What is a Drug Detox?
Drug detox is the process that allows the body to rid itself of the drug. Depending on the severity of the dependence and the health history of the individual, various inpatient and outpatient options are available. However, an inpatient detox program is always preferable because it’s much safer and far more effective than alternative outpatient ones.
Detox from opioids or alcohol can be particularly hard on the body. The withdrawal process often requires comprehensive medical supervision to ensure the patient’s safety. Medical management during detoxification can safely control the acute physical symptoms associated with a withdrawal syndrome.
Abrupt cessation of drugs can result in very different withdrawal symptoms and even risky health situations. However, when medically assisted, the risks and discomfort can be dramatically minimized. Symptoms and intensity widely vary from person to person, based on many factors.
Unassisted withdrawal symptoms or “cold turkey” from opioids such as heroin, suboxone, methadone and other painkillers, may include:
- Muscle aches
- Gastrointestinal distress: Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Sweating
- Sneezing and Yawning
- Hypertension
- Rapid Heart Rate
- Dehydration
For all the reasons above, it’s a wise choice to choose an inpatient detox program that provides 24-hour medical assistance, ongoing medical monitoring and multiple resources.
Is Drug Detox Enough?
Medical detoxification should be the first stage of a substance abuse treatment plan. Being off the drug allows the individual the ability to focus on the root cause of what led to the drug use or addiction. Often, the addiction is not the issue, but a consequence of a problem not treated or not adequately treated. Although drug detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help people achieve long-term success, for some individuals it is necessary to achieve a path to recovery.
How to find Treatment for an Opioid Use Disorder
Although Opioid Use Disorder has been classified as a medical disorder, most drug treatment centers are still managed by non-medical personnel. Instead, rehabs are mostly based on peer support and personal experience.
As lovely as it may sound to be surrounded by those who have been in your shoes and seem to understand your struggle, a fair assessment is often missed. The lack of medical knowledge allows for a number of different issues, mostly mental illnesses, not to be diagnosed or treated.
Consequently, people fall back into that emotional distress caused by the untreated conditions, which then leads them back to the drugs. Relapse often creates a sense of failure and depression, which can evolve into more in-depth and riskier drug use.
Inpatient Hospital Opioid Detox Treatment
At a hospital, physicians take into consideration the patient’s unique physiological needs. Also, detox protocols can change based on the patient’s response to the withdrawal symptoms and treatment. In a hospital, if the patient has a co-occurring mental or physical health disorder, there is immediate medical care available in the event of an unexpected complication. The results show that an inpatient medical detoxification is often the safest, most comfortable and, undoubtedly, the most effective way to completely come off opioids.
The Waismann Method® of Opioid Treatment Specialists, have provided a nearly 100% success rate for medical opioid detoxification for two decades.
Patients who otherwise could not get through opioid withdrawal (those on high doses of methadone or suboxone, seniors, people with unstable blood pressure conditions or other medical conditions) are admitted to an accredited hospital, where a medical detox is tailored to the specific patient. There is a team of anesthesiologists, cardiologists and other specialists available in case any issues arise. From rapid detox under anesthesia to medically assisted opioid detoxification, the goal is to support the patient to achieve a successful and complete opioid detoxification.
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