How to Access Drug and Alcohol Detox if You’re Experiencing Withdrawal Symptoms

Mild to moderate drinkers who want to change their relationship with alcohol can safely get started right away with residential treatment, recovery coaching, or support groups. [Updated March 2023]

Heavy drinkers, on the other hand, are at risk of alcohol withdrawal and may need to undergo medically supervised alcohol detox before beginning treatment.

Abruptly quitting drinking if you are used to excessive, continuous consumption can result in a myriad of physical and psychiatric symptoms. In the worst cases, alcohol withdrawal syndrome can be fatal if not managed with professional oversight. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines excessive drinking as:

• Binge-drinking (4 or more drinks at one time for women, 5 or more for men)
• Heavy drinking (women who consume 8 or more drinks per week, and men who consume 15 or more drinks per week)
• Drinking while pregnant or under the age of 21

Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines state that consuming 3 to 6 drinks per week is associated with moderate risk of health consequences. You venture into high risk if you consume 7 to 13 drinks per week.

If you’ve been struggling with excessive drug or alcohol use you’re probably very familiar with how horrible hangovers can feel. That might make you think that you can ride out withdrawal symptoms if you experience them.

That is a mistake that could have serious consequences. There are certainly plenty of people who quit or cut back on alcohol consumption with minimal withdrawal symptoms or none at all. But others need medical detox in order to manage their symptoms and prevent serious medical emergencies.

Maybe you’re not sure how you’re body will respond to cutting out alcohol. In that case, always err on the side of caution, and have a conversation with a medical professional. Your primary care physician may be a great resource.

Alcohol Withdrawal — Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome [PAWS]

Some of the symptoms that you may experience when you quit drinking after excessive, ongoing use include tremors, seizures, hallucinations, anxiety, and nausea.

This set of symptoms is known as Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome also may be called Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome or PAWS.

The most severe condition heavy drinkers may experience when quitting drinking abruptly is called delirium tremens (DT). Symptoms of DT include:

• Visual, auditory, and physical hallucinations
• Seizures
• Respiratory distress
• High blood pressure and heart rate
• Fever and sweating
• Extreme agitation and/or confusion

If you experience these symptoms, seek medical attention right away.

Over time daily drinkers develop a physical dependency on alcohol in which sudden abstinence can cause distress to the central nervous system. In these cases, a supervised medical detox may be necessary.

So how do you know if you need alcohol detox to safely quit drinking? There are several factors to take into account and seeking a medical assessment is important to determine the proper course of treatment.

A qualified medical professional will want to know how often you drink, the quantity of alcohol you typically consume, how long you’ve been drinking, and any co-occurring issues you’re experiencing. Mental health challenges like depression and anxiety are co-occurring conditions that may exacerbate alcohol withdrawal.

Options for Alcohol Detox: At Home, Outpatient, or Inpatient

There are a few options for medically assisted alcohol detox and determining which one is right for you depends largely on the severity of your symptoms.

While symptoms may begin as soon as six hours after your last drink, the most challenging window will typically be 36-72 hours after having stopped drinking. Symptoms may persist for 10 days to two weeks.

Heavy drinkers with severe alcohol dependency should consider inpatient alcohol detox.

In an inpatient facility, you receive 24-hour care from medical specialists. They will prescribe medication to help you through the initial phase of detox to help alleviate symptoms and prevent medical emergencies.

Inpatient drug and alcohol detox is only the first phase of treatment. Many facilities that offer medically supervised detox also have residential substance use disorder programs available on-site. This allows patients to easily transition into treatment directly from detox.

Individuals with less severe alcohol dependencies but who still need help managing alcohol withdrawal symptoms may benefit from outpatient or in-home detox.

In outpatient, you come into a detox facility regularly (daily for many programs) to check in with medical staff about the symptoms you’re experiencing. In this model, you also may be prescribed medication to manage symptoms. There are also some private services that will do home visits — you need to do a search in your area.

Individuals with mild to moderate alcohol withdrawal symptoms may be able to detox at home but there should be a physician or nurse practitioner supervising. You also should have a family member or loved one with you 24 hours a day should symptoms worsen or an emergency arise.

How to Find Alcohol Detox Near You

If you’re looking for a drug and alcohol detox in Canada or the U.S. you will have to choose between public and private options.

Most private medical benefit plans will not cover detox in Canada which means you would have to pay out of pocket.

Anyone can search on Google for “Publicly Funded Detox Near Me” or “Private Detox Near Me” and the options in your area will appear in your search.

Some of these facilities may have a waitlist so making contact and adding your name to the list as soon as possible is important.

In Canada there are very view private detox-only facilities. There is a residential treatment facilities like Sunshine Coast Health Centre in British Columbia also offer on-site, inpatient medical detox on its own. In a facility like this one, you receive 24-hour care from a specialized medical team, including medication management if symptoms require it.

Patients remain in the withdrawal program until a doctor determines it is safe for them to move on to treatment which includes individual and group therapy.

For those who cannot afford the cost associated with private detox and treatment, there are publicly funded community options in each province or state. Island Health is one such option that serves individuals in Nanaimo, Victoria, and surrounding areas. In case of emergency call 911 and get an ambulance and let them know exactly what is going on.

Public detox facilities will be able to help you identify additional resources and services within your area that you may need after completing detox.

The challenge with public detox as opposed to private detox is that you may have to wait for availability. For 24-hour assistance with substance-related issues in British Columbia, you can find resources here.

What Happens After Drug and Alcohol Detox?

As mentioned above, drug and alcohol detox is only the beginning of your recovery journey. Safely managing drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be challenging mentally and physically, even with a physician or nurse practitioner monitoring you.

The more professional support you have during this time, the easier it will be to stay the course if you feel like giving up.

Once you’ve navigated the first few weeks after quitting or cutting back on drugs and alcohol, you’ll need to make some decisions about what you want your recovery journey to look like.

The more severe your substance use was, the more likely you’ll benefit from residential in-patient treatment, intensive outpatient programs or perhaps a hybrid approach of accessing therapy or counselling and adding in a Recovery Coach if suitable.

For mild to moderate substance use disorders, recovery coaching and support groups are often a good fit. Although you may have experienced some withdrawal symptoms, the intensive level of care associated with residential treatment and IOPs may not be necessary.

Working with a recovery coach and getting to know other people who are restructuring their relationship with drugs and alcohol can provide excellent support and fit seamlessly in with your day-to-day life.

Recovery is different for everyone and so is the treatment plan to address it. Once you’ve managed any drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms that arise with the help of drug and alcohol detox, it’s time to develop an individualized plan perfectly suited to your specific challenges and goals.

Get Help Creating Your Personal Roadmap

It can be really scary to arrive at the realization that you have a drinking problem, no matter how big or small.

But it’s a lot less scary when you have an experienced guide to help you sort things out.

I’m an accredited Addiction Recovery Coach offering worldwide virtual support, and in-person support across Canada. If you’re interested in exploring 1:1 recovery coaching to help you cut back your drinking or stop drinking entirely, I’m happy to answer your questions.

I offer a no-charge consult call to anyone who has questions about their own substance use, or the substance use of a family member. These calls are completely confidential with no pressure to make a decision before you feel entirely ready.

I’d also like to invite you to read more about my personal story here.

Michael Walsh
Phone or Text: 250.896.8494
Email: Coach@MichaelWalsh.com
Chat: Start a WhatsApp chat

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