Cold Turkey vs. Alcohol Detox
What Does It Mean to Go Cold Turkey?
When you are addicted to alcohol, as opposed to being in a cycle of alcohol abuse, if you stop suddenly or notably decrease your daily alcohol consumption, you will experience alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol use disorders affect millions of people across the country, and only a fraction of those receive formal treatment for alcohol addiction. However, some attempt to quit drinking on their own or do what’s referred to as “going cold turkey” without any medical or counseling support.
Any time you choose to address your alcohol dependence or alcohol misuse, that certainly means you are thinking and moving in the right direction. However, there are dangers to alcohol and drug users who take this course of action and quit independently at home. There are dangers and pitfalls you can experience when you attempt cold turkey alcohol detox on your own. Trying to stop is great, but having the support of alcohol detox professionals can highly increase your chances of successfully beginning your recovery.
Addiction recovery is not a one-or-two-day event but a change in habits and lifestyle that hopefully lasts a lifetime. Consuming alcohol can affect the brain and many other areas of the body, and the time it takes to become addicted to alcohol can be lengthy, and abruptly stopping is not always the best way to begin a life of sobriety. Quitting drinking cold turkey is the term for this abrupt stop in alcohol use, rather than gradually reducing consuming alcohol or stopping drinking with medical support.
Dangers of Going Cold Turkey
When you have an alcohol addiction or alcohol dependence, your body and brain have become used to there being alcohol in your system regularly. When you cut off the supply too quickly, some of the dangers of it can cause, which can be severe or even life-threatening, include seizures and irregular heart rhythms.
See how the Go Gos managed addiction in our blog below:
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
Anyone who has gotten mentally and physically used to drinking alcohol regularly and has developed a dependence on alcohol or addiction will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when they stop. Everyone has different experiences when withdrawing from drugs or alcohol, which is one of the critical reasons substance abusers should take part in a medical detox program instead of trying to manage drug or alcohol withdrawal syndrome alone at home. In addition to seizures and irregular heart rhythms, here are some other withdrawal symptoms people experience:
- Headaches
Anxiety
Delirium tremens or shakes
Insomnia
Fatigue
Mood changes
Gastrointestinal disturbances
Increased blood pressure
Hyperthermia
Rapid abnormal breathing
Hallucinations
Medical Detox Process
Detox programs are an excellent way for people to begin their recovery. There are a lot of benefits regarding the process and protocols we have at Novo Detox:
- Our clients are in a safe, secure, alcohol-free environment as they begin their recovery from alcohol.
Our medical and counseling staff is available to assist and support them 24 hours a day.
Patients can participate in behavioral therapy, giving them a head start on any further substance abuse treatment they receive.
Why Choose Novo for Alcohol Detox?
At Novo Detox, we have an exceptional staff of healthcare professionals and drug and alcohol counselors ready to help you begin your recovery from alcohol. If you want to know more about some of your addiction treatment options, call us at (844) 834-1777 today. One of our outstanding staff members will review all of the available addiction treatments and which might work for you.
