Drug Detox

Many people think of the drug detoxification process as “going cold turkey,” a sudden stoppage of the substance to which a person is addicted, followed by several days of agony. This is the do-it-yourself method, not recommended for short-term comfort or long-term success. Fear of withdrawal is what keeps many addicts from even attempting drug treatment, and simply managing withdrawal is the focus of many drug detox centers and clinics. Successful detox, however, is just part of the whole drug treatment process.

Addiction Recovery

The goal of drug detox is to rid the body of all traces of toxins related to the drug—or combination of drugs—the person has been taking. Failure to eliminate the drug in an addict’s system can lead to continued cravings for it as well as to lingering medical problems associated with the drug’s presence in the body. It is true, however, that withdrawal symptoms are unpleasant, often painful, emotionally and physically destructive, and worthy of the dread that surrounds them. However, by fighting fire with fire, it is possible to nullify most of the effects for the time period required to flush the toxins out of the addict’s body.

Detox is a dual process. It uses barbiturates or benzodiazipines, which affect the central nervous system in ways similar to how drugs like cocaine and meth work their ugly magic, in controlled doses to ease the body’s craving and gradually wean the addict off the drug. It also flushes the system of Ativan or heroin or whatever else the person has been abusing so that, post-detox, the addict has a solid foundation for building a new life.

Simple drug detoxification, performed at a detox center specializing in helping a person through withdrawal, is only one step on the road to recovery. It takes much more to kick a drug habit than just going off the drug for a few days. “Getting clean” requires more than a cleansed system; it requires a total shift in attitude toward the drug. Physical drug detoxification should be just one aspect of a drug treatment program designed to root out the person’s psychological dependence on the drug.

24 Hour Addiction Treatment & Intervention Assistance

800-559-9503

People become addicts for a variety of reasons, and sometimes those reasons are not obvious even to themselves. To truly become drug-free, a center for drug treatment will combine drug detox with counseling and behavior modification therapy for a well-rounded course of treatment that only begins with helping a person through withdrawal. If you are looking at a drug detox clinic as the answer to the whole problem, make sure its drug treatment program includes this holistic approach to the problem and does not stop with the physical element of drug detoxification. See if it offers counseling designed both to root out the underlying need for the drug and the shame and loss of self-confidence and esteem that haunt a person who has recovered enough to realize the damage he has done to his life. Drug detox requires both physical and mental cleansing to qualify as a successful drug treatment program.