Signs of a Drinking Problem
Only a trained medical professional can ultimately tell you—on the basis of a detailed medical and clinical assessment for diagnosing substance use disorders—whether you need alcohol detox. That said, here are some questions to consider that can help you determine whether to seek professional alcohol help for you or a loved one:
- Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
- Do you drink in order to feel more comfortable socializing with others?
- Has your drinking caused neglect or harm to family members?
- Have you experienced financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
- Is your drinking making your home life unhappy?
- Has drinking impacted your job performance and/or productivity at work?
- After a night of heavy drinking, do you wake up with cravings for another drink?
- Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?
- Do you drink mostly alone?
- Do you keep on drinking even after your friends say they have had enough to drink?
- When you don’t drink, have you experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms (nausea, sweating, shaking, etc.) that make you want to drink more?
- Do you find yourself getting irritated or defensive when friends or family members express concern about your drinking?
- Have you tried unsuccessfully to cut down or manage your drinking?
- Do you spend a lot of time drinking or engaging in drinking-related thoughts and behaviors, such as buying alcohol, making drinks, hanging out at bars, etc.?
If you answered “yes” to even a few of the above questions, it’s possible you could benefit from alcohol detox, pending a diagnosis by medical professionals. (As a further exploration, see also these “12 Questions to Ask Yourself.”)
Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder
By all means, anyone who has been diagnosed with an untreated alcohol use disorder needs a detox. Alcohol use disorder is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease, characterized by the following key symptoms (among others):
- Preoccupation with alcohol
- An inability to control one’s drinking
- Continued use of alcohol despite negative consequences
- The experience of physical symptoms of withdrawal when former levels of drinking cease
If left untreated, alcohol use disorder and its more severe manifestation, alcoholism, can cause serious long-term health damage and premature death.
Help in Cases of Alcohol Overdose and Poisoning
Finally, remember that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol may result in overdose from alcohol poisoning. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical help. The only safe overdose treatment is supportive care from medical professionals, likely in a hospital emergency department, where doctors and nurses carefully monitor the patient to prevent respiratory and choking problems, administer oxygen and intravenous fluids and give the patient vitamins and glucose to prevent serious alcohol poisoning complications.
For related information about who needs alcohol detox, see the following articles:
- 10 Signs Your Loved One Is Masking a Drinking Problem
- What’s the Success Rate of Alcohol Recovery?
- Alcohol Abuse and Addiction Surge Among Middle-Aged Women
