If you suspect you may have alcoholism—as opposed to simply a bad habit of “drinking too much”—look into professional alcohol detox treatment before you even think about trying to stop drinking cold. Alcohol withdrawal can trigger all sorts of dangerous physical effects including seizures, stoppage of breathing, and potentially lethal delirium tremens: prescribed alcohol detox drugs may be necessary to minimize the risks. Attempting to detox at home, rather than going for professionally managed medical alcohol detox, is playing an extremely dangerous game with your health and life.
If you’re still reluctant to seek professional alcohol detox treatment because the idea is hard on your pride or you aren’t that sure you have an actual addiction, here are several more factors that may provide an incentive to promptly seek the best alcohol detox you can get.
1. With or Without Diagnosable Alcoholism, Just Worrying About the Possibility—or having Your Loved Ones Hint at it—is a Signal you Need Professional Advice
It’s been said about every serious illness from cancer to diabetes, and it applies equally to the illness of alcohol addiction: if you see symptoms that indicate you may have it, don’t wait until you’re sure—make a doctor’s appointment so you can get sure one way or the other. If you really are addicted, you’ll have taken the first step toward getting the medical alcohol detox you need. And if you aren’t, you’ll have one less thing to worry about—plus medical advice on remedying whatever issues triggered the worry, including the likely need to cut down or stop drinking before it becomes an addiction.2. Waiting won’t make it any easier
Those who keep saying “I’ll do what needs doing tomorrow” accumulate an additional dose of “procrastination stress” every day they stall. Don’t kid yourself that on the next tomorrow you’ll wake up fully willing and ready to solve the problem—you’re only prolonging the misery, waiting for an easy ride that will never come. Take action today, not least because:3. The Longer You Delay, the Worse Things Will Get
Addictions and other serious illnesses are the least likely candidates for going away if ignored. The best alcohol detox in southern California or the world is rarely so good it can make the procedure easy or painless; but whatever approach is used, you’ll suffer a lot more, both emotionally and physically, if alcoholism has had years to establish its foothold. Plus, heavy drinking can do lasting damage to your heart, brain, and liver if you keep it up too long. And even if there were no other risks involved, long-established habits are harder to break simply because they’re so familiar and you’ve all but forgotten there are alternatives.4. You’re Hurting Your Loved Ones as Well as Yourself
Even if they don’t say anything, those closest to you are hurting: vicariously for what you’re suffering, personally from the suspicion you don’t care about them anymore, financially from money losses gone to alcohol and the damage it does, and perhaps physically if drinking triggers your aggressive side. (Trust us: your loved ones do know what’s going on, no matter how well you think you’re hiding the problem.)5. If You have a Career, You’re Placing it in Jeopardy
By law, you can’t be fired for having alcoholism or seeking treatment for it—but you can be fired if you come to work drunk or miss too many days due to hangovers. Even if you manage to keep your job, you’re slowly eroding your ability to do it effectively, let alone advance in your career.6. Your Health Insurance Company will be Happier if You Seek Prompt Treatment
If you lose your job, you may also lose the health insurance coverage that would have helped pay for alcohol detox. In any case, your insurance policy will probably have some limits on what it covers (alcohol detox drugs? luxury detox center facilities? period of inpatient treatment?). While checking exactly what it will pay for, remember that the company is more likely to give you grief if you could have done something about the problem long ago. Even aside from avoiding or minimizing a boost in insurance premiums:7. Getting Early Treatment Will Save You Money
While just about everyone needs weeks of aftercare, plus therapy and long-term support groups, early treatment is less expensive in several ways:- You’ll be at less risk for developing serious withdrawal symptoms that could incur additional treatment expenses.
- You’ll be less likely to have developed additional health problems that are expensive to treat or manage.
- Every day, week, or year you delay treatment means more money wasted on alcohol purchases—not to mention potential property damage.
8. You’re Flirting with Major Legal Problems, Even a Potential Criminal Record
Besides DUI, you could be arrested for public drunkenness, reckless endangerment, or lying to a law enforcement officer about whether you’ve been drinking. And there are a thousand ways to get sued for drinking-related behavior: willful neglect, causing property damage, seeking employment without disclosing your problem.9. You May be Setting Yourself Up for a Situation that Would be Near Impossible to Live In
The ultimate worst-case scenario, of course, is causing crippling or fatal injury to some innocent party. Even if the survivors forgive you, none of you will ever forget.10. The Sooner You Get Detox Treatment, the More Time You’ll have to Enjoy Sobriety
Lest you’re getting the impression that all incentives for detox lie on the negative side, be assured that many of the reasons are positive. You’ll gain much more from successful detox than you’ll lose by giving up the “makes it easier to live with life” effect of alcohol. Just a few of the benefits of rediscovering sobriety through alcohol detox:- New confidence in your ability to cope with life and its challenges
- New friends who understand you
- Improved ability to understand yourself
- A new sense of self-respect
- New skills for communicating with your loved ones and nurturing mutually beneficial relationships
- Opportunities to rediscover long-lost dreams that got buried under life stresses and subsequent alcohol use