Detox and Detoxification

Detoxification is a process in which person’s addicted to drugs or alcohol are medically cleansed of the toxins created by those substances.  Detoxification, or detox for short, is almost always the first step in the rehabilitation process for many addicts and alcoholics.  Before addicts and alcoholics can be admitted to drug and alcohol treatment, they must first complete the detox process.  There are many different forms of detoxification depending on the substance of dependence and the severity of the addiction.  However, there are some drugs that do not require detoxification such as methamphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana.  The abuse of these drugs can result in a very serious psychological dependence, which requires intense therapy and sometimes monitoring, but not medical detox.   Other drugs like heroin, alcohol, and many prescription medications like barbiturates and benzodiazepines create not only a psychological, but a serious physical dependence, requiring medical detoxification.

Alcohol Detoxification

Alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs around, not only because of its availability and acceptance, but also because of its damaging effects and dangerous detox.  Many alcoholics who have tried to stop drinking on their own have reported very uncomfortable symptoms, and sometimes these symptoms have proved to be fatal.  Alcohol detox symptoms are dependent on the severity of the alcoholism and length of time abuse has be going on.  During alcohol detoxification, the patient is medically monitored during the removal of the alcohol from the system.  During this removal, alcoholics may experience mild to sever symptoms such as sweating, headaches, delirium tremors (DT’s) leading to seizures, anxiety, increased heart rate, insomnia, agitation and sometimes death.  The process of detox can be very complicated, again depending on the severity of the addiction.  Many times, medical staff will utilize medications to ease some of these symptoms.  Often, drugs in the class of benzodiazepines, such as Clonazepam and Diazepam are anticonvulsants used to assist with anxiety and calm the muscles.  These benzodiazepines are low level tranquilizers, and during the detoxification process, they play a beneficial role in relaxing the alcoholic and decreasing many of the physical symptoms of the withdrawal process.
With the use of mainly these two drugs, medical staff finds more success in making alcohol detox more comfortable and safe for the patient undergoing this process.  Despite all the medical care one is able to receive during the detoxification process, alcohol detox always runs risks and for very severe cases of alcoholism where the patient has experienced cirrhosis of the liver or other organic diseases caused by drinking, the detox process can last several weeks to months for medical care. Most cases of alcohol detoxification, however, take anywhere from 3 to 10 days.

Opiate Detoxification

Opiate abuse is very common, especially these days when opiates are available in a wide array of forms, including prescription pills on the black market, such as Vicodin and OxyContin.  Opiate dependence creates a serious physical addiction which, when stopped abruptly, can lead to abdominal pains, runny nose, nausea, insomnia, agitation, and many flu-like symptoms.  Very few fatal cases of opiate detox have been reported, however this is a substance that often requires medical detoxification.  The severity of the addiction will determine the process of detox for the patient, as symptoms can be very severe and uncomfortable.  Generally opiate detox involves the use of Buprenorphine, an opiate agonist medication which attaches to the opiate receptors in the brain, blocking the opiates of abuse from affecting the addict.  This drug has recently been approved by the FDA as an effective method of detox from opiates such as heroin, methadone, Oxycodone and hydrocodone.  One common form of buprenophine is Subutex, also used in opiate addiction treatment as a sublingual treatment (under the tongue).
The main focus of medical staff in opiate detox is to block the effects of the opiate in the brain and taper the presence of opiates in the body.  Generally there are not very severe physical effects of opiate detox besides the nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains, and overall flu-like symptoms.  These symptoms are not usually life-threatening, instead very uncomfortable and generally unmanageable without medical care.

Benzodiazepine Detoxification

Benzodiazepines are drugs classified as mild tranquilizers or depressants, affecting the central nervous system which cause depressed respiration and act as a depressant on the brain and body, slowing function and relaxing muscles.  Although benzodiazepines have beneficial uses, such as their use in alcohol detox, the prolonged use of these drugs can lead to dependence, which makes the detox process very dangerous.  Generally, people addicted to many benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Ativan, and Valium can experience nausea, vomiting, insomnia, irritability, headaches, fatigue, sweating, and anxiety, and seizures when they undergo the detox process.  Some benzodiazepines are more addictive than others; as such Clonazepam is often used to treat people going through benzodiazepine detox.  The ultimate goal of any detox is to remove the substance from the addict’s body.  With benzodiazepine addiction, the withdrawal process generally creates the symptoms benzodiazepines are indicated to treat.  The safest way for medical staff to maintain a safe detox for any individual addicted to benzodiazepines is to administer limited amounts of Clonazepam, as it is less addictive and less powerful than some others like Xanax, Ativan, and Valium.  Until the toxins from benzodiazepine abuse have been completely removed from the body, it is important for the addict to remain under medical care.  The cessation of benzodiazepine use can cause dangerous and sometimes deadly seizures until the drug is out of the body.  For some of the stronger drugs in this class, the toxins can remain in the body for 4-6 weeks, depending on the severity and length of the abuse.

Detox

The process of detoxification is only the beginning of drug or alcohol rehabilitation, but it is one of the most important parts of this process.  Detox is imperative because it is the physical removal of the damaging substance from the body and rehabilitation cannot begin if there is still a physical dependence on drugs and alcohol.  The physical dependence is one of the main motivations for alcoholics and drug addicts to continue using, as it is what causes the painful and often dangerous physical symptoms at cessation.
Detoxification seems imposing with the horrible stigma it has for being painful and uncomfortable, but be assured that it is absolutely required for rehab to begin and pales in comparison to the pain and dangers associated with continuing addictive behaviors.  The medical staff required for the detox process is dedicated to ensuring the safety and comfort of this procedure, and are assisted by a myriad of medicines available to aid.

Treatment-Centers.net

As it is with finding the appropriate treatment center, it is important to find the right facility to assist with detoxification.  Many treatment centers do not offer detox, but this service can be found at almost any hospital.  Although detoxification generally has a blanket approach, utilizing similar techniques for varying kinds of detoxification, the level and quality of care does vary and it something to seriously consider when deciding on the right detoxification facility.
If you find yourself getting lost in the sea of detox facilities available and defining the best one for individual needs, please feel free to explore the rest of our links or give us a call.  We will work with you and do all we can to help you make the right decision on the first step in successful recovery from substance abuse and addiction.  Here at treatment-centers.net, we offer comprehensive, no-cost services for assessment and referral to drug rehab centers. If you are in need of drug rehab services, please explore our site, fill our our confidential online drug and alcohol assessment, and by all means, CALL US - we're here to help.