Is it possible to do a safe alcohol detox on your own at home? Well, generally speaking, with mild alcohol dependence, a very strong-willed person can safely detox at home. It’s not easy, but it can be done, and it can be done safely. There are many videos and books online that you can buy that talk about the 30 Day Challenge, that is, going 30 days without having a drink. That’s easier said than done, and if it’s really easy for you, you may not have an alcohol dependency problem. Doing so is a real struggle even for those in the beginning stages of dependency.
In later stages of alcohol dependence, even with a strong support system of family and friends behind you, it becomes much more difficult. It may not be safe to do it on your own. First, you are setting yourself up for failure, which will make it more difficult the next time you try to cleanse. Second, it can be dangerous, which we’ll explain in a moment. Keep in mind that those who are the most committed Alcoholics Anonymous participants often find themselves ‘falling off the wagon’ and then have to start over.
What is that joke?
One gentleman tells another at an AA meeting;
“Well, I finally stopped smoking,” and says his friend; “That’s nothing, I stopped drinking 147 times!”
In fact, alcoholism is not a joking matter, and maybe why everyone laughs at it, because it hits the nail on the head and is very close to the truth (quote: 1).
It is not uncommon for someone with severe alcohol dependence to have seizures during periods of alcohol withdrawal. It is also not uncommon for a severely dependent alcoholic to ultimately die during one of these seizures, especially when his health has deteriorated over time. If someone has tremors of delirium from alcohol withdrawal, the only thing that can stop him is taking another drink or taking a drug that tricks the body into thinking he has had more alcohol. Still, this is only a temporary solution. In later stages of alcohol dependence, it is much safer to let the experts handle your safe alcohol detox program (citation: 2).
References:
1.) “Laughing Bends: Humor and Self-Construction in Alcoholics Anonymous,” by Pollner, M. and Stein, J. (2001). In JF Gubrium and JA Holstein (Eds.), Institutional selves: problematic identities in a postmodern world (pp. 46-63). New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press.
2.) “Alcohol Withdrawal and Delirium Tremens in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review and Commentary,” by Don-Kelena Awissi, Genevieve Lebrun, Douglas B. Coursin, and Richard R. Riker and Yoanna Skrobik. Intensive Care Medicine, ISSN 0342-4642, Volume 39, Number 1, Intensive Care Medicine. (2012) 39:16-30. DOI 10.1007/s00134-012-2758.
