Donnylutz

An Angry Rant!!

A dear friend called me, explaining that she thinks she is an alcoholic. What is making me so angry, is the information she is finding online that is absolutely terrifying her!!!!

Medical detox is extremely important for some of us - alcohol withdrawal can be deadly. Some of us absolutely need it, some, like me, didn't. But this question needs to be answered by a Dr or a licensed medical professional!!!!

So, how come if you google "Do i need medical detox from alcohol" all you find is treatment centers saying it is ESSENTIAL. They are diagnosing everyone that reads their website, without knowing their situation! It's so horrible! It's so clear they just care about money.

ALL they should say, is what I told my friend - call your Dr, or a reputable treatment center. (I gave her the number to where I went for inpatient treatment.)

Wonderful treatment centers exist, including where I was fortunate to go, but it seems like the internet is FULL of places just wanting money. It makes me sick that some people googling for info when they are scared and worried, are being prayed upon! Not okay!!!

End of rant!

ETA - My friend spoke with an intake nurse at a treatment center and got the real advice she deserved. :-)
:-)

Dee74

Thats the internet Donny

I'd go to a database like SAMSHA, find the centres in my area and then ring or visit them individually.

Like your friend found out, its a decision that needs more than a few mouse clicks for research.

D

Steely

Agree more research needed when deciding, but don't think it's solely "that's the Internet for you". It's about money making and misinformation, or omission of information.

If they are medical facilities they should talk ALL the medicine, not just the medicine that suits them.

DriGuy

The implication that everyone needs detox is false. I don't know what percentage of recovering alcoholics need it, but from being around a lot of people in recovery, I'll guess it's less than half. This is just for those in AA. Now add in an even larger number that simply quit on their own, without a program of any sort, and the percentage needing detox falls into the category of "infrequent." But there is a load of semantics introduced into the arguments. First, what do they mean by detox? Every drinker who quits requires some time to get the alcohol out of his system. Is that detox? Second, how many people that quit were alcoholics to begin with?

As a safety issue, deciding to go through detox won't hurt. At worse, you could waste some money. Well, worse than that I suppose, there may be some physical dangers if a person needs detox, and it's not done properly. But if you don't need it, no physical harm that I can think of comes from detox. You'll just sit there waiting for the pink elephants to show up that never come.

As for misinformation, my greater concern would be helping your friend with her fear of recovery, which you have done. Getting mad at the charlatans on the internet won't help, and may even send the message to your friend that she absolutely doesn't need detox, which you or I couldn't and shouldn't do. From what I can tell, you've imparted good information to your friend, and you can't offer her anymore than that. I think the next step would be to encourage her, and tell her what recovery is like for you.

biminiblue

It's a strong person who doesn't go to the internet for medical answers. I just made that mistake a few days ago and sent myself into a spiral. I know better!!

But yeah. I think it is pretty straight-forward for someone to call and get answers with just a simple doctor's visit. "Detox" is a well-established protocol.

I hope your lady friend finds sobriety. A little fear isn't a bad thing when it comes to this, though. Better safe than dead.

Aellyce

Of course they use marketing strategies to make money. Some organizations promote "individualized treatment" in the same way, primarily for the same purpose. It's surely more realistic, but then the question is how they can make that assessment and treatment happen.

I also think though that if these treatment providers want to make gross generalizations (which will almost always be incorrect), it's still a bit better to err on the side of caution vs. saying, for example "just stop drinking today no matter how and you will be fine". When shopping for treatments, I would definitely filter out those that make extreme, superficial claims. I personally like to do my own research for everything and use the internet heavily for it, but it is very important to be critical and recognize red flags.

Nonsensical

Marketing 101:
You, my friend, are in a very deep hole. Fortunately for you, I happen to sell ladders!

1. I've never liked it.
2. It's not going away anytime soon.
3. Being upset about it (or not) is my choice.