My Son Is Going Through Withdrawal — What Should I Do?

My Son Is Going Through Withdrawal — What Should I Do?

You walked into his room and something was wrong. The shaking. The sweat on his forehead in a cool house. The way his eyes wouldn’t focus, or the way he snapped at you over nothing, or the way he curled into himself and wouldn’t speak. Maybe he’s been vomiting for hours. Maybe he hasn’t slept in two days. Maybe he told you, quietly, that the pills are gone, the bottle is empty, the supply ran out — and now his body is screaming.

If you are reading this in the middle of the night, with your phone in one hand and a child you don’t recognize in the other room, take a breath. You are not the first parent to be here. You are not failing him by being afraid. What you are seeing is, in most cases, withdrawal — the body’s reaction to the sudden absence of a substance it has become physically or chemically dependent on. Some withdrawal looks miserable but moves through. Some withdrawal is medically dangerous. Knowing the difference is the single most important thing you can do tonight.

This guide was written for parents who need real information fast — not marketing, not slogans, not a flowchart that ends in a phone number. We will walk you through what withdrawal looks like by substance, when it crosses the line into a medical emergency, what professional detox actually involves, what to say and what to avoid saying, and how to think about what comes after the worst is over. The Recover is an addiction recovery education and treatment navigation resource. We are here to help you understand what you are looking at and what choices may be in front of you.

CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

If your son is having seizures, hallucinations, chest pain, trouble breathing, severe confusion, a dangerously high fever, repeated vomiting he cannot keep fluids down through, suicidal thoughts, or becomes unresponsive — call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department now. These are medical emergencies. Do not wait to see if symptoms pass. If he is in crisis with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, you can also call or text

the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, 24/7 confidential support.

Need help understanding detox and treatment options? Contact The Recover for confidential addiction recovery guidance. Our team helps families across the country make sense of detox levels of care, insurance, and the next safe step.

What Withdrawal Really Looks Like

Withdrawal is what happens when the brain and body, having adapted to the regular presence of a drug or alcohol, suddenly have to function without it. Cells, receptors, and neurotransmitters that were quietly recalibrating around the substance now overshoot in the opposite direction. The result is a constellation of physical symptoms, psychiatric symptoms, and intense cravings that can range from uncomfortable to genuinely life-threatening depending on the substance, the dose, the duration of use, and the person’s underlying health.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes substance use disorder as a chronic, treatable medical condition involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, environment, and life experiences. Withdrawal is the physiological tail end of that adaptation. It is not, despite what your son may have been told or told himself, a test of willpower.

Parents commonly describe seeing some combination of:

• Heavy sweating, often with chills and goosebumps
• Shaking hands, full-body tremors, or restless legs
• Vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and inability to keep food or water down
• Insomnia that lasts for days, or sleep that breaks every 30 to 60 minutes
• Panic attacks, racing heart, and a sense of impending doom
• Severe anxiety, agitation, irritability, or rage that seems disproportionate
• Confusion, disorientation, or difficulty tracking conversation
• Visual or auditory hallucinations — seeing or hearing things that aren’t there
• Deep body aches, bone pain, joint pain, and muscle spasms
• Emotional collapse: crying, hopelessness, shame spirals
• Overwhelming cravings that feel physical, not mental
• Suicidal thoughts or talk about “not making it through this”
• Fear of overdose if he tries to use again to make the symptoms stop

Not every son will have every symptom, and severity is not always proportional to how much he was using. A relatively short binge on a contaminated supply can produce a brutal withdrawal. A long, steady prescription habit can produce something subtler that lasts weeks. What matters is recognizing the pattern and matching it to the substance involved, because the substance is what determines whether home observation is reasonable or whether you need medical supervision now.

Signs Your Son May Be Going Through Withdrawal

Withdrawal signatures differ by substance class. The list below is meant to help you orient quickly. None of this replaces a clinical evaluation, and many of these symptoms overlap with other medical conditions — which is one of the reasons professional assessment matters when symptoms are moderate or severe.

Opioid Withdrawal (Heroin, Fentanyl, Prescription Painkillers)

Watery eyes, runny nose, yawning, dilated pupils, goosebumps (the origin of the phrase “kicking the habit”), abdominal cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, severe muscle and bone pain, restlessness, anxiety, and intense cravings. Opioid withdrawal is rarely fatal on its own in otherwise healthy people, but dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea, as well as the high risk of relapse overdose, make it dangerous. The CDC continues to report that the vast majority of overdose deaths in the U.S. involve synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, which has reshaped what relapse risk looks like.

Alcohol Withdrawal

Tremors (especially in the hands), sweating, racing heart, high blood pressure, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, and, in moderate-to-severe cases, hallucinations, seizures, and delirium tremens. Alcohol withdrawal is one of the few withdrawal syndromes that can kill on its own, particularly in heavy daily drinkers. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends medical supervision for anyone who has been drinking heavily on a daily basis. If your son has had a seizure during a previous withdrawal, the risk of another seizure during this withdrawal is significantly higher.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium)

Severe anxiety, panic, insomnia, tremors, sensory hypersensitivity, depersonalization, and the potential for seizures. Like alcohol withdrawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal can be life-threatening and should not be attempted abruptly at home in anyone with significant daily use. The Recover maintains detailed resources on individual benzodiazepines including Ativan, Klonopin, and Librium, because tapering protocols and risk profiles vary by drug.

Stimulant Withdrawal (Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Prescription Amphetamines)

Sometimes called “the crash.” The acute physical danger is lower than with depressants, but the psychiatric danger can be high: profound depression, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, paranoia, psychotic symptoms, and overwhelming fatigue alongside intense cravings. Suicidality during stimulant withdrawal is well-documented and should be taken seriously. The Recover’s methamphetamine education page and cocaine education page go deeper into the patterns of stimulant dependence and recovery.

Prescription Pill Withdrawal

Depending on the medication, this can look like opioid withdrawal (Vicodin, Percocet, Dilaudid), benzodiazepine withdrawal, stimulant withdrawal (Adderall, Ritalin — see our Adderall resource), or unique syndromes for medications like Ambien or gabapentin. A complete medication history matters — including doses, time of last use, and any co-prescribed medications.

If you are not sure what your son has been using, or you suspect multiple substances are involved, treat that uncertainty as a reason to contact a medical professional or a treatment navigator before making decisions. Polysubstance withdrawal is the rule now, not the exception.

Why Withdrawal Can Become Dangerous

Most parents searching at 2 a.m. are not afraid of discomfort. They are afraid that something they don’t fully understand might be killing their child. That fear is sometimes warranted. The following complications are not rare enough to ignore, and any one of them is a reason to escalate to emergency care.

Delirium Tremens (DTs)

A severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome that can develop 48 to 96 hours after the last drink in heavy daily drinkers. DTs include profound confusion, hallucinations, agitation, high fever, racing heart, and dangerous blood pressure changes. Without medical treatment, mortality rates have historically been reported as high as 15 percent. With treatment, that number drops dramatically. DTs are a medical emergency.

Withdrawal Seizures

Most common with alcohol and benzodiazepines, but possible with several other substances. Seizures can occur even before the person feels their withdrawal is severe. A history of prior withdrawal seizures dramatically raises the risk of recurrence.

Severe Dehydration

Opioid withdrawal in particular can produce vomiting and diarrhea so persistent that the body loses dangerous amounts of fluid, sodium, and potassium. Electrolyte imbalances can trigger cardiac arrhythmias. If your son cannot keep water down for several hours, he needs to be evaluated.

Relapse Overdose

This is now the leading cause of death tied to withdrawal — not the withdrawal itself, but the relapse afterward. When the body detoxes, tolerance drops fast. If a person who has been off opioids for even a few days uses the same dose they were using before, the risk of fatal overdose is high. Fentanyl contamination amplifies this risk further. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and other federal agencies have repeatedly identified the post-detox window as a period of acute mortality risk.

Suicidal Ideation and Psychiatric Crisis

Stimulant withdrawal, opioid withdrawal, and protracted withdrawal in general can all produce suicidal thinking. So can the shame, hopelessness, and physical exhaustion that come with the experience. If your son is talking about suicide, has a plan, or has been hoarding pills, this is a psychiatric emergency. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides confidential support and can help you decide whether to go to the ER.

Cardiac and Autonomic Complications

Stimulant withdrawal can leave the heart vulnerable. Severe alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal can produce dangerously high blood pressure and heart rate. Anyone with pre-existing cardiac, seizure, or psychiatric conditions belongs in a medically supervised setting from the start.

Fentanyl Contamination

The illicit drug supply in the United States is no longer reliably what it claims to be. Pressed pills sold as Xanax, Adderall, Percocet, or oxycodone are routinely contaminated with fentanyl. So is cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin in many regions. This affects withdrawal in two ways: the symptoms may be more severe than expected for the named drug, and the risk of fatal overdose on relapse is unpredictable. Assume contamination is possible.

Should Someone Detox at Home?

There is no universal answer, but there is a useful framework. Home detox may be considered in narrow circumstances — short-duration use, low-to-moderate severity, no significant medical or psychiatric history, no prior complicated withdrawals, no use of alcohol or benzodiazepines at heavy daily doses, and the consistent presence of a clear-headed adult who knows what to watch for. Even then, medical professionals often recommend at least an initial evaluation, telehealth check-in, or outpatient monitoring.

Home detox is generally a poor idea — and often a dangerous one — when any of the following are true:

• Your son has been drinking heavily every day for weeks or longer
• He has been taking benzodiazepines daily, especially at higher doses
• He has had a previous seizure, delirium episode, or hospitalization during a prior withdrawal
• He uses fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, or an unknown street supply
• He has co-occurring conditions: heart disease, seizure disorder, diabetes, severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or active suicidal thinking
• He is using multiple substances at once
• He cannot keep fluids down or has signs of dehydration
• There is no one able to stay with him and monitor for warning signs
• There is firearm or weapon access in the home

When in doubt, err toward supervision. The cost of an unnecessary detox bed is recoverable. The cost of a seizure on a bathroom floor or a relapse overdose is not. Medical detox is not punishment. It is, more often than not, the safest and most humane choice.

Not sure whether your son needs medical detox or whether outpatient support might be appropriate? Contact The Recover. We can help you understand the different levels of care and what questions to ask any facility you call.

What Happens During Medical Detox?

Medical detox is a structured, short-term level of care designed to manage withdrawal safely and prepare a person for the longer treatment that follows. It is not, by itself, addiction treatment. It is the medical foundation that makes treatment possible. Reputable detox programs share a similar arc:

Intake and Assessment

On arrival, your son will be evaluated by medical and clinical staff. They will ask about substances used, doses, time of last use, prior withdrawal history, medical conditions, current medications, psychiatric history, and family history. This is also where a urine toxicology screen, basic labs, and a physical exam typically happen. Honesty here matters — the staff are not law enforcement, and accurate information lets them keep him safer.

Medical Stabilization and Withdrawal Monitoring

Vital signs, hydration status, and withdrawal severity are monitored — often using standardized scales like CIWA-Ar for alcohol withdrawal and COWS for opioid withdrawal. The frequency of monitoring scales with severity. In medically managed detox, around-the-clock nursing is standard.

Medication Support

Depending on the substance, medications are used to reduce suffering, prevent complications, and lower relapse risk. Benzodiazepines are often used to manage alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal. Buprenorphine, methadone, or other medications for addiction treatment are commonly used during and after opioid detox to suppress withdrawal and block cravings. Adjunctive medications address nausea, sleep, blood pressure, and anxiety. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) publishes clinical guidelines that most reputable programs follow.

Hydration, Nutrition, and Sleep

IV fluids when needed, electrolytes, and nutritional support help reverse the physical toll of prolonged use. A predictable environment with limited stimulation lets the nervous system begin to repair.

Mental Health Assessment

Depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions co-occur with substance use disorder more often than not. A psychiatric evaluation during or near the end of detox identifies what was driving use, what was made worse by use, and what needs ongoing treatment.

Discharge Planning and Transition Into Treatment

This is where many families lose ground. Detox alone has a high relapse rate because it addresses the body and not the disease. A strong detox program plans the next step before discharge — residential rehab, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, medication management, sober living, or a combination. The handoff is often the most important part of the entire stay.

How Long Does Withdrawal Last?

Timelines are estimates. Real withdrawal varies by person, by substance, by route of use, and by duration of dependence. The chart below reflects medically conservative ranges and should not replace a clinical evaluation.

Substance	Acute Withdrawal	Notes on Protracted Symptoms
Short-acting opioids (heroin, fentanyl)	Begins 8–24 hours after last use; peaks 36–72 hours; acute phase 4–10 days	Mood, sleep, and cravings can persist for weeks to months (PAWS)
Long-acting opioids (methadone, ER formulations)	Onset 24–48 hours; peak around day 3–8; can last 10–20 days	Protracted symptoms common
Alcohol	Onset 6–12 hours; peak 24–72 hours; acute phase up to 7 days; DTs possible 48–96 hours	Sleep, mood, and anxiety symptoms may linger for weeks
Benzodiazepines (short-acting)	Begins 1–4 days; peaks at 2 weeks; can extend beyond a month	Tapers preferred over abrupt cessation; protracted symptoms common
Benzodiazepines (long-acting)	Onset delayed up to a week; peak around 2–4 weeks	Slow medical taper is standard of care
Methamphetamine	Crash phase 1–3 days; acute symptoms 1–2 weeks	Depression, anhedonia, sleep changes for weeks to months
Cocaine	Crash within hours; acute phase 1–10 days	Mood and craving symptoms can persist
Cannabis (heavy chronic use)	Onset 1–3 days; peak around day 6; resolves in 2–3 weeks	Sleep and mood changes can extend longer
Gabapentinoids (gabapentin, pregabalin)	Onset 12–48 hours; peaks within 2–3 days; up to 10 days	Underrecognized — see The Recover’s gabapentin resource

Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) is the name often used for the lingering sleep disturbances, mood fluctuations, anxiety, cognitive fog, and cravings that can follow the acute phase. PAWS is one of the leading reasons people relapse weeks or months after a strong start. Ongoing treatment is how PAWS gets managed.

What Parents Should Say During Withdrawal

What you say matters less than how present you are, but the words you choose can either steady him or push him deeper into shame. Reach for language that is calm, specific, and free of ultimatums. A few examples that families have found useful:

• “You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
• “I’m worried about your safety right now. That’s why I’m asking these questions.”
• “Let’s talk to someone who understands detox. We don’t have to figure this out by ourselves.”
• “I want to help you get through this safely. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
• “Whatever happened to get here, we can figure out what to do next. Right now I just need to know you’re okay.”
• “I love you, and I’m scared. Both of those are true at the same time.”

If he is in active withdrawal, keep sentences short. Speak slowly. Lower your voice rather than raise it. Sit down rather than stand over him. If he is agitated, give him physical space — across the room, not across the table. Tell him what you are doing before you do it: “I’m going to get you some water,” “I’m going to call a doctor and put it on speakerphone.”

What Parents Should Avoid Doing

Withdrawal is the wrong moment for lectures, threats, or strategic confrontation. Avoid:

• Yelling, even when you are afraid. Fear comes out as anger, and he will read it as rejection.
• Shaming language: “You did this to yourself.” “After everything we’ve given you.” “How could you?” These statements do not stop use. They make professional help harder to accept.
• Threatening to call the police as a control tactic. (Calling 911 for a true medical emergency is different and appropriate.)
• Enabling continued use to “keep him calm,” including giving him alcohol, his old supply, or someone else’s pills.
• Giving him unapproved medications from your own cabinet. Anti-anxiety pills, sleep aids, and pain medications can be dangerous in this state.
• Ignoring or minimizing suicidal comments. “He’s just being dramatic” is not an assessment a parent can safely make in this moment.
• Forcing cold turkey detox at home from alcohol, benzodiazepines, or an unknown supply.
• Posting on social media or texting extended family in ways that breach his trust before he has had a chance to recover.
• Bargaining (“If you just go to one meeting, I’ll forget this happened”). Bargains made in crisis tend to dissolve in the days that follow.

Some of these will feel impossible to avoid. You are exhausted. You have been afraid for longer than just tonight. If you slip into yelling or threatening, you have not ruined his recovery. Apologize once, briefly, and return to a calm presence.

The Recover offers educational resources and treatment navigation for families nationwide. If you are unsure how to respond, or what to do next, you can speak with someone confidentially.

What If My Son Refuses Help?

Refusal is common. Sometimes it is the substance talking. Sometimes it is fear of withdrawal itself. Sometimes it is shame, or a previous bad experience with a treatment provider, or a deep belief that he can manage this alone. None of these are character flaws. They are part of the disease, and they are workable.

Motivational, Not Coercive, Approaches

Decades of research on motivational interviewing have shown that confrontation tends to harden refusal, while open-ended questions, reflection, and meeting a person where they are tends to open doors. Ask what he wants his life to look like in three months. Ask what scares him most about treatment. Listen more than you talk.

Professionally Guided Interventions

In some situations, a structured family meeting with a credentialed interventionist may help. Models like the Johnson Intervention, ARISE, and the CRAFT approach are different in tone — some confrontational, some collaborative — and the right fit depends on the family. The Recover maintains a resource on intervention services that explains the options.

Setting Limits Without Cutting Him Off

There is a difference between giving up on a person and refusing to fund or facilitate his continued use. Limits — about money, car access, who is welcome in the house — can be set with love and consistency. Limits made in anger tend to break. Limits made after a conversation with a counselor or therapist tend to hold.

Emergency Psychiatric Evaluation

If he is in psychiatric crisis — actively suicidal, threatening himself or others, severely disorganized, or unable to care for himself — many states allow for an emergency psychiatric hold (sometimes called a 5150 in California, with different names elsewhere). Laws vary by state. A 911 call or a trip to the ER is generally the entry point. This is not something to take lightly, but it is sometimes necessary.

Family Counseling and Support

Even when your son refuses help, you can still get help. Family therapy and parent coaching can reduce conflict, improve communication, and increase the likelihood that he will eventually accept treatment. The data on family involvement in addiction recovery is consistent and favorable.

What Treatment Should Happen After Detox?

If detox is the foundation, treatment is the house. The first several weeks after detox are statistically the highest-risk period for relapse, particularly for opioids. The level of care that follows should match the severity of his addiction, his medical and psychiatric needs, and his stability of environment. ASAM criteria are the standard most reputable programs use to match patients to levels of care.

Residential Rehab

Inpatient treatment, typically 30 to 90 days, in a 24-hour structured environment. Appropriate for moderate-to-severe addiction, co-occurring psychiatric conditions that require stabilization, or living situations that are not conducive to recovery. Programs can be clinical, holistic, or both.

Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient (PHP and IOP)

Day-treatment levels that allow a person to live at home or in sober living while engaging in 5–6 days a week of clinical programming (PHP) or 3–4 days a week (IOP). These levels are often where the deeper therapeutic work happens.

Standard Outpatient Therapy

Weekly or twice-weekly individual therapy, group therapy, and psychiatric follow-up. Often the long-term backbone of recovery once acute treatment is complete. Approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, EMDR, and trauma-focused care are common. The Recover offers a deeper look at substance abuse treatment approaches for families exploring options.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

When substance use and a psychiatric condition co-occur, integrated treatment that addresses both is associated with better outcomes than treating either in isolation. The National Institute of Mental Health has published extensively on the prevalence and treatment of co-occurring disorders.

Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT)

For opioid use disorder, buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex, Sublocade), methadone, or naltrexone (Vivitrol) are evidence-based options that significantly reduce overdose mortality and improve long-term outcomes. For alcohol use disorder, naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram have supporting evidence. MAT is not “replacing one drug with another.” Federal agencies, including SAMHSA and NIDA, consider it standard of care.

Relapse Prevention and Coping Skills

Treatment teaches your son how to recognize warning signs, manage stress, navigate triggers, and build a life that does not require the substance. The Recover’s relapse prevention resource walks through what evidence-based prevention typically looks like.

Sober Living and Continuing Care

Structured living environments — see The Recover’s resource on sober living homes — bridge the gap between residential treatment and full independence. Peer support through Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, faith-based programs, and other community-based supports plays a meaningful role for many people.

Choosing the Right Level of Care

Not every program is the right fit, and not every luxury rehab or local program is the right fit either. Ask any facility about licensing, accreditation (Joint Commission or CARF), clinical credentials of staff, length of stay, family involvement, MAT availability, dual diagnosis capacity, and what continuing care looks like after discharge. The Recover can help you sort through questions before you commit, including options around drug rehab in Huntington Beach, CA and treatment elsewhere in the country.

Withdrawal is the first step, not the last. The Recover can help you understand the levels of care, the questions to ask, and how to evaluate programs before you commit.

Helping Parents Cope Emotionally

Parents of a child in active addiction or early withdrawal carry an emotional load that is invisible to most people in their lives. Sleep is unreliable. Phone calls produce a stomach drop. Birthdays and holidays become anniversaries of fear. This is not weakness. It is what happens when you have spent years waiting for the next call.

What helps, in our experience and in the research, is some combination of the following:

• Naming the grief out loud, to a therapist or a trusted friend, even when your son is still living and the loss is not literal
• Joining a support group such as Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, SMART Recovery Family & Friends, or a parent grief group — communities of people who already understand
• Getting your own mental health treatment, especially if depression, anxiety, PTSD, or compassion fatigue have set in
• Protecting basic physical health: sleep, food, water, movement, sunlight. These are not optional luxuries in a long crisis
• Building a small list of people you can call at 3 a.m. and not feel ashamed
• Practicing detachment with love — staying connected to your son’s humanity without merging with his chaos
• Forgiving yourself for the things you did when you didn’t know better
• Allowing yourself ordinary pleasures: a meal, a walk, a movie, a quiet hour, without guilt

If you are reading this and thinking, “I don’t have time for any of that,” that is precisely how burnout speaks. The most loving long-term thing you can do for your son is to remain a parent he can come home to. That requires keeping yourself alive — literally and emotionally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can withdrawal be fatal?

Yes, in certain cases. Alcohol withdrawal and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be fatal due to seizures and delirium tremens. Opioid withdrawal is rarely directly fatal in healthy individuals, but severe dehydration, underlying cardiac issues, and the very high risk of relapse overdose make the surrounding period dangerous. Stimulant withdrawal can drive suicidal behavior. Medical supervision lowers these risks substantially. Resources from MedlinePlus and SAMHSA describe these risks in detail.

What does fentanyl withdrawal feel like?

Patients commonly describe fentanyl withdrawal as feeling like a severe, drawn-out flu combined with intense restlessness, deep bone pain, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, and crushing cravings. Because fentanyl is short-acting, withdrawal often begins quickly after the last dose. Some patients also report unusual or prolonged symptoms compared to traditional heroin withdrawal, which clinicians are still studying.

Should I take my son to the ER?

Yes, if he is having a seizure, hallucinations, chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe confusion, sustained vomiting with no fluid retention, suicidal thoughts with a plan, or is unresponsive. The ER can also be the right starting point if you do not know where else to call, especially overnight. Many emergency departments can stabilize a patient and connect to detox or treatment from there.

Can someone detox at home safely?

Sometimes, in carefully selected cases — short-duration use, lower severity, no significant medical or psychiatric history, no daily alcohol or benzodiazepine use, and a sober adult monitoring. Even then, medical input is wise. Home detox from heavy alcohol use, daily benzodiazepines, or an unknown street supply is not safe.

What is the safest way to detox?

Medically supervised detox in a licensed facility, ideally one that uses ASAM criteria and is accredited by The Joint Commission or CARF. Safety includes 24-hour monitoring, evidence-based medications, mental health assessment, and a clear plan for what comes after discharge.

What happens in medical detox?

Medical evaluation, withdrawal symptom monitoring on standardized scales, evidence-based medications (such as benzodiazepines for alcohol withdrawal or buprenorphine for opioid withdrawal), hydration and nutrition support, psychiatric evaluation, and discharge planning into the next appropriate level of care.

How long does alcohol withdrawal last?

Acute symptoms typically begin within 6–12 hours of the last drink, peak between 24 and 72 hours, and largely resolve within about a week. Delirium tremens, if it develops, usually emerges between 48 and 96 hours after the last drink. Sleep, mood, and anxiety symptoms can persist for several weeks.

What if my son refuses treatment?

Refusal is common and not permanent. Motivational interviewing approaches, professionally led interventions, family counseling, clear and consistent limits, and patience all play a role. If he is in psychiatric crisis or actively suicidal, emergency evaluation may be necessary. Continuing to learn and stay connected — without enabling — keeps the door open.

Can I give my son anything from my own medicine cabinet to ease his symptoms?

No, not without medical guidance. Many over-the-counter and prescription medications interact dangerously with substances of abuse or with the body’s withdrawal state. Acetaminophen-containing combination products can be especially risky in someone whose liver is already stressed. Call a medical professional or a poison control line before improvising.

Is medication-assisted treatment just trading one addiction for another?

No. This belief is widespread and contradicted by the evidence. Medications such as buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone for opioid use disorder, and naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram for alcohol use disorder, are considered standard of care by SAMHSA, NIDA, ASAM, and the World Health Organization. For opioid use disorder in particular, MAT is associated with substantial reductions in overdose mortality.

Will insurance cover detox and treatment?

In most cases, yes — at least partially. Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, most commercial insurance plans are required to cover substance use disorder treatment comparably to medical and surgical care. Medicaid and Medicare provide coverage in most states. Coverage details — in-network status, prior authorization, length of stay limits — vary widely. The Recover can help families understand what questions to ask any program about benefits and coverage.

My son has been in treatment before and relapsed. Is it worth trying again?

Yes. Relapse is unfortunately common in chronic medical conditions, and addiction is one of them. Many people who eventually achieve long, stable recovery have multiple prior treatment episodes. Each episode is information — about what triggered relapse, what level of care was missing, what underlying conditions were undertreated, and what kind of support has been most helpful. A relapse is not the end of the story.

A Final Word for the Parent Reading This Tonight

You did not cause this. You cannot control it through sheer force of will. You can, however, contribute to the conditions that make recovery possible — by staying calm, by learning the language, by knowing when to call for help, by getting your own support, and by refusing to give up while also refusing to enable. Withdrawal is a medical event, not a verdict. The next 24 to 72 hours are mostly about safety. The weeks and months that follow are where the real work — and the real hope — live.

If you are still unsure what to do next, talk to a medical professional, a credentialed addiction counselor, or a trusted treatment navigation resource before making a decision you might regret in the morning.

Need help understanding detox and treatment options for your son? Contact The Recover for confidential addiction recovery guidance. We are here to help you make sense of what you are seeing, what comes next, and how to take the safest next step for your family.