The Importance of Detox in Addiction Recovery
Detoxification (detox) is the process of clearing the body of drugs or alcohol. The purpose of detox is to safely manage withdrawal symptoms. Medications used in detox help keep users comfortable while the drugs leave their body. Drug detoxification and medically managed withdrawals is a safe and effective way to begin recovery from substance abuse issues. Let us go through the importance of medical detox in the context of addiction treatment in general.
Editorial
Addiction (substance use disorder “SUD”)
Repeated involvement with a substance (or activity), despite the substantial harm it causes
Withdrawals
A group of physical and mental symptoms that manifest when a person stops using a drug If we take opiate withdrawals as an example we can observe the following signs and symptoms:
- Agitation and anxiety
- Muscle aches and abdominal cramping
- Increased tearing, runny nose, sweating, yawning
- Insomnia
- Diarrhea
- Dilated pupils
- Goose bumps
- Hot and cold flushes
- Nausea and vomiting
What is Detoxification
Detoxification (detox) is the process of clearing the body of drugs or alcohol. The purpose of detox is to safely manage withdrawal symptoms. Medications used in detox help keep users comfortable while the drugs leave their body.
Drug detoxification and medically managed withdrawals is a safe and effective way to begin recovery from substance abuse issues. Let us go through the importance of medical detox in the context of addiction treatment in general:
Why Detox?
Medical necessity: some withdrawals need medical attention. Withdrawals can be a painful, stressful, and even a life-threatening process.
- Undergoing detox without medical care increases the risk of an unsuccessful recovery.
- Reduces the likelihood of attempting recovery again in case of relapse.
- Maintenance medications can be given after detox to help suppress cravings.
- Post detox program/counseling modalities and rehab can be introduced while or after detox to help the user to seek continuous treatment.
The managed pain of withdrawals help users in detox much more likely to complete it than those who attempt detox cold turkey. The sense of guilt, coupled with painful withdrawals usually prevents users from completing detox on their own. Moreover, treatment staff aid the users in transitioning into a rehab program after detox is completed.
Detox Clinic Observations
While and through the course of a detox program, we can observe that patients who successfully complete addiction treatment, their first step was entering medically supervised detox. Moreover, in some cases it was a lifesaving process as some users experienced seizures/DTs and had to be treated medically. Medically supervised detox is vital in detecting and treating any alcohol or drug-related medical emergencies. These can be a result of active use or can appear during the detox phase.
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