Will Alcohol Detox Cure My Drinking Problem?
After so many failed attempts to quit drinking, the need for alcohol detox treatment soon becomes painfully apparent for people dealing with along-term drinking problems. Over time, excess drinking has cumulative effects on the brain and body; effects that eventually cause alcohol to become necessary to keep the body running as normal.
While alcohol detox treatment offers a range of benefits in terms of helping a person break the body’s physical dependence on alcohol, it doesn’t actually cure alcoholism. Granted, a person may feel much better upon completing an alcohol detox program, however, the aftereffects of alcohol addiction on the mind makes it difficult to maintain sobriety for very long. For these reasons, it’s essential to continue on in rehab after alcohol detox or else face the risk of yet another relapse episode.
Alcohol Addiction’s Effects
The psychological aspect of alcoholism must be treated in order for recovery to take place.
The feelings of calm and contentment brought on by drinking develop out of alcohol’s ability to increase glutamate neurotransmitter production in the brain and block GABA production levels. According to American Family Physician, these changes decrease both electrical activity and cell activity, which accounts for alcohol’s depressant or slowing effects on central nervous system functioning. Over time, brain chemical pathways enter into a pattern of dependency to the point where alcohol’s effects become necessary for normal brain function.
These developments create a state of physical dependency, which is where alcohol detox treatment can be of great benefit. Stopping alcohol use when a physical dependency is present brings on a range of withdrawal symptoms:
- Sweating
- Jitteriness
- Depression
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Intense alcohol cravings
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Hypersensitivity to light, sound and touch
These symptoms reflect the degree of brain dysfunction that’s present, so people with long histories of alcohol abuse will likely experience the greatest degree of discomfort.
Alcohol Addiction’s Aftereffects
For chronic, long-term drinkers alcohol detox treatment does a good job at helping a person overcome the physical effects of alcohol, but not the psychological effects. After so many months or years of excess drinking, the brain develops marked chemical imbalances that ultimately start to affect critical brain centers, most especially the brain reward system.
Alcohol’s effects on brain reward system functions account for the changes within a person’s thinking, behaviors and overall mental outlook. This system records any and all experiences and activities that promote a person’s well-being and overall survival based on the levels of neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain at any given time.
As alcohol’s effects continue to offset chemical production rates, the brain reward system comes to “view” drinking and drinking-related activities as life-sustaining behaviors. According to the Perelman School of Medicine, over time, these associations start to redefine a person’s priorities and focus all his or her attentions and activities on everything alcohol-related.
https://www.disorders.org/alcoholism/finding-the-best-treatment-for-alcohol-use-disorder/
Alcohol Detox Treatment Considerations
Breaking the body’s physical dependency on alcohol becomes a necessary first step in recovery regardless of addiction severity. Once this is accomplished, those in recovery must work through the psychological aftereffects of addiction.
Failing to do so leaves a person at an incredibly high of risk of relapse since the thinking patterns and behaviors that support alcohol abuse remain untreated. While alcohol detox treatment programs do incorporate interventions designed to educate those in recovery on the effects of addiction, ongoing treatment in the form of psychotherapy, counseling and support group work offers the only means for overcoming the root of an addiction problem.
If you or someone you known are considering alcohol detox treatment and have questions about your addiction treatment needs, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 888-647-0051 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addictions specialists.
