What does a typical day look like during Alcohol Detox?

Detoxing is a difficult process that is different for every person and for every drug that may be impacting their body and brain. While the first 24 hours are generally the toughest, symptoms of withdrawal can lessen with time and with medications to fight withdrawal pangs. So what does a typical day look like during Alcohol Detox?

For the first week, you may find that symptoms from the first two days come back, sometimes with a vengeance. These can include

  • severe anxiety
  • muscle spasms
  • irritability
  • headache
  • nausea

If you are going to experience the DTs (delirium tremens) it will likely be in the first two days, though the risk can continue for the first seven days. The combination of hallucinations and nausea put you at risk of aspirational pneumonia. Do not attempt an alcohol detox on your own.

Rebuilding Your Health After Detox

Supervised detox professionals can help you rebuild your body, focus your mind and support your spirit over time. Your overall health, ability to build and rebuild your community, and ability to focus your thoughts will take time and commitment. Getting toxins out of your body is the threshold of your treatment process.

Your dietary choices will likely be carefully monitored. If you are working on a detox at home, do your best to base each meal on

  • whole grains, avoiding processed foods, sugar and white flour
  • fresh or lightly steamed vegetables
  • fresh fruit, or canned fruits in their own juice
  • milk
  • filtered water in abundance

Over time, alcohol can do a lot of damage to your gut. Be careful about your roughage intake at first and consider eating five small meals to allow your stomach to manage a bit better.

Try to avoid staying in one spot or one position for long. If you have been sitting for a time, get up and stretch or do some wall plank pushups. If you have been standing for a time, lay down and do some crunches to engage your core or slow twists to limber up your spine. There may be a dedicated exercise program that focuses on flexibility and balance, such as yoga or tai chi. If you are feeling overwhelmed or just overloaded, take a walk.

Using any drug to excess tends to fill up our schedules. If you find yourself wondering what to do next, use the timer on your phone to allow you to focus on any task. Prepare a snack, walk the stairs, brush your teeth or take a quick shower when you start to get anxious. Detoxing can leave a terrible taste in your mouth and you may sweat a lot. A warm shower can help you feel fresher and better about your healing process.

To boost your spirit, you have several options. You can discuss your concerns with a pastor or spiritual counselor if that appeals. You might also choose to find a funny podcast, or read something by an author who makes you laugh. The term “higher power” is quite personal and may not be a comfortable concept for you. You are more than entitled to secular methods of lifting your spirit.

To increase mental focus, consider working puzzles during your alone time. Again, use your timer to avoid grabbing your phone to check how much time has passed. If reading isn’t your thing, try sudoku puzzles. If your hands need to be busy, talk to your counselors about occupational therapy ideas or crafts you can do to allow you to connect body and brain.

The hardest work of detox can often be the counseling sessions that let you dig down into aspects of your past that you may have been avoiding. You may have used alcohol to fight the symptoms of an undiagnosed emotional trauma or mental illness. Be gentle with yourself as these discoveries come up. You will be moving into a new world after your detox; kindness to yourself may serve as an anchor for the life you are building.

Nothing about detox is done when the physical part is over, though you will probably feel a lot better. If your are ready to get started on your path to a new realityy, call us today at 833-820-2922.