In an alcohol rehabilitation setting, a detoxification can be undertaken in many different ways to accommodate the needs and requirements of individual patients.
In addition, detoxification is largely recognised as an alcohol rehabilitation treatment (1), specifically, meaning that it is a vital factor in the overall rehabilitation process, but also an essential first step within each individual’s journey.
In unique situations, some individuals beginning their rehabilitation journey may be able to consider a home detox as a specialised approach to the detoxification process.
In the UK, this is becoming more common due to the advances in the medical industry, meaning that a detoxification at home is suitable for a wider range of individuals than it has been in the past.
However, this is still only suitable for individuals in specific situations in which many prerequisites are met.
For example, individuals with a long history of addiction (also known as substance use disorder) are generally not suitable due to the increased withdrawal symptoms that these long-term addictions can cause during detoxification.
During a detoxification session – the duration of which will be covered later on this page – individuals will withdraw from the substance that they are addicted to.
This means that, depending on the individual’s history with the substance(s), the body will start to break down and remove any harmful chemicals and toxins that have built up in the body.
With an alcohol addiction, withdrawal can cause serious health problems due to the ways in which alcohol becomes a part of the body’s essential processes. During a home detoxification session, these health impacts are often treated with a medical intervention.
Many different substances may be used during a home detox medical intervention based on the individual’s needs, the withdrawal symptoms that they are experiencing, and the severity of these.
On this webpage, home detoxes will be covered in more detail, including the suitability of this treatment, the process, the dangers, and the implications for the individual’s future rehabilitation journey.
As mentioned in the introduction, a home detox session may only be suitable and safe for specific individuals.
This is something that must always be approved by a medical professional such as the individual’s general practitioner (GP), doctors’ office, or an addiction specialist.
This is because an unapproved, unsupervised, or unwarranted home detox can often lead to serious and further health impacts – some of which carry a high mortality rate.
Ideal patients for a home detox are generally those who have a moderate dependence on alcohol who have good general health; any additional health issues (long or short-term) can cause additional impacts and challenges during a detoxification, at home or in a specialised detox clinic, for example.
Any additional health issues should be declared to a medical professional as soon as possible i.e., when the individual is aware of their need for rehabilitation and support in recovery and begins seeking rehabilitative care.
On the other hand, individuals who are heavy regular drinkers and/or have a high dependence on alcohol are not suitable. This is due to the serious withdrawal symptoms that these individuals may experience during a detoxification.
Medical intervention during a home detox is generally only suited toward weaker and less severe withdrawal symptoms that specific individuals with a lower dependence may experience.
Individuals who are consuming a large quantity of alcohol often and regularly should seek to reduce their alcohol consumption before beginning to consider a home detox, but it is important to note that reducing alcohol intake can also cause serious risks to health due to the changes in the body that the individual will have to adapt to.
Due to the risks and health issues that an individual experiences during alcohol detoxification, any medical professional will advise that an individual should include some form of supervision during this process.
In an ideal case, this would be a detoxification or addiction specialist.
Every individual will have different experiences of a detoxification session, and the withdrawal symptoms can vary from mildly uncomfortable to life-threatening.
This depends on an individual’s history of substance abuse, as well as the substance that they are addicted to, and any additional health issues – both physical and mental.
Common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are listed below, but are not always present in every individual case:
As mentioned across this webpage, it is important to note that every individual case will be different, and every person affected by withdrawal symptoms will have different experiences based on their addiction history and personal differences.
In addition, the onset of these symptoms will also be highly dependent on the individual’s specific case and history with addiction.
For example, and in the case of regular and heavy alcohol consumption, an individual may experience withdrawal symptoms as soon as 6 hours after their last drink of alcohol.
After 24-36 hours, the individual may then experience alcoholic seizures which can vary in severity, duration, and long-term health impacts.
After this stage (around 48-72 hours after the individual’s last drink), they may then experience more serious and long-term health impacts such as delirium tremens (DT) – a serious health condition in which an individual develops tremors, as well as other symptoms such as sudden confusion and hallucinations.
These are also symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) which is also caused by withdrawal from alcohol and is characterised by tremors, irritability, and anxiety, as well as more serious health conditions such as hallucinations and alcoholic seizures (2).
Depending on each specific case, a home detox may be carried out in a number of different ways, including different levels of medical intervention, supervision, and additional co-occurring care programmes.
However, there is generally a number of different steps that are incorporated into the overall process, including the steps leading up to the home detox programme, as well as the after-effects that a home detox can have on an individual and the support available for this, often ongoing care that continues for a long period of time.
The general overview of these steps is outlined in further detail in across the following subheadings:
Before an individual is medically approved as being suitable for a home detox, they must first gain this medical approval by undergoing a medical assessment to determine their suitability for this type of detoxification.
During this assessment, it is essential that an individual is honest and open about their experiences of rehabilitation, including details relating to their physical and mental health (present and historical), current living situation, and extent of their addiction.
The actual process of a home detox will be different in every individual’s unique case.
This will affect the medical intervention that they are prescribed, the amount of supervision and regularity of in-person check-ups that an individual will receive, and any supporting treatment that these individuals undergo at the same time.
In terms of medical intervention, an individual may be prescribed a number of different substances to support the different effects that they may be experiencing during their individual withdrawal process.
This may include any combination of the following: benzodiazepines (e.g., Buprenorphine/Subutex), anti-nausea tablets, seizure prevention medication, and vitamin supplements.
After an individual has undertaken a prescribed course of home detox treatment, they are generally encouraged to continue with some form of additional or ongoing care.
This can include regular therapist meetups and therapy sessions, but may also include ongoing independent learning, such as SMART Recovery (Self-Management and Recovery Training).
SMART Recovery is effective in the aftercare of addiction as it is a programme based on the 12-step approach, popularised by treatments such as those found in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
In general, most studies have found that SMART Recovery programmes are generally effective in the treatment and management of addiction symptoms (3) and can generally be employed across a variety of situations, not just those presented in a home detox situation.
As addiction presents uniquely across every individual who experiences this condition, the timeline of the effects and the duration of these impacts will vary in every specific case.
In some examples, withdrawal symptoms can be experienced for up to a year or more in duration due to the ways in which they can impact an individual’s physical and mental health.
For example, some mental health issues such as anxiety and/or depression may need long-term therapy and care to cope with and overcome as part of an individual’s rehabilitation journey.
However, in serious cases of long-term addiction, heavy dependence, and regular drinking, an individual may experience the following rough timeline guidance:
The level of medication and the type of medical intervention that an individual may require during the detoxification process is a factor that must be considered and assessed before an individual proceeds with a home detox.
There are a variety of different substances that may be prescribed for different issues, as well as throughout different stages of an individual’s home detox programme.
For example, in the early stages of a home detox, the priorities lie around the individual’s physical health and the adverse health effects that they may experience as a result of alcohol withdrawal.
Commonly prescribed substances include benzodiazepines, as these treat the symptoms of an alcohol withdrawal, as well as reducing the risk of an alcoholic seizure.
However, it is important to note that benzodiazepines are also considered to be highly addictive and must be withdrawn from separately at a later date as part of an individual’s recovery process.
In the later stages of an individual’s detox session, or as a medical intervention after an individual has undergone the bulk of their home detox, an individual may be prescribed post-detox medications that have been proven to reduce the risk of relapse.
Examples of these substances include acamprosate, naltrexone, and disulfiram – though these are only a select few, come with their own risks, and the use of which must be supervised by a detox specialist.
There are many factors to consider before an individual begins an alcohol home detox programme.
In many cases, individuals may not be suitable for a home detox and must therefore consider other options such as inpatient care and 24/7 support (depending on the severity of their dependence).
The drawbacks of a home detox often relate to the suitability of this type of detoxification method, as well as the risks that are associated with this form of care.
For example, the negative health impacts that an individual may experience and the constant supervision required during the early stages.
In addition, if these programmes are implemented incorrectly, or if the programme is not adhered to as expected, this can also cause additional issues in long-term health and length of the individual’s overall recovery journey.
For those for whom it is suitable, however, the benefits can often make this type of detoxification more favourable when compared to other methods.
For example, home detoxes often come with a lower cost than attending a detox clinic due to the reduced resources and staffing that these methods require (4).
A collective study found that although home detoxes can be just as suitable as inpatient detox clinics in cases where it is suitable, it also found that the providers of this type of care were often limited by financial or geographical factors (5) – something which many areas of the UK and the rest of the world may have to overcome to provide this form of detoxification.
Alongside an alcohol home detox, there are many additional changes and practices that an individual can implement into their everyday life to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of their individual detox programme.
Pre-existing physical and mental health conditions can often impact an individual’s experience of detoxification and, therefore, must be treated alongside the detoxification process in an attempt to manage all effects of the individual’s health equally and simultaneously.
In general, during a home detox, an individual should attempt to reduce their alcohol intake slowly and over time.
This, in term and time, will often reduce the impacts of the health issues that may occur as a result of heavy alcohol consumption, but this is only in certain cases.
Additionally, an individual should attempt to engage in further beneficial activities such as self-care, including practises such as improving sleep patterns, increasing hydration, paying more attention to nutrition and their diet, exercising more regularly, and relaxation practises such as meditation and yoga.
On top of the home detox programme that an individual progresses with, individuals should also enquire into additional emotional and social support, including family therapy, group therapy (groups such as AA or NA), as well as further individual therapy.
As mentioned previously in this article, individuals who have a high or severe dependency on alcohol, those who have experienced severe withdrawal symptoms in previous attempts to withdraw, and those who have attempted to withdraw in the past are generally not suitable for a home detox programme.
This is due to the risks and threats to health that these individuals will experience during a detoxification programme – some of which can be life-threatening if incorrectly managed or put into practice.
In addition, individuals with pre-existing physical or mental health conditions may not be eligible for home detoxes due to the different conflicting factors that may contribute to the overall effectiveness and efficiency of a home detox programme.
Individuals who fall into these categories of unsuitability for home detoxes should instead consider alternative rehabilitation treatments such as inpatient therapy which occurs within a dedicated rehab centre and provides 24/7 support and a huge range of additional resources and facilities for addiction recovery.
Hospital detoxes or detoxes in specialised clinics are also recommended in most cases.
After an individual has completed a home detox programme, it is always recommended that they follow this type of treatment with aftercare – referring to any additional support and treatments that these individuals engage with after the bulk of their treatment through a home detox.
Below are some examples for additional brief interventions that individuals undergoing a home detox can partake in within their local community:
If an individual finds that they are falling into the pattern of repeatedly detoxifying and relapsing, it is always recommended that these individuals seek alternative sources of support, such as those found in inpatient rehab and specialised rehab centres.
Overall, an individual can find multiple sources of support for their ongoing alcohol rehabilitation journey through many different means in their local area. For example, many communities offer local addiction support as well as easy access and strong support networks within local areas.
Overall, it has been shown in multiple cases and examples that home detoxes can be just as effective in the treatment of addiction when implemented correctly and in suitable cases only (6).
This makes a home detox the more cost-effective and suitable option for many individuals struggling with an alcohol addiction, but only when medically approved, supported, and supplemented with other forms of care.
An individual’s safety and health throughout these detoxification sessions will also be dependent on their history with addiction which is strongly linked to their suitability to this form of care.
In all cases of individuals considering a home detox, a medical professional should be contacted to ensure the safety and suitability of this type of care as this will ensure that an individual will progress with this form of care in the most efficient and effective manner, including the treatment of additional and co-occurring health conditions of both the physical and mental nature.
To learn more about home detoxes, an individual’s suitability for this, and any other queries relating to addiction and the treatment of this, individuals should get in touch with Rehab 4 Addiction as soon as possible.
As a specialised referral service, Rehab 4 Addiction offers expert advice and support for an individual’s rehabilitation journey, including home detoxes and the operation of this form of detox.
To get free and confidential advice today, call our addiction support line on 0800 140 4690 to find out how we can help you or someone you know who may be struggling with addiction.
Get help for alcohol home detoxes across the UK. You undergo a telephone assessment, and we mail out the medication you will need. Get help now, including Glasgow, Manchester, London, Liverpool, Bristol, Leicester, Newcastle, Birmingham & Leeds.
[1] Cooper, D.B., 1994. Alcohol home detoxification and assessment. Radcliffe Publishing.
[2] Saitz, R., 1998. Introduction to alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol health and research world, 22(1), p.5.
[3] Beck, A.K., Forbes, E., Baker, A.L., Kelly, P.J., Deane, F.P., Shakeshaft, A., Hunt, D. and Kelly, J.F., 2017. Systematic review of SMART Recovery: Outcomes, process variables, and implications for research. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31(1), p.1.
[4] Fleeman, N.D., 1997. Alcohol home detoxification: a literature review. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 32(6), pp.649-656.
[5] Nadkarni, A., Endsley, P., Bhatia, U., Fuhr, D.C., Noorani, A., Naik, A., Murthy, P. and Velleman, R., 2017. Community detoxification for alcohol dependence: a systematic review. Drug and alcohol review, 36(3), pp.389-399.
[6] Stockwell, T., Bolt, L., Milner, I., Russell, G., Bolderston, H. and Pugh, P., 1991. Home detoxification from alcohol: its safety and efficacy in comparison with inpatient care. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 26(5-6), pp.645-650.
