What is Detoxification and How is it Helpful?
Detoxification is the process of letting the body remove the drugs in it after serious substance abuse. The purpose of detox is to safely manage the withdrawal symptoms when someone stops taking drugs or alcohol. Everyone has a different experience with detox and it is crucial to remember that. The type of drug and how long it was used impacts what the detox process will be like.
The Process of Detoxification
Everyone has different and unique needs when it comes to drug detox. The drug detox process, in general, helps addicted people get personalized treatment. According to many specialists, in most cases, the process involves three steps:
1) Evaluation
The medical team screens incoming patients for physical and mental health issues. Doctors use blood tests to measure the number of drugs in the patient’s system. This helps to determine the level of medications needed. There is also a comprehensive review of drug, medical and psychiatric histories. All of this information sets up the basis for the patient’s long-term treatment plan and helps them get started on the road to recovery.
2) Stabilization
The next step is to stabilize the patient with medical and psychological therapy. The goal of stabilization is to prevent any form of harm to the patient. Doctors can prescribe addiction treatment medications to prevent complications and reduce withdrawal symptoms, this is key for the process of drug detox.
3) Preparing for Treatment
The final step of detox is preparation for a treatment program. Doctors familiarize their patients with the treatment process and what to expect. Inpatient rehab offers the best chances of success after detox.
What Affects the Detoxification Process?
With detoxification, it can take days or months to get through withdrawal symptoms for most drugs. The length of withdrawal depends on a number of factors, including:
- The type of substance the user is addicted to
- How long the addiction has lasted
- The extremity of the addiction
- Method of abuse (snorting, smoking, injecting, or swallowing)
- The amount of a substance the user takes at one time
- Family history
- Medical condition
- Underlying mental health conditions
It’s important to keep these factors in mind when deciding if you want to detox naturally or with the aid of medication.
Natural Drug Detox
Natural detox focuses on removing the toxic substances from your body without assistance from any medication. This is what most people will experience if they choose to detox at home. Natural detox can also include alternative therapies like massage, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and yoga. While doing a home drug detox can save money, it’s also recognized as the least effective way to detox, so keep that in mind.
Many people start out with a strong desire to change their lives, only to find the withdrawal symptoms push them into relapse. This further proves how the process of detox is important for drug recovery.
Medically Supervised Detox
Medical drug detox is ideal for managing withdrawal symptoms from dangerous substances such as alcohol and benzodiazepines. Medical detox can provide symptom relief so you can focus on rebuilding your life, but it’s not for everyone. Medical detox is usually offered as an inpatient program, and if it’s outpatient, it will require daily trips to the clinic. The medications themselves can be addictive as well if abused.
The ideal candidate for medical detox is someone who has an addiction to a substance that can be dangerous to withdraw from, and who is highly motivated to recover.
What’s Next?
Now that you are familiar with the choices of detoxification, consider which options and treatments are best for you today. Detox is just the first part of addiction treatment and on its own, it is usually insufficient for a successful recovery. Addicted people need to treat the psychological part of their addiction first, then recover and thrive.
When figuring out how you want to detox your body from drugs, you have to consider your substance addiction, how long you’ve been addicted, your financial resources, and your personal commitment to recovery. Get more information on detox services from Novo Detox online or call to speak with a recovery specialist: (844) 584-5477.
