Drug Detox and Detoxification

Detoxification is the process of clearing toxins from the body. In drug addiction detoxification is the process of ridding the body of the residue of drug or substance abuse and controlling they symptoms of withdrawal.

The Detoxification or Detox process is not a complete drug treatment program but the first step. Detoxification should be followed up by behavioral based treatment designed to treat the underlying factors of drug addiction. Many types of addiction counseling are used within addiction treatment programs.

Drug Addiction and Detoxification

By its very definition, addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, such narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

This trauma can range in intensity from intense cravings to life threatening illness (depending on the drug), making it virtually impossible for an addict to quit without assistance. Because most withdrawal symptoms can be relieved immediately upon consumption of the drug that the body is withdrawing from, the desire to use that drug is exceptionally high during this period, often resulting in defeat of the recovery before it can even begin.

The process of drug detoxification seeks to lessen the severity of the trauma associated with the body’s withdrawal from dependence on a particular drug by medically alleviating and monitoring the intense physical symptoms associated with stopping drug use and/or systematically inducing the withdrawal process. Once the drug is cleared from the system and the pain and discomfort associated with stopping its use have been alleviated, the other factors contributing to the addiction, such as the emotional and psychological issues, can be addressed.

Because recovery cannot begin until an addict’s system has been completely cleared of the drug he or she is addicted to, detox is the necessary first step in almost all treatment programs. Detoxification from drugs like marijuana, crystal meth, cocaine, crack, and alcohol (in less severe cases of addiction) can usually be accomplished via intense therapy, support, counseling, and healthy diet and exercise. Many use to claim, medical detoxification is required in treating addiction to opiates like heroin and methadone, alcohol (in more severe cases of addiction), barbiturates, and prescription drugs such as Hydrocodone, Oxycontin, Lortab, Vicodin, and Xanax, among others, however there are several holistic detoxification programs that have shown sucess with even severe addiction.

Withdrawal from these drugs can cause severe symptoms such as intense cravings, shaking, sweating, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, headaches, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, inability to sleep, seizures, anxiety, depression, confusion, and agitation. Symptoms can vary in length and intensity based on the length of use and amount of consumption. Medical detoxification employs the use of anti-convulsive drugs, anti-nausea drugs, antidepressants, tranquilizers, beta-blockers, and other prescription drugs to make these symptoms more tolerable. In some cases, decreasing doses of a drug similar to the addictive substance are given in order to ease detoxification and reduce painful symptoms of withdrawal. The holistic approach uses vitamins, minerals, diet, exercise, and sauna to relieve these symptos. Many drug rehab programs and addiction treatment programs have detoxificaiton programs as part of the overal addiction treatment program.

Detoxification can take place in an inpatient or an outpatient setting. While both settings can produce favorable results, and outpatient treatment is often less costly, inpatient detox in a drug rehab treatment center, a hospital, or other facility, allows for 24-hour monitoring and support, and removes access to the addictive drug. In cases of severe addiction to opiates or narcotics, rapid detoxification under general anesthesia at a hospital or other highly qualified medical facility is sometimes used.  In this case, the intravenous use of opiate blockers along with other medications to alleviate painful withdrawal symptoms achieves detoxification in about eight hours, compared to approximately a week or more under normal circumstances.

Because every drug addiction, and therefore, every treatment is unique, it is imperative that the medical personnel attending to the detoxification process are highly-trained with an acute knowledge of the special needs associated with individual in question.