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Detoxing from alcohol at home

Almost everyone who decides to quit drinking thinks about doing it at home first, in their own bed, without telling anyone.

Published April 28, 2020 · Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD · ~1429 words

Almost everyone who decides to quit drinking thinks about doing it at home first, in their own bed, without telling anyone. About 15 million people in the United States have alcohol use disorder. AUD is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. The drinking becomes compulsive, control over the amount goes, and stopping leaves you feeling bad enough to start again.

Binge drinking, heavy drinking and dependency are all hard to stop, and stopping matters for your health. Anyone who has been drinking a lot is at risk of withdrawal symptoms.

Some people looking to overcome an alcohol use disorder choose to detox from alcohol at home. For some people it feels like the only option, but it is not what doctors recommend.

Can you detox from alcohol at home?

Detoxing at home is possible for some people, but it does not often work. It is the common first attempt at getting sober. Home is familiar and comfortable at a point in life when you badly want to feel safe, and it looks like a controlled environment because it is yours. It is usually the place where you have the least control.

Most doctors recommend detoxing somewhere you can be monitored. Alcohol withdrawal produces symptoms that are hard to read from the inside, and the timeline is hard to judge while you are living through it.

Detoxing at home by choice

Many people who detox at home end up in a detox or rehab facility anyway. For some it takes several failed attempts at home before they are willing to accept professional care. Anyone who is going to try alcohol detox at home needs to be aware of the following.

All alcohol must be removed from the home. Withdrawal at home brings strong cravings that are hard to control, and the temptation is easier to resist if there is nothing in the house.
Detoxing takes time. Clear your schedule of everything, including time off work. Detox takes days of doing nothing else, and the other responsibilities have to wait.
Do not go through the process alone. A trusted friend or family member can keep you safe and call for medical help if symptoms get worse.
Hydration matters. Withdrawal kills your appetite and brings nausea and fatigue with it. Keep water, broth or juice going down so you do not get dehydrated.
Eat a balanced diet. When your appetite comes back, eat real food across all the food groups. It helps you feel strong again.
Prepare vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins and minerals help the body clear toxins out. Vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin E, multivitamins and calcium may ease some withdrawal symptoms.
Create a comforting environment. Withdrawal hurts and it makes you miserable. A quiet room with soft lighting takes some of the edge off the worst of it.
Take a shower. A shower will not sober you up, but it can relieve some symptoms and help you relax. Keep it lukewarm, because water that is too hot or too cold changes your body temperature.

That is a lot of responsibility to carry while you are sick. Researching ahead and tracking your own symptoms is hard to do when you can barely think. Someone with minor symptoms may get through it at home. Nobody knows which one you will be until it starts.

Is it safe to detox from alcohol at home?

Alcohol detox is dangerous because of the withdrawal that comes with it. Home feels like a comfortable place to be, but comfort is not the same as safe when the symptoms are this unpredictable.

If home really is your only option, support groups and outpatient treatment can make it safer. Severe alcohol withdrawal can still kill you.

Dangers of detoxing from alcohol at home

The danger is the withdrawal itself. There is no set timeline. Some people are through the symptoms within a week. People with a severe dependency deal with them far longer.

Inpatient treatment means someone is checking your vitals around the clock and adjusting when something goes wrong. Withdrawal is hard enough without also being your own doctor.

Detoxing at home leaves you exposed. Withdrawal symptoms can get severe enough that you cannot look after yourself, feed yourself or judge how bad you are getting. With nobody trained there to spot the danger and treat it, severe withdrawal can kill.

Symptoms of alcohol detox at home

Symptoms start several hours after the last drink. They are usually worst in the first 24 hours, then ease. After the first two to four days, the late symptoms appear. There is no set timeline, and it looks different for every person.

Early symptoms typically include:

Sweating
Headache
Tremors
Vomiting
Difficulty concentrating
Anxiety
Insomnia
Seizures are possible

Late symptoms typically include:

Heart rate changes like a racing heart
Changes in breathing
Blood pressure changes
Confusion
Fever
Heavy sweating
Delirium tremens, like hallucinations and seizure

Some symptoms last longer because of what alcohol does to the brain. Those can include:

Issues with sleep
Mood changes
Fatigue

Alternative to alcohol detox at home

Detoxing at home is dangerous and it is not what doctors recommend. Detox on its own also does not treat an AUD. It is a short-term fix that gets you through the withdrawal. Staying stopped after that takes ongoing treatment and support.

Doctors recommend detoxing in a facility. The doctors and nurses there watch your condition through every stage of withdrawal and treat what comes up, including the complications.

For a person going through alcohol detox for the first time, the pull to stay home is strong. Home feels safe and it feels like yours. An inpatient facility gives you a place to detox with food and fluids and people who know what they are watching for, and it sets up the doctor and the plan you will need after the detox is over.

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