Brazos / Alcohol detox
Adult withdrawal management
Alcohol detox in Texas starts at an HHSC withdrawal-management site
Updated
Alcohol detox in Texas is the HHSC Adult Substance Use Withdrawal Management Services page. Withdrawal Management Services (formerly known as "detoxification" or "detox" services) are medical services that help people safely stop substance use. Withdrawal management often includes the use of medication to treat withdrawal symptoms.
There are two types of adult substance use withdrawal management services. Ambulatory withdrawal management, where a person travels to a licensed site daily to get treatment. Residential withdrawal management services, where a person stays at a licensed site that has 24-hour monitoring. An alcohol detox center on that page is a licensed site. Outpatient alcohol detox is the daily visit. Inpatient alcohol detox is the stay with 24-hour monitoring. An alcohol detox program and alcohol detox treatment that HHSC funds as withdrawal management use those two types.
Texas residents 18 years of age and older. Persons diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Eligibility for state financial support based on income, expenses, and other resources.
How long does alcohol detox take
Ambulatory detoxification should have clear documentation by the physician or designee that the client's symptoms are or are expected to be of a severity that necessitates a minimum of once a day monitoring. At a minimum, monitoring should be done every four hours in residential detoxification programs for the first 72 hours and as ordered by the medical director or designee thereafter, dependent on the client's signs and symptoms. That residential interval is the alcohol detox timeline in 26 TAC 564.902.
1 TAC 354.1311 limits outpatient withdrawal management to an appropriate duration of service based on medical necessity and level of intoxication for a maximum of 21 days per episode of care. Residential withdrawal management has the same 21-day maximum per episode. There are no limits on the number of episodes of care.
What to expect during alcohol detox
A facility providing detoxification services shall ensure every individual admitted to a detoxification program meets the DSM criteria for substance intoxication or withdrawal. The medical director or designee (physician assistant, nurse practitioner) shall authorize all admissions and conduct a face-to-face examination. The examination includes a history and physical examination of each applicant for services to establish the Axis I diagnosis, assess level of intoxication or withdrawal potential, and determine the need for treatment and the type of treatment to be provided to reach a placement decision. The examination and signed orders of admission shall occur within 24 hours of admission.
Use of instruments such as the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment-Alcohol, revised (CIWA-Ar) for alcohol and sedative hypnotic withdrawal is recommended. Monitoring shall be conducted at a frequency consistent with the degree of severity of the client's withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol detox symptoms and alcohol detox withdrawal are the physical withdrawal symptoms that monitoring manages. Those signs go in the client's record and in the client's orders. Alcohol detox side effects in that rule are the same recorded signs. The alcohol detox process also includes at least one daily individual session by a registered nurse, QCC or counselor intern. The detoxification plan contains the goals of successful and safe detoxification as well as transfer to another intensity of treatment.
Is alcohol detox dangerous
The examination shall identify potential physical and mental health problems and/or diagnoses that warrant further assessment. Alcohol detox dangers in 564.902 are those exam findings and the severity of withdrawal. Detoxification programs shall have a licensed vocational nurse or registered nurse on duty for at least eight hours every day and a physician or designee on call 24 hours a day. Detoxification programs shall ensure that detoxification services are accessible at least 16 hours per day, seven days per week. In residential programs, direct care staff shall be on duty where the clients are located 24 hours a day. Medical alcohol detox and safe alcohol detox on a licensed site use those hours.
Alcohol detox at home uses the same two licensed-site types. Ambulatory means travel daily. Residential means a stay with 24-hour monitoring.
Alcohol detox medication
The medical director, a licensed physician, shall be responsible for admission, diagnosis, medication management, and client care. The program shall have a protocol or standing orders for alcohol and other sedative-hypnotic/anxiolytics that are consistent with guidelines published by nationally recognized organizations (e.g., Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, American Society of Addiction Medicine). Medication "regimens", "protocols" or standing orders can be used, but detoxification should be tailored to each client's need based on vital signs and symptom severity (objective and subjective) and noted in the client's record.
Alcohol detox cost
In some cases, a person may be required to pay a portion of the services cost. There are several ways to find substance use withdrawal management services. A person reaches the substance use treatment program directly, the local Outreach, Screening, Assessment, Referral (OSAR) Service, or the Local Mental or Behavioral Health Authority. Find State Funded Substance Use Programs in Texas is the HHSC locator. A person may also request help by contacting 211 Texas or calling 877-541-7905. The Brazos city line is (844) 833-0738.