# A question about detoxing from alcohol **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350 "2015-01-08T22:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350/41 "2015-01-16T21:55:45Z")
I wonder what happened to the OP? He hasn’t been active on the board since his last post here on January 8th. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350/42 "2015-01-16T22:59:20Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I wonder what happened to the OP? He hasn’t been active on the board since his last post here on January 8th. Hopefully he saw the doctor who took one look at him and carted him off to hospital. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350/43 "2015-01-16T23:56:50Z")
I also hope the OP is OK. Husband of a friend was a “secret” heavy drinker. He developed liver ascites and had to be admitted to the ER, where they quickly determined that he was in jeopardy. He spent a week in ICU and his wife was cautioned that he may not make it alive. He was on benzos and hallucinating for much of that time. Another week in hospital, followed by a week on the psych ward, followed by rehab and AA. He got with the program and stayed quit. He’s lucky to be alive, he will be four years sober in April. But he really, really would have died without hospital treatment. He was one sick puppy. So yeah, it’s no joke. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350/44 "2015-01-29T02:10:11Z")
Well, he logged into the board on 1/22/2015, so it appears he survived. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350/45 "2015-01-29T02:57:00Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Cocaine? Feel like shit, come out clean on the other side. It’s not really like that with cocaine. Cocaine is not _physically_ addictive at all, so cocaine withdrawal doesn’t have any physical symptoms like heroin or alcohol do. It’s an intense psychological craving for more. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350/46 "2015-01-29T05:08:01Z")
Your smart move would be to do it in hospital, however IF you insist on doing it at home at least have some long half life benzos like diazepam or clonazepam and some beta blockers on hand. Better than having a seizure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-detoxing-from-alcohol/709350.md?page=2)