Detox is one of the major concerns when it comes to addiction recovery. Abandoning regular drug and alcohol use after a long history of abuse can cause unpleasant symptoms and the whole idea can be intimidating to someone who feels comfortable in the lifestyle they’re living. Without proper knowledge and education on withdrawal and detox, a person can feel intimidated and likely not even attempt to do the process.
Withdrawal symptoms of drugs and alcohol can be extremely uncomfortable to deal with. If a person does not go through proper treatment, the cravings and the other withdrawal symptoms they experience will be so intense that they will more than likely relapse.
Medical detox is used to minimize these issues, and a person is supported by doctors and nurses who supply the medicines for withdrawal symptoms, but also, if necessary, manage a taper that is demonstrated by research to facilitate the detox. It will lessen the effects, helping keep the cravings in control and offering the patient a greater chance at avoiding relapse.
What is Medical Detox?
The first part of the rehabilitation process for addiction recovery is medical detoxification. Some behavioral treatment, medication, and support are often followed. Detox can be described as the process by which patients who are dependent on substances of abuse remove toxins from the body. It is designed to deal with relapse symptoms that follow the discontinuation process and to help patients overcome their physical dependence.
Detox centers and addiction rehabilitation centers are safe environments where medicines or other techniques are used by medical professionals to simplify the withdrawal process and safe management of the adverse effects of withdrawal. In certain cases, withdrawal from a substance may be potentially fatal, making medical detox facilities the safest place to be.
Signs and Symptoms of Withdrawal
The following are symptoms that are often present when an individual experiences withdrawal.
- Stress
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Insomnia
- Loss of Appetite
- Loss of Coordination
Additional symptoms may occur which are entirely dependent on the type of substance. Sometimes, depending on the severity of the addiction, symptoms can lead to death if left without medical intervention. Therefore, a doctor experienced in detox treatment will never attempt abrupt detox of alcohol or drugs.
Is Medical Detox safe?
Doctors and nurses with specific experience in the treatment of withdrawal are more likely to perform therapeutic detox than to plan to detox without assistance; this is so for several reasons.
The first aspect that teaches the medical professionals who supervise the cycle is to tackle the challenges posed by the American Board of Addiction Medicine in the detoxification of those who battle addiction. They employ a scientific research-based approach to minimize symptoms of withdrawal and offer medicine for physical and psychological problems that occur during the treatment of addiction.
Detox and withdrawal with support are far more safe than they are without support. People who attempt to detox on their own are often surprised by the degree of discomfort they feel. Though there have been cases of people detoxing on their own, we do not suggest you do so because the severity of addiction can cause fatal side-effects these people may not have experienced.
What happens during detox?
You can usually expect the following things from a detox program:
- An introductory examination so that the detox team can see what support is needed. Blood work can be done, health and drinking history discussion and physical and mental health checks are also carried out.
- Support for the detox may include medicine to treat symptoms of withdrawal and other problems. The goal is to help you stabilize your mind and your body. You can regularly check your temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.
- Support gets into counseling so that the healing process can begin.
What happens after detox?
As mentioned, detox is the first step in helping a person recover from substance abuse. Research shows that people who are detoxified but do not continue with other methods for rehabilitating or treating substance abuse will likely start their habitual substance use again.
Relapse from the use of substances is a great risk since the person will be less sensitive to the number of drugs after detox is completed. However, if the individual returns to use the same quantity as before detox, it can become too much to handle for the body and likely result in an overdose.
In inpatient therapy, there is a chance to learn more about how to resist relapse, which increases the chance of the person remaining abstinent and avoid relapse. Therefore, after detox, inpatient treatment is an essential step.
Who needs medical detox?
If someone is using alcohol or other medicines for a long time, the prevalence of that product relies upon their body. The brain is familiar with the way the medication influences it and adapts it to normal working.
As an individual raises resistance, they must use higher doses of the drug to achieve the desired effects. Resistance generally leads to tolerance, indicating that the body begins to need the medication to function properly. If the individual is not taking the medication, the body reacts negatively causing headache and fever, vomiting and a variety of other side effects known as symptoms of withdrawal.
Cravings and signs of withdrawal make it harder for people to avoid alcohol or other narcotics. Without substances, the body learns over time to function normally and the appetite for substances settles. Patients may receive medications and ambulatory surveillance in less severe situations. If someone has a serious disorder, 24-hour supervision and medical assistance at a hospital or drug-rehabilitation facility should be provided to him or her.
Medical detox programs provide people with addictions the best route to sobriety. These same programs are in place throughout the U.S., medical detox programs can be found virtually anywhere where there is an addiction recovery center. These recovery centers can help provide a person with useful resources before their addiction recovery program begins, that way they know exactly what they are getting into.
