Alcohol Home Detox
Effective Alcohol Home Detox Treatment Across the UK
Alcohol detox at home safely from £800. We operate in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham but offer our services across the rest of the UK. A full medical assessment is carried out over the telephone and via a video consultation. If the medical situation is straightforward, the alcohol detoxification can be carried out without a face-to-face meeting. If a home visit is necessary, the cost remains at £950 for most parts of mainland Britain.
About Alcohol and Withdrawal Symptoms
Once a person becomes physically dependent on alcohol they cannot go without a drink without experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Depending on how much that person has been drinking, these withdrawal symptoms can be extremely severe. Excessive shaking and anxiety can lead to more dangerous symptoms such as seizures and Delirium Tremens (DTs). DTs cause confusion, hallucinations, rapid/irregular heartbeat and fever. At their most extreme, these withdrawal symptoms can be fatal. Learn more about alcohol withdrawal through our blog post
Heavy drinkers carry on drinking to avoid these symptoms and it works in the short term. It is not advised that any person, who has got to the point of needing alcohol to avoid withdrawal symptoms, attempts to stop drinking without medical assistance. This private alcohol detox programme is through either a home alcohol detox or detox in a clinic with support from our centre in Birmingham.
How Long Is An Alcohol Home Detox?
Alcohol detox can be made safe and even comfortable for many people who are physically dependent on alcohol. Over a period which is normally between 5 and 7 days, medication can be given, in higher doses initially and reducing over the period of the programme. With the correct dosage, all physical withdrawal symptoms can be eliminated. As these can often be quite high doses initially, the person undergoing a home detox may spend the first two or three days feeling quite drowsy but, as the dose reduces, this wears off.
Alcohol Home Detox From Paul Turner
Unfortunately, most parts of the UK do not have services set up to offer alcohol home detox on the NHS. It would be easy to criticise GPs for refusing to prescribe medication for this, but it should be recognised that unsupervised alcohol detox at home programmes has many risks and GPs are correct in not dishing out prescriptions to any patient that asks. GPs are now expected to refer people to their local specialist alcohol treatment service but, unfortunately, many of these do not have the qualified personnel to prescribe for, or support patients through a private alcohol detox. This means that many patients attend appointments for months keeping drinking diaries. This, very often, leads to no improvement in the situation and many go searching the Internet for a solution. However, at Alcohol Home Treatment, we are experienced professionals and will provide you with the best guidance and support for your at-home alcohol detox. Furthermore, although we are based in Sutton Coldfield, we offer our services, including alcohol detox help, across the UK. Click here to learn more about Paul Turner
Can You Safely Detox From Alcohol At Home?
For the majority of people, a alcohol home detox is a very safe procedure. In occasional circumstances, it may be the case that the alcohol problem has already caused physical health problems which mean that alcohol detox should be carried out in hospital and a home detox is not recommended. This is normally when serious damage has already been done to the liver or the general health of the client is poor. I assess every individual thoroughly and will not offer an alcohol detox at home programme if I consider there to be any risk of serious complications. The detox programme will be tailored around your situation so you can have the right help and support you need.
Confidential, no-obligation enquiry
Talk to Paul today to get advice for yourself or a loved one on how to treat Alcohol Use Disorder. Starting with an assessment and advice we can help you get your life back on track: 0800 0546 221.
The Alcohol Home Detox Regime
Firstly, a medical assessment will be done over the telephone by my colleague Dr David Eccleston from The Oakley Partnership or by me. This will consist of questions regarding your medical history, any current medical conditions you may have and any medication you are taking at present. The purpose of this assessment is to ensure that it is safe for you to do an alcohol detox at home. It is important that you are completely honest during the medical assessment and do not withhold information. The alcohol detox treatment may not commence if information you had not communicated became apparent when you were visited.
We will also need to ensure that you will not be left alone during the alcohol home detox. We need a partner, relative or friend to be with you throughout the duration of your detox. We call this person your ‘supervisor.’ While alcohol detox is a safe procedure when properly monitored, there are factors that need to be considered such as the fact that the medication can lower your blood pressure and can also affect your balance. We would insist that you didn’t go out alone while on the medication as your judgement may be affected.
You would need to have a blood pressure monitor. These can be bought from a chemist for around £20.
If the medical assessment shows no reason why you can’t do a home detox, the alcohol detox medication will be prescribed by Dr Eccleston, or me, and you will be visited at home, normally by me. You and your supervisor would need to sign some forms and the medication would be left with your supervisor. For safety reasons, we insist on this for ALL detoxes.
Depending on your alcohol level at the time of the visit, the first dose of medication may be given immediately. However, if this level is too high, your supervisor will be asked to telephone later with your blood pressure and pulse and a description of any symptoms you have. This will be the case for every dose of medication. This allows the dose to be adjusted to ensure that you have the safest and most comfortable alcohol home detox possible. There may be times between regular doses when you need a little extra medication and there may be times, early in the detox, when you wake up during the night and need a dose. You will have 24 hour telephone access so that you are not left unsupported at any time.
An alcohol detox programme normally lasts between 5 and 7 days. Medication is started on higher doses and is reduced over that time. The dosage required at the beginning will determine how quickly it can be reduced down to zero. Some people need more than others.
The price of an alcohol home detox is £950 for most areas of the UK mainland, which is one of the best priced programmes in the country. However, if you do not require face-to-face meetings, then we offer our alcohol detox treatments for £800. For areas further afield like the North of Scotland or islands surrounding the UK, contact us for a price.
Please note: We do NOT sell medication for people to do a private alcohol detox on their own. We will NOT consider doing an alcohol home detox with any person who does not have an adult, assessed as appropriate by us, who will be present with them, in the same location, for the full duration of the detox. A neighbour who calls in or a partner who will be at work most of the day, is not considered a safe alternative. We do not take unnecessary risks with people’s lives. Alcohol home detox is a very safe procedure when the proper systems are in place to ensure that the patient is well-monitored and supervised. We are unable to bend these necessary rules.
After a alcohol detox programme, if you can remain abstinent, that is obviously very positive. However, many patients find that they begin to crave alcohol again soon after the detox is complete. A lot of treatments available rely on counselling and support to help you get through these cravings without drinking but we believe this is unrealistic. The most effective treatment to be used on an ongoing basis to help you overcome the risk of getting back into difficulty with alcohol is The Sinclair Method. This is a medical (physical) treatment and there is more information on The Sinclair Method page on this website.
To get an idea if an alcohol detox is required, the World Health Organisation (WHO) produced a questionnaire which you can download here. Instructions to calculate your score are at the bottom of the questionnaire. This provides only an indication and should not be seen as a full assessment of your needs.
For a free no-obligation chat call 0800 0546 221