What Is Medical Detoxification Recovery?

 An addict’s family or the addict himself might be temporarily convinced that it is possible to give up a drug or alcohol without medical intervention. Quitting “cold turkey” as they say might be cheap in the short term, but this is an impractical, usually unsuccessful, and potentially dangerous experiment. In most cases, this method of detoxification ends with the individual returning to drugs or winding up in hospital, if not the morgue. If just quitting is dangerous, what is the safe option?

Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs

During intervention, when a family successfully encourages an addict to get help, they want to know what a loved one’s options are. Where can their sibling, child, or spouse go for treatment? Will there be medical intervention or just counseling? Is the center affiliated with a particular religion? How will they afford it and how long will treatment take? These are all good questions without a single answer.

Some centers are run by churches and other spiritual groups. Certain centers promote fast, sedated detoxification or slow medical detox using intravenous medicines. A number of programs involve outdoor therapies, exercise, and even swimming with dolphins or riding horses. Some treatment programs are covered by insurance while others are not. You might qualify for assistance through a government program or charity. 

Medical Detoxification

Giving up a substance your body has grown dependent upon leads to feelings of withdrawal which range from uncomfortable sensations to seizures and heart failure. At the early stages of withdrawal, the addict starts to experience shaking, nausea, headaches, irritability, and other types of discomfort which is why he seeks relief from his drug of choice. Drug rehab experts suggest a better plan.

Check in for detox at one of the alcohol and drug rehab centers closest to home. During medical detox, you will experience fewer symptoms with the help of conventional pain-killing and anti-nausea medicine, possibly supplements, plus constant supervision and support.

Elements of Medical Rehab to Consider

Although the costs of medical detoxification seem high, there are bonuses to experiencing the best care possible. The patient is treated as someone with an illness, exactly like someone with MS or diabetes. This individual receives 24/7 care from experienced and caring registered nurses and doctors. Certain homeopathic approaches complement rather than replace mainstream detox medications.

Support does not stop with medicine and supplements. Addicts receive education about the challenges they face. They learn in various ways how to recognize signs of temptation in the future, how to prevent relapse, and go through addiction-specific counseling. Usually, drug or alcohol addiction is a symptom of bigger problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, severe clinical depression, a personality disorder, or a depression caused by a death in the family or job loss. People in recovery must learn to cope. Without counseling both individually and in groups, they are likely to return to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with their emotional pain. Quitting cold turkey can’t help with these issues. Addiction experts identify issues and help consumers get beyond them to live safe, fulfilling lives free of dependency on drugs or alcohol.