Medical Detox at Solutions 4 Recovery
When someone is contemplating getting treatment for a drug or alcohol addiction, they will learn that the first critical step in the recovery process involves clearing the drug or alcohol-related toxins and chemicals from the body. The individual will basically cease using the substance and, over a period of days, the body will process through three basic detox stages: emerging withdrawal symptoms, peak withdrawal symptoms, and subsiding withdrawal symptoms.
A medical detox or detoxification allows the individual to undergo this important step while under the supervision of health practitioners. This is a significant feature of medical detox, the fact that the individual is not left alone to suffer for a week, but will be cared for and supported with timely medical interventions to ease the various withdrawal symptoms as they occur.
Understanding What Medical Detox Entails
Before someone can begin treatment for a drug or alcohol addiction they must first undergo the detox and withdrawal process. This is so the individual will be clear-headed and stable enough to fully participate and engage in the treatment process. With the bulk of the withdrawals behind them, individuals are more emotionally and physically comfortable to tackle the work of recovery.
A medical detox, versus attempting to detox on one’s own, is a critical step in moving forward in the recovery process. Withdrawal symptoms can be intense and quite uncomfortable, causing those who have no medical support to swiftly give up and return to using. During medical detox trained detox nurses and addiction specialists will provide the necessary medical interventions that can offer significant relief of withdrawal symptoms.
Advantages of Medical Detox
The benefits of undergoing a medical detox are many. Entering into detox can cause a great deal of anxiety in anticipation of not only the physical and mental withdrawal symptoms, but also the huge life change the individual is embarking on. In a medical detox environment, someone always has your back. These health practitioners offer encouragement and symptom relief, as well as peace of mind.
Detox and withdrawal can be very unpredictable. Many factors can contribute to medical or psychological issues emerging during the process that could result in a medical emergency. Detoxing from certain substances, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can introduce serious health risks, such as the delirium tremens (DTs). With a detox nurse at the helm, these potentially dangerous, even life-threatening, symptoms can be mitigated through a swift medical response.
The ultimate goal of the medical detox is to safely guide and individual through the stages of detox in order to successfully begin an addiction treatment program afterward. This is the key advantage of a medical detoxification, to make it through to the other side safely, thereby assisting the individual through the difficult patches that would otherwise cause them to give up, and to help prepare them for treatment.
Addiction Treatment After Medical Detox
Detox alone will not change addictive behaviors. Some mistakenly complete detox, feeling great, and assume they can safely manage their behaviors on their own. In nearly all instances this quickly results in relapse. In fact, dangerous overdoses can occur when an individual has rid their body of the drug for a period of time, and then relapses, using their pre-detox dosing or drinking levels. The body simply cannot manage that toxicity after a period of sobriety and fatal consequences can result.
The only way an individual can successfully overcome addiction is through a structured treatment program that guides them in changing their disordered thought-behavior patterns that fueled the addiction. An integrated treatment plan consisting of individual therapy, group therapy, addiction education and relapse prevention preparation, and 12-step recovery programs can pave the way for a lifelong recovery.
Medical Detox at Solutions 4 Recovery
Solutions 4 Recovery provides expert medical detox services to safely guide individuals through the detoxification process and toward treatment. Contact our admissions team for more information about medical detox at (888) 417-1874.
