addictive and for a vast number of people can become a huge problem for not only the individual with the addiction but also their friends and families leading to shattered lives and serious health problems. A key element in recent times is the downturn in the worldwide economy leaving millions unemployed, worried and feeling disenfranchised. Many people drink in an attempt to feel better when low. However, due to the fact that alcohol is itself a depressant it actually achieves entirely the opposite effect. Thankfully there are effective methods to combat this escalating problem.

Alcohol detoxification (or detox) is the process of purging alcohol from the body and stopping all intake. Due to the addictive nature of alcohol, individuals crave the drug as over time and with excessive intake the body feels it's a vital substance. This can be highly traumatic for the sufferer as their body feels it “needs” alcohol. For this reason alcohol detox is often assisted by the administration of cross tolerant drugs which act as a substitute for alcohol. This acts as a way of gradually weaning the body off its dependency for alcohol. Benzodopamines which act on the pleasure and reward area of the brain such as litbrium or diazipan (valium) are typically used for this purpose.

As the body increases in it's tolerance to alcohol a doctor or physician is required to ascertain the strength of the dose of these substances as no two people's dosage  This can be achieved in three different ways. The first option is to give the patient a standardised dose of the drug every 30 minutes until they experience mild sedation. When this baseline dosage is determined this is prescribed and checked after a few days to see if this dosage is having the desired effect. Another option is to give the patient a standard dose and regularly monitor the patient to assess the degree of withdrawal. The third and most controversial method open to the practitioner is to not prescribe any medication to the sufferer until withdrawal symptoms appear. This “cold turkey” method should not however, be used on patients with a history of suffering from seizures as a result of the body's lack of alcohol.

Medication alone can not tackle the problem of alcoholism as apart from the physical addiction the psychological can be just as strong. Along with the medical side a doctor will usually assign therapy often in groups with other sufferers to share their experiences and provide mutual support. In summary, medication is not a magic bullet for alcohol detox but combined with support from others is a very effective weapon in fighting alcoholism.