Alcohol detox is perhaps the first step many of us take on our path to recovery. Although it can be uncomfortable for most of us to physically endure, alcohol detox can also affect our mental health and well-being. Both the brain and body go through significant changes when you stop drinking, resulting in a wide array of psychological challenges too.
You may wonder can these mental health challenges can occur before your detox program even commences? The answer to your question is: absolutely, yes. Doing this can provide you with a smooth transition for your recovery without any setbacks too tough to take. In this blog, Psychologs looks closely at the mental health challenges associated with alcohol detox.
Comprehending the Link Between Alcohol Use and Mental Health
Although drinking alcohol on a regular basis is known to impair your coordination and even affect the liver in your body, drinking alcohol also has serious effects on the brain’s chemistry, especially over durations of time. Most frequent alcohol drinkers do so to manage the stress and anxiety they’re experiencing. Some drink to relieve depression or even trauma. The issue here is that alcohol is a depressant. It may dull your emotional pain for a short period of time or make you feel more relaxed in social situations. However, you may witness underlying mental health conditions. drinking alcohol excessively over time.
When you drink excessively, neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and GABA, function differently inside your brain. In other words, your brain can become dependent on alcohol to regulate your mood and energy, and even to regulate stress. When you suddenly remove alcohol from your body, these systems can be thrown out of balance, and psychological withdrawal symptoms may emerge. These psychological symptoms can be just as harmful as the physical ones.
Mental Health Challenges Occurring During Alcohol Detox
While no two people may experience mental health challenges during detox in exactly the same way, several similar issues may take place. Anxiety is by far one of the most frequent symptoms many share. In the first days of detox, you will most likely feel a continuous sense of nervousness and restlessness. Feelings of depression and malaise could also surface, sometimes severely. You may also experience feelings of hopelessness or emotional numbness as your brain chemistry starts to recalibrate.
Irritability or mood swings are also known to occur during alcohol detox. Your moods may change from calm to angry in just minutes. Hallucinations or delusional thinking may also take place. The latter is more prevalent for persons with a long history of alcohol dependence. This condition, named delirium tremens, is a medical emergency that may include confusion, agitation, and severe anxiety.
The Importance of Behavioural Health Support in Detox
Mental health symptoms taking place during alcohol detox are not just a side effect. It is a core part of the recovery journey that may need active management. Here’s where you should consider a behavioural health service. Services such as these offer therapeutic support and clinical monitoring during a time when you may be most vulnerable.
In cities across the nation, like Phoenix, Arizona, behavioural health support is a part of accredited medical alcohol detox programs. Administrators at reputable facilities understand that for clients, detox is not just a physical process but a psychological one too, and provide support accordingly.
Going from Detox into Ongoing Mental Health Support
Detox is only the beginning of recovery. Once alcohol has fully left your system, your real work is about to begin. You then should consider addressing the underlying emotional pain that caused your addiction to take place in the first place. Here’s where continued behavioural health support becomes vital to your well-being. By keeping active with behavioural health services in Phoenix Valley after detox, you begin to develop your own healthier thinking and start repairing your relationships, plus create a much more meaningful life in early recovery.
Expected Challenges are Foundational for Your Healing
Expecting mental health challenges during alcohol detox isn’t really about anticipating that the worst can happen; it is about being prepared for what is a very normal and treatable part of the process. Experiencing emotional symptoms is not a sign that your detox is failing. However, it is a sign that your healing is just beginning.
