What are some of the most significant facts to know about going through drug detox? You already know you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. But what can you expect to happen during the detox process?
How long will drug detox take?
The amount of time it takes to drug detox depends totally on the drugs you’ve been using and the length of time you used them. In general, however, drug detox takes somewhere from seven days to two weeks. Some drugs take longer. Getting off drugs remains a challenge for everyone who does it. Staying off drugs for the long term also includes a lot of hard work. Ask your medical professional for more information on detoxing from a specific drug or alcohol.
How does drug detox feel?
You need professional and emotional support to get through the drug or alcohol detox process. This support helps keep people withdrawing from drugs to stay clean and sober and to prevent a relapse.
When detoxing, many individuals become nauseated and vomit. You need help keeping hydrated, and anti-nausea medications assist in relieving vomiting. Exercise and hydration both work well to combat some of the physical and emotional symptoms of withdrawal that you might feel. Anti-diarrhea medications also assist people with stomach upset due to withdrawal. Some medicines work well to less severe withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking heroin or opiates. Suboxone is a legal medication that works as a replacement for these two drugs. Once the opioids leave your system, you can gradually reduce the amount of the substitute medication you take.
Many recovering addicts experience sleep problems and hypersensitivities during withdrawal from substances such as benzodiazepines. Detoxing at a medically staffed detox center allows you to have medical help with severe withdrawal symptoms so that you won’t experience as much discomfort. Also, addicts sometimes start taking drugs to self-medicate mental health issues such as depression or bipolar disorder. If you become depressed or experience emotional problems during withdrawal, a health care provider can prescribe you drugs to ease these problems, too.
Should I drug detox at home?
No, you shouldn’t drug detox at home, especially by yourself. If it were easy to detox using will power, you would have been clean and sober by now. But, drug and alcohol withdrawal is serious business. Tempting as it might appear, drug detox needs to be left to the experts. Some people who go through drug detox become violently ill. People sometimes die during the process of detoxing. You require a trained staff to help you get off your drugs of choice and reliable folks to keep you safe while you go through withdrawal.
Most people become very ill while they detox. You might also have seizures, hallucinations, and experience a wide variety of distressing side effects from not using your drug of choice. When you detox in a medical facility, you don’t only gain a better chance at completing the detox process, but you might also qualify for medications to reduce your uncomfortable drug withdrawal symptoms. Other severe physical and mental problems that might occur during detox include:
• Delirium tremens.
• Grand mal seizures.
• Intense cravings for the missing drug or alcohol. These fierce cravings might bring about an overdose.
• Extreme nausea and vomiting, leading to dehydration and malnutrition.
• Low blood pressure.]
• Kidney failure.
• A chance of choking on your vomit.
• Coma.
• Death.
Can I successfully drug detox? Or am I hooked for life?
You can successfully detox from drugs and alcohol. If you quit taking your medication of choice or stop drinking, your body can begin to heal itself. Once your body releases all of the addictive toxins from it, you do need to find out why you started to use in the first place. To accomplish this task, you need to go to a reputable rehab program. Most rehabs offer individual and group therapy, training, and education about why you might have started using. Medical help remains available to keep you off your previous drug or alcohol addiction. You might receive family therapy and get to participate in a sober living program. Sober living enables you to live in a home-like setting and gradually work your way back into interacting with the world outside your treatment placement. Please make the call and contact us for more detox information and a new start in life without drugs and addiction.
