On any given day, close to a million Americans are treated for alcohol addiction. Part of the treatment many problem drinkers go through is alcohol detoxification. Alcohol detoxification is described as the immediate termination of alcohol intake coupled with the ingestion of medicines that help to assuage the withdrawal symptoms that accompany prolonged drinking.

Withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, headaches, palpitations, shaking of the hands, profuse sweating, clammy skin, pallor, dilated pupils, involuntary movements of the eyelids, spasms, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and a general awful feeling. These physical symptoms are accompanied by feelings of anxiety or nervousness, depression, irritability, excitability, emotional volatility, confusion, and disturbed sleep. Approximately one in twenty people suffer from more severe symptoms known as delirium tremens (or DTs) that can entail fever, tremors and convulsions, extreme agitation, deep confusion, and auditory and visual hallucinations. People who have DTs need immediate treatment. Untreated delirium tremens may lead to serious physical complications resulting in death.

Prior to treatment for alcohol dependency, the individual first undergoes physical and medical assessment by a medical practitioner. A determination is made as to whether the individual may proceed with alcohol detoxification at home or whether it is advisable to refer him to an alcohol detox center.

On the first day of getting sober, a high dosage of the prescribed drug is usually given. The most commonly used drug in treatment for alcohol dependency is chlordiazepoxide, which is used to manage the anxiety associated with acute alcohol withdrawal. The dosage is gradually reduced in the following days. Vitamin supplements, particularly B1, are normally prescribed as well. Several times during detox, the individual will be checked on by a medical practitioner. The individual will most likely experience some withdrawal symptoms during this sobering up process, but nothing as severe as if he had no medication.