Now that you have landed here, you are probably wondering which is the best course of action for your addiction – or your loved one’s addiction. Now, before we get cracking, you should know that detoxification – either at home or at a medical facility – is not a walk in the park. It requires a good deal of determination, consistency, and personal effort. Usually, withdrawal symptoms make the whole detox process emotionally and physically draining. However, your detox experience will be very much dependent on your choice of treatment. Here, we will look at a medical detox and explain why you should not treat yourself at home.
Benefits of Medical Detox
Patient’s Safety
Now, for most patients, the biggest difference between home detox and medically implemented detoxification is safety. If you are undergoing detoxification and have had a lengthy addiction, there is a high probability of health complications arising from the withdrawal process. Normally, these complications require extensive monitoring, evaluation, and immediate treatment since they could be fatal. Therefore, without proper attention and consistently available medical staff, a patient could suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms and even die. It is normal for a patient to prefer home detox. This is especially the case since you get to enjoy the comfort of your home. In addition, you will probably be surrounded by your loving family. Though these conditions are tempting, taking this approach is very dangerous for your recovery.
Proper Medication
Medical detoxification is more like taking the addictive drug in reverse. The process essentially gets the addict off the grip of the drug. Now, medical detox mainly involves admission into a rehabilitation center where the patient is undertaken through withdrawing. During this process, you will be given replacement medication that mimics the effects of your addicting drug. In addition, you get psychiatric treatment to ensure that you are mentally ready to cope without the drugs. Though you will also have over-the-counter medication prescribed regularly, your doctors will always monitor you to ensure your recovery.
High Rate of Success
Drug addiction recovery is a long process and can be very frustrating, especially for the patient. In most cases where the addiction treatment is not undertaken through the right process, a patient might show signs of recovery and then relapse. This is especially the case where there is inadequate attention or monitoring. Medical detox uses various strategies such as psychotherapy, medication, group therapy, and elimination of the tempting environment. On the other hand, the administration of detox at home faces many hurdles that include ease of access to the addicting drug. According to research, home administered detox has a very low success rate compared to detox in a rehab center.
Availability of Follow Up Programs
As you might already know, addiction does not have a cure. It is a long recovery journey that a patient has to undertake with complete determination. However, the recovery can only be successful if adequate mechanisms are implemented to ensure that the patient does not relapse. A relapse in the recovery process is a reality that should be recognized and measures taken against. For this reason, most rehabilitation centers implement recovery follow-up programs that are intended to walk the addict through the whole process. Essentially, these programs include therapy groups, psychiatric consultation, and regular checkups.
Treatment for Severe Cases of Addiction
You can easily undertake the treatment of a mild form of addiction at home without much need for a doctor. However, with a severe form of addiction, you will need to visit a detox facility. This is especially because severe addiction tends to present very dangerous withdrawal symptoms and could even cause death.
Should I Detox Myself?
You can detox yourself at home without the need to visit a doctor. However, you should only consider this choice if your addiction is mild or moderate. For instance, you can undertake the treatment at home if you are an opiate addict with a benign occurrence. However, the risk of relapsing is very high. Normally, simple home remedies include cool baths, clean clothes and sheets, a balanced diet, and OTC medication. This detox option fails to provide adequate monitoring and action in case of severe withdrawal symptoms.
Conclusion
Medical detox is bound to be successful. This is especially due to the effort and attention that is given to the recovery of the addict. Though self-detox is also a good idea, it fails to evaluate critical aspects of the detox process, such as the life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. If you want to get started with medical detox today, give us a call at 833-610-1174.