Detox is the process of removing all traces of drugs and alcohol within a person’s body. This is done gradually rather than all at once. It is designed to help patients become physically stable enough to get started on the next stage of their journey to sobriety, which is behavioral therapy.

While addiction may seem overwhelming at first due to its physical and mental health effects, you will feel much more capable of handling its challenges once you have fewer physical symptoms to worry about. This is a significant step towards your long term sobriety, as it eliminates the body’s dependence on harmful substances.

Some rehab facilities offer detox, while others expect you to go through medical detox first before they accommodate you.

Addicted individuals are used to having these substances in their system. When they begin to lower their intake, their body will start to react to the absence of the substance. This is why withdrawal symptoms occur. But through the process of detoxification, the brain can start readjusting to life without these illicit drugs.

When it comes to alcohol and drugs like heroin, doctors will not give you these substances so you can wean off them. Instead, you will be given prescription drugs that have a similar effect within the body so that your withdrawal symptoms can be minimized. Once your body has adjusted to these medications, you will then be tapered off of them as well.

Detox isn’t just about lowering your intake. The most important aspect of treatment is making sure the patient stays safe even through the withdrawal period. Medical professionals are there to minimize the impact of withdrawal. They are there to make sure the patient can stay as safe and comfortable as possible as they go through this journey to sobriety.

Medical detox is important in the field of addiction medicine. It is even listed as a Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP), which is a list of best practice guidelines for substance abuse treatment.

Attempting to detox without the help of healthcare professionals is not only dangerous, but also ineffective. Doing this may expose you to severe and oftentimes completely avoidable withdrawal symptoms. Some people try this and get demotivated when they hit a speed bump in their recovery. But in an actual detox program, they can receive encouragement from actual addiction experts and healthcare professionals.

Everyone has different needs when it comes to addiction treatment. This is because everyone goes through addiction in different ways. People can get different symptoms even if they take the same drug as someone else. There are a lot of factors that dictate how addiction affects an individual. This is why treatment often differs from one person to another.

The best drug detox programs are the ones that use a personalized treatment approach for their clients. That said, the detox process generally follows three major steps: assessment, stabilization, and preparing for rehab.

When a patient enters a detox program, they usually go through a medical assessment or evaluation. This will help the medical professionals determine how serious the problem is, what co-occurring disorders are there, what withdrawal symptoms are possible, and which medications are appropriate. The intake process paints them a picture of your individual needs. This will help them accommodate you better.

Patients are screened for physical and mental health issues. You may also be asked about your family history of substance abuse, etc. The facility will come up with a solid long-term treatment plan.

After this comes the stabilization period. This is where their drug or alcohol intake is gradually lowered while their withdrawal symptoms are managed. The goal is to prevent any form of harm to the patient while they are tapering off their drug intake. Medical professionals will try to reduce withdrawal symptoms using medications.

Once the patient has stabilized and their body has readjusted to the absence of the substance, the patient can start preparing for rehab and other behavioral treatments.

The best thing about detox is that it offers round the clock support for patients. This helps them stay focused on their recovery goals without worrying about much else.

Withdrawal symptoms are a huge part of the detox process, and anyone trying to recover from an addiction should expect to encounter them at some point. But drug detox is designed to make it as comfortable as possible while you recover from these withdrawal symptoms.

That said, it is worth discussing some of the most common withdrawal symptoms for those receiving substance abuse treatment.

Keep in mind that drug withdrawal symptoms and alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be similar. This is why a lot of people in rehab or a detox program experience the same withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms and their severity may vary depending on the type of drug taken and for how long the person has been addicted.

Common physical withdrawal symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, runny nose, shaking, chills, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, cramps, and headaches. Some patients also experience exhaustion, muscle pain, and bone pain.

Common psychological withdrawal symptoms are: irritability, anxiety, confusion, mood swings, agitation, paranoia, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and having unpleasant dreams.

The most severe withdrawal symptoms include: hallucinations, delirium, and seizures.

The detox process typically lasts between 7 and 10 days on average. However, this can be influenced by a number of factors like how much alcohol or drugs they have been taking, how severe their withdrawal symptoms are, how well their mind and body is functioning, etc.

Factors like family history of substance abuse, method of administration (snorting, smoking, injecting, or swallowing), and underlying medical conditions may influence the length and duration of a drug detox program.

For most drugs, it can take days or months to fully recover from withdrawal symptoms.

In some rehab facilities, detox comes as a part of their 28-day addiction treatment program. Once a patient is done with detox, they are ready to take the next step towards their sobriety and that is through behavioral therapy.

All in all, the duration of drug detox does not determine how successful a patient will be when it comes to making a full recovery. What matters more is what they do during therapy and once they are out of rehab.

Talk to an addiction expert or healthcare professional to find a proper medically assisted detox program for you.

Detox at home is only an option for those who are healthy and only experiencing minor symptoms. People who have very mild addiction may be able to detox from the comfort of their own home. It is also the preferable approach if you can’t pay for a treatment program or don’t have medical insurance.

Even then, detoxing at home is not the best idea because it means you will be doing most of it on your own. You won’t have access to medications and you won’t have any medical supervision.

At-home detox is okay in some cases, particularly for those who have not been taking drugs or drinking alcohol for too long. But in any other case, an actual detox program is necessary.

Some patients go for the rapid detox or ultra-rapid detox approach to fight off their addiction much faster than normal. As the name suggests, this is supposed to work faster than regular detox. The goal of rapid detox is to eliminate the drugs and alcohol faster while avoiding painful withdrawal symptoms.

But not only is this approach expensive, it is also dangerous. This process involves sedating the patient with anesthesia and then giving them medications to replace the drugs in their body. However, the risks outweigh the benefits.

Rapid detox puts the patient at risk of heart attack, nausea, vomiting, infection, high body temperature, paranoia, and even death.

Similarly, ultra-rapid detox only takes a few hours, but according to the Coleman Institute, 1 in 500 people die from this method.

Traditional detox programs may take longer, but they carry less danger and are more effective overall.

When choosing a detox program, you may encounter a familiar choice between inpatient and outpatient facilities.

Inpatient detox requires the patient to stay in a treatment facility for the duration of the program. This allows doctors and nurses to monitor the patient’s progress at all times. Although this is more intensive, it also tends to be more expensive. That said, there are some inpatient detox programs that serve people who can’t pay.

On the other hand, outpatient detox programs are for those who cannot stay in a treatment facility due to other responsibilities outside of rehab. People who are taking care of their children, going to school, or working may choose an outpatient detox program so that their sessions follow their real world schedule. This is only suitable for addicted individuals who don’t require a lot of supervision.

With an outpatient program, you get to stay in your own home while still receiving the professional support that you need. Do keep in mind that this will involve frequent visits to the treatment facility. This is less expensive than an inpatient program, but it is also less intensive.

Remember that detox is only one part of a complete addiction treatment program. It is only one step towards sobriety, but this is a very important step. It will free your body and mind so that you can focus on putting in the work during therapy.

If you’re not sure where to start, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). This is a free and confidential service where you can get information about drug addiction and treatment. Get started on the road to recovery today.

Treatment is an addicted individualʼs best option if they want to recover. Beating an addiction not only requires eliminating the physical dependence, but also addressing the behavioral factors that prevent them from wanting to get better. Simply quitting may not change the psychological aspect of addiction. Some people quit for a while, and then take drugs again, only to overdose because they did not detox properly. Recovery involves changing the way the patient feels, thinks, and behaves.