Treatment Discussion

4

Aug 23

Detoxification

Tags: Substance Abuse Treatment,Addiction Treatment,Residential Inpatient Treatment,Drug Abuse Treatment,Detox

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Detoxification is a process that a person goes through when they're addicted to drugs or alcohol and they stop using. When an individual goes through the detox process they are ridding their body of the drugs and chemicals associated with the substance or substances that were abused. Eliminating the body of these toxins helps to reduce physical symptoms that are associated with the effects of substance use.

An individual that rarely uses a substance doesn't always require detoxification before beginning a recovery program but frequent or chronic users of drugs, alcohol or other substances most always do. It's important that heavy or chronic users seek professional help when stopping their substance use because complications during detox could take place.

There are very unpleasant side effects that are associated with withdrawal sometimes depending on the substance abused and the duration of abuse. Unfortunately these symptoms can be fatal depending on the circumstances.

A common misconception regarding detoxification from drugs or alcohol is that many people think detox means treatment. Addiction affects a person psychologically, emotionally, and socially and also causes many behavioral problems. Without further treatment after the detoxification process is completed to address the emotional and psychological effects of addiction, relapse is inevitable most of the time especially for frequent or chronic users.

Medications can be used during the detoxification process and while the individual is in recovery treatment. Some of the medications that are used when treating withdrawal and drug addiction include:

• Medications for physical and emotional symptoms like depression, anxiety, other mood disorders, restlessness, and sleep problems are sometimes administered to the patient when needed during treatment.


• Methadone, Buprenorphine, and Naltrexone are used to manage opioid addiction.


• Naltrexone, Disulfiram, and Acamprosate are used to manage alcohol and drug addiction.

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4 Comments

1. 
   Tim B. 13 years ago

   My life was falling apart. I lost my job, my house, my car, my wife and my children. I was on a first name basis with the deputies and police officers who patrolled the areas I hung out in. I had almost hit rock bottom. In my mind, the only thing worse than the life I was living was detoxing. I detoxed once before when I ran out of drugs and money and I seriously thought I was going to die. At the time I didn't know medications were available to ease the symptoms of detoxing.
   
   About a year ago my mother told me that she wouldn't bail me out of jail again. She wanted me to go to rehab. I vehemently refused and told her that I had nothing to live for, so rehab would be pointless. She cried like I've never seen her cry before when I told her that I was hoping I would die one day from an overdose because there didn't seem to be any other way out of the misery I called my life.
   
   My mother, the logical and reasonable woman that she is, realized that I was too high to think straight. She convinced me to undergo a medically supervised detox with the promise that after detoxing if I still didn't want to go to rehab she'd never bring it up again. My detox was fairly comfortable. Once I was sober I realized that my life was repairable if only I went to rehab. Now I'm 11 months sober!

2. 
   Terry C. 13 years ago

   I got addicted to drugs while I was in med school. I didn't intend to get addicted, but when I started using drugs I didn't know how else to stay awake and alert for enough hours to do my clinical rotations, pay attention in my classes, study for my exams and complete the monumental amount of homework I was assigned every day.
   
   About a year ago my medical director realized I was an addict. She said she thought I was a good doctor, but I needed help. She explained that if I agreed to detox and attend rehab she would help me keep my job and my medical license. I wasn't sure if I could trust her, but I wasn't sure what else to do, so I agreed.
   
   I expected detox to be horrible, but the medications I was prescribed helped to curb the cravings and lesson the detox symptoms. I wouldn't say that detox was a walk in the park, but it was manageable and definitely better than being addicted. I'm almost a year clean now, all thanks to my medical director. There isn't a day that goes by that I walk through the doors of the hospital in which I work that I don't thank my medical director for saving my life and helping me to save the lives of others. It's because of her, the caring physicians at the detox facility who helped me to safely and relatively comfortably detox, and the kind therapists at rehab that I'm the doctor I am today.

3. 
   Dental Instruments 12 years ago

   I like your site, its such a nice information and i appreciate that.
   

4. 
   Mike 11 years ago

   Do you guys use suboxone or methadone for every opiate addict to treat them? Because methadone and suboxone are even harder to get off of. I don't understand, I want to come there but I don't want to be given more addictive drugs.