For some people, alcohol or Drug addiction treatment is a long and daunting journey. However, revolutions in the medical industry and advancements in treatment procedures have made it easy and realistic to progress to a sober lifestyle. For many people, the first step of beating addiction starts with drug detoxification at drug rehab centers. If you’re suffering from the drug or alcohol addiction, it can be beneficial for you to know how drug detox works.
What is Drug Detoxification?
Drug detoxification is the first step of the treatment at addiction rehabilitation centers. Detox can help avoid unpleasant and fatal consequences resulting from the sudden termination of drug consumption. The primary goal of any detox program is psychological healing.
It’s important to keep in mind that drug detox is not a whole treatment. Because addition has both psychological and physical effects, patients get benefits from psychotherapeutic treatment to address issues from mental chances as a result of long-standing substance abuse.
Detox might also help patients to stop abusing drugs and alcohol in the short term. But follow-up care is important to avoid the chances of relapsing in the future.
Phases of Drug Detoxification
Phase 1: Evaluation
Doctors at drug rehab centers first evaluate the addicts and alcoholics. They ask the questions about the type of substance they’re using, how long and how often have they been using, and how much they use.
Doctors also examine addicts for their health concerns, medications, and allergies, as well as treat clients when they are unconscious. For a success and life-saving detox process, doctors much have all relevant details about the addict.
Phase 2: Stabilization
The evaluation process is followed by stabilizing the addicts. Depending on the information collected about the person, the stabilization process can be lengthy. Addicts may experiences effects of stabilization, like slurred speech and memory loss, even after withdrawal. Depending on how addicts function, stabilization may continue with post-withdrawal medical supervision.
Phase 3: Transition to Inpatient Drug Rehab
The final phase prepares the stabilized addicts to transition to an inpatient addiction rehabilitation setting. Most of the time, addicts assume that drug detox is enough to recover from the addiction. It only saves them from the physical hold of the drugs and alcohol. However, addiction is also has spiritual and mental components. To completely give up the addiction, these two aspects also need to be addressed.
Methods of Drug Detox
Depending on the level of addiction and the type of drugs the addict might be taking, the method of drug detox differs.
Cold-Turkey Detox
The Cold Turkey method involves stopping the use of all drugs with medical supervision in case of an emergency and does not involve any pharmacological assistance. Patients experience withdrawal symptoms for as long as they last. For some patients, these symptoms can be intense and last for weeks or longer. For others, cold turkey detox is physically easy.
Short-Term Medicated Detox
Like in the Cold Turkey method, medical detox patients stop taking all substances and alcohol. A short-term medication plan allows them to take certain medications for a fixed period to ease the discomfort caused by withdrawal symptoms.
Long-Term Medicated Detox
Doctors may allow long-term medication in cases of the cross-tolerance of seizures and delirium. These drugs are not dangerous for the patients and help them go through the detox process easily.
A detox program can be a highly effective drug and alcoholism treatment program. Choose an addiction rehabilitation center that offers a well-planned and approved detoxification treatment.
