What to Expect When Detoxing From Drugs

According to experts, three out of four drug addicts survive their addictions. If you’re struggling with drug addiction, the odds are in your favor, but you’ll still need to put in some hard work.

Addiction recovery is a long and difficult experience. And detoxing from drugs can be painful.

Still, it is far from impossible. In addition, you’ll do a lot better if you know what to expect. Read on to learn more about the detox experience.

What Is Detoxing From Drugs?

When people take drugs over long periods, their body changes. Often, the body stops producing chemicals it naturally makes. It instead relies on drugs to create these chemicals.

A detox involves the person removing all substances from their body. During this time, a person stops taking drugs or takes less and less of a substance. Their bodies then have to adjust to this change.

This adjustment is rarely pleasant. People often experience withdrawal symptoms as they come off the drugs.

How Long Detoxing Takes

On average, a person only needs to detox for a little more than a week. However, a full detox experience can last anywhere from a few days to several months. The exact length of time that a drug detox takes depends on several factors.

These factors include the following:

• Family history
• Medical conditions
• Addiction duration
• Substances addicted to
• Substance amount taken
• Substance abuse methods (snorting, injecting, etc.)

Is Detoxing Always Necessary?

Detoxing isn’t always a part of addiction treatment. However, medical professionals often expect patients to undergo a detox when they enter rehab.

Can I Detox Alone?

Medical professionals do not recommend that addicted individuals detox on their own. Attempts such as these are rarely successful. In addition, people suffering from addiction may become demotivated by so many failed attempts.

On top of that, withdrawal symptoms can be incredibly dangerous. In rare cases, they can even be deadly.

Medically Assisted Detoxing Is the Best

Detoxing is most effective when done in the presence of medical professionals. They will make the experience as safe and comfortable as possible. This may include giving patients medications that can ease withdrawal symptoms.

At the same time, they ensure that the patient doesn’t relapse during the detox. They keep them off the drugs until their withdrawal symptoms subside. The patient will then move into therapy.

Most medically assisted detox experiences take place at detox centers. You can find your nearest detox center by using this website: Detoxlocal.com.

After Drug Center Arrival

After a drug addiction patient arrives at a drug center, medical experts first take three steps. Once these are complete, the patient will enter the drug detox program.

Evaluation

First, the medical staff with screen incoming patients. They will check them for any existing mental and/or physical health issues. They’ll also review a patient’s health records for their drug, medical, and psychiatric histories.

During this evaluation, nurses and doctors will take blood tests. This will help them learn the amount of drugs that are in a patient’s body. With this information, they will learn how much medication the patient will need.

Stabilization

Doctors then need to stabilize the patient before they enter treatment. The goal of this process is to keep the patients free from harm.

Usually, doctors will stabilize their patients with medical and psychological therapy. They may prescribe medications that can help with mental health issues. Therapy processes such as cognitive behavioral therapy can also help.

Treatment Preparation

Once the patient is stabilized, the doctor will prepare them for their treatment program. Doctors will tell their patients what should happen during the treatment process. The patient will then enter the drug detox program.

What Happens During a Withdrawal

People who experience withdrawal may experience mild to serious symptoms. These are usually combinations of mental, physical, and emotional. The symptoms that you experience depend on factors such as:

• Your age
• Your health status
• Type of substance you use
• How long you use a substance
• The withdrawal process used

Symptoms of Withdrawal

When going through withdrawal, most addicts experience common, less severe symptoms. These are the following:

• Shaking
• Sweating
• Cravings
• Exhaustion
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Hallucinations
• A runny nose
• Aches and pains
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Chills and fevers
• Goosebumps

In some cases, addicts experience more severe symptoms. These include the following:

• Tremors
• Seizures
• Paranoia
• Confusion
• Disorientation

It’s hard to predict the exact symptoms that you will experience. Some medical experts have figured out the exact side effects substance abusers will experience based on what they use, but everyone is different.

Another thing to consider is that the symptoms of your drug highs may be reversed during a withdrawal. For example, a Vidocin constipation symptom can turn into a diarrheal symptom during withdrawal.

Location of Withdrawal Treatment

You can go to detox centers to go through a withdrawal. However, many detox withdrawal programs can take place at your home.

No matter where you experience these programs, their aims are usually the same. Medical professionals will treat withdrawal symptoms and stop complications. They will then help the detoxed individual plan future treatments.

What Can Medicines Do?

Medical professionals should give patients medicines to help with the withdrawal symptoms. These medications can treat symptoms such as:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Shaking and tenors
• Headaches and muscle aches

Learn More Health Tips From Us

Again, remember that number when detoxing from drugs becomes a struggle. Most people survive their struggles with drug addiction. If all of them can survive, so can you.

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