Detoxing at home

Home detox can make sense on paper, as you avoid the cost of rehab, retain your privacy, and don’t have to upend your life. You may picture a rough few days on the sofa and think that stocking up on fluids and clearing your schedule will be enough. For mild dependence, that picture is sometimes accurate. For anything more serious, however, it can be a dangerous misconception. With certain substances, withdrawal can cause medical emergencies, and professional support is the difference between life and death.

This guide will help you understand what detox actually involves, when home detox might be appropriate, and why medical supervision is almost always the safer choice.

What happens during detox

When you use alcohol or drugs regularly over a period of time, your body adjusts to function with the substance present. Drug detox and alcohol detox is what happens when you stop using drugs or drinking, so your body then has to readjust to functioning without them.

This readjustment causes withdrawal symptoms, and what those symptoms look like depends on what substance you’ve been using, how much, how long, and your general health. In general, a “mild” dependence will create mild withdrawal symptoms, which may be manageable without professional help. “Severe” dependencies, or a dependence on certain substances, cause far more serious symptoms that can turn dangerous very quickly.

The difference between “mild” and “severe” dependence

To use alcohol as an example, mild alcohol dependence might mean you drink more than you should most evenings, but can go a day or two without physical symptoms. Severe alcohol dependence means you need alcohol to function, experience shaking or sweating within hours of your last drink, or have had withdrawal seizures before.

Be completely honest about how much you’ve been using and for how long. If you’re not sure where you fall, that uncertainty is itself a reason to get medical advice before attempting detox.

When home detox might be an option

Home detox can work for some people, but the criteria are specific. You might be a candidate if your alcohol or drug dependence is mild, you’ve been taking “lower-risk” substances, have people who can stay with you throughout, and have a GP who can prescribe medication and monitor you regularly during withdrawal.

Whoever stays with you needs to be there 24 hours a day and know what warning signs to watch for. These include:

• Confusion or disorientation
• A racing or irregular heartbeat
• Tremors that won’t stop
• Heavy sweating
• Fever
• Hallucinations
• Seizures

If any of these symptoms appear, you need to get medical assistance right away.

Substances which cause the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms

Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal are generally the most dangerous, as they can cause seizures and other complications that require emergency medical care.

About half of the people with alcohol dependence experience some withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. While most are mild, around 3-5% develop severe complications, known as delirium tremens. Symptoms of delirium tremens include:

• Severe confusion
• Hallucinations
• Fever
• Heavy sweating
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Dangerous changes in blood pressure
• Seizures

Without treatment, delirium tremens have a mortality rate as high as 37%. With proper medical care, that drops to around 5%. Similar patterns can be seen with benzodiazepine detox, which requires acute medical care for seizure risks and long-term emotional and psychological support for ongoing depression.

Withdrawal from multiple substances can also be very dangerous, especially if you have underlying health issues. Opioid and stimulant withdrawal can be intensely unpleasant but are rarely life-threatening, though medical support is still important for successful detoxing.

The risks of detoxing at home

The biggest risk of home detox is that you’re alone if something goes wrong. Withdrawal severity is difficult to predict, even for doctors, and someone who expects mild symptoms can end up in serious trouble.

With alcohol withdrawal, seizures can occur within 48 hours of your last drink, sometimes with little warning. Benzos carry similar risks, and severe withdrawal can be fatal without medical treatment.

Even when withdrawal isn’t life-threatening, it is often more intense than people expect. The physical symptoms are hard enough, but the psychological ones, like anxiety, depression, insomnia, and intense cravings, can be overwhelming when you’re facing them alone.

This is why many people relapse during or shortly after detox, which is incredibly dangerous. Your tolerance drops quickly once you stop using or drinking, and if you relapse and take the same amount you were used to, your body can no longer handle it. Research shows the 30 days immediately after leaving detox carry a significantly elevated overdose risk, and this is how many overdoses happen.

Why monitored detox is safer

Medically supervised detox doesn’t eliminate withdrawal, but it makes it safer and more manageable. Medical staff monitor you around the clock, watching for complications and responding immediately if they arise.

Medication can ease withdrawal symptoms significantly. For alcohol detox, this usually means benzodiazepines to prevent seizures and reduce anxiety. For opioid detox, medications like buprenorphine can dramatically reduce the severity of withdrawal. These medications need to be prescribed and monitored properly, which is difficult to do outside a clinical setting.

The difference in outcomes is stark. One study found that people with risk factors like previous seizures had only a 30% chance of completing outpatient detox. Those without such risk factors had a 95% chance. National data shows around 76% of people complete hospital-based detox programmes, compared to just 42% in standard outpatient settings. Part of this is medical, but part of it is just because there are no alcohol or drugs to access.

People who detox in an inpatient treatment centre are also more likely to go on to rehab therapy and aftercare. This is crucial because it leaves no gap in treatment. One study of people leaving inpatient opioid detox found that 27% relapsed the same day they were discharged. Within a month, that figure rose to 65%. By going straight into therapy following detox, you get continued support and medical care, which greatly increases the chances of successful recovery.

What detox at Oasis Bradford looks like

At Oasis Bradford, detox is the first step in a longer process. We treat people detoxing from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, and various other addictive substances. When you arrive, we assess your health and history of drugs and alcohol so we can create a detox plan specific to your situation.

Our medical team manages your withdrawal with appropriate medication and constant monitoring. Alcohol and drug detox clears the substances from your body, and the therapy programme that follows gives you the tools to stay clean. This includes individual sessions to understand your personal triggers, group work with others going through the same process, and practical planning for life after treatment. We also offer family therapy and ongoing aftercare support once you leave.

How to start medical detox

Home detox might seem appealing, but for most people with significant dependence and addiction, it is not the safest or most effective option.

If you’re considering detoxing at home, speak to Oasis Bradford first. We can give you an honest assessment of your level of dependence and what withdrawal is likely to involve. If home detox is genuinely appropriate for you, we can help you do it as safely as possible.

If your dependence is more serious, or if you’ve tried to quit before and couldn’t manage, residential detox gives you the best chance of getting through safely and moving into recovery with proper support.

Contact Oasis Bradford today if you’d like to talk through your detox options.