Over time, your body develops a physical dependency on drugs and alcohol when you use these substances frequently or in large amounts. Chemicals from your substance misuse can also linger in your body for a period of time even after you stop using them. Drug detoxing involves allowing every last trace of these substances to leave your body. While all you have to do is stop using drugs and alcohol, your body still has powerful work to do during your first few days of sobriety as it focuses on eliminating the toxic substances. When you are curious about what is drug detoxing, you might have heard people talk about doing this in the past. Now, you may be ready to start this process yourself but have questions about what to expect. Everyone who enters treatment for an addiction will need to do some degree of drug detoxing, but your experience may vary according to the factors that surround your drug or alcohol use.
A typical detox experience involves feeling some physical and emotional symptoms that result from your body slowly weaning itself off of drugs and alcohol. Here are a few of the most common withdrawal symptoms that you might expect to experience shortly after you begin your sobriety.
•nervousness and agitation
•nausea or vomiting
•excessive sweating
•headaches
•intense cravings
•insomnia or extreme sleepiness
•tremors or seizures
While reading about some of the symptoms that occur during drug detoxing may seem scary, you don’t have to be afraid. Many people make it through detox without feeling severe symptoms. You’ll also receive support from your treatment team that makes the symptoms more manageable. Making the decision to do your drug detox in a treatment center while you are surrounded by professionals is the safest way to begin your sobriety.
Get a Strong Start On Sobriety With Drug Detox Support
The support that you receive for detoxing begins from the moment that you set foot in the addiction treatment center. As part of the admissions process, you can expect to undergo a medical assessment. This assessment will help the treatment team to get a snapshot of your overall health, which could give them a clue as to whether or not you’ll have severe symptoms. For example, someone who has heart disease might need extra monitoring to make sure that their vital signs stay stabilized. Your medical assessment will also include asking you questions about your history with an addiction to find out if you have any risk factors for serious withdrawal symptoms such as having them in the past.
Your treatment team will take the results of your medical assessment and use them to create a plan for helping you to make it through the hardest parts of your detox. Some people may need to take prescription medications to help them manage their symptoms. For instance, antidepressants are sometimes offered to people to make it easier to manage depression as they come off of drugs. Or, you might need a sleeping aid to counteract insomnia. There is also the possibility that you won’t need a medication-assisted detox. Many people also manage their symptoms using natural methods such as meditation and massage therapy.
Drug detox support also never stops during your stay. Your treatment team knows that you are at your most vulnerable during your first week in rehab, which is why you can expect someone to be on call to help you with your needs at any time of day or night. Knowing that you can reach out to someone for help if you find yourself dealing with nightmares or struggling with a bad headache makes it easier to get through the process. For most people, it takes several days to a week to fully detox. During that time, you’ll likely notice that the symptoms begin to get better with each new day. You’ll also be able to start your therapy sessions during this time. Talking to a counselor helps you to begin moving forward with your life of sobriety while also serving as a welcome distraction from any lingering detox symptoms that you are experiencing.
Do you still want to know more about what is involved with drug detoxing? We’re here to answer your questions. Reach out to us at 833-610-1174.