Overcoming drug addiction has three stages:
- Accepting
- Detoxing
- Avoiding
The first stage can only be accomplished by acknowledging that you have a drug abuse problem. The second stage, detoxing, can and should involve professional help. Detoxing from a drug addiction leaves you in a state of pain and discomfort for an extended period.
Withdrawal makes people do and feel things that you would never expect from them. Professional help is necessary to ensure that the detoxification process goes smoothly and is completed successfully.
There are many different treatments that professional drug rehab services use. We’ll go through the most common forms of treatment so that you’ll know what you can expect from the detoxification process:
Medication
Professional drug rehab services use medication for the entirety of the detoxing process as well as to prevent relapse afterward. A mistake that many addicts make is thinking that after detoxing, they are free.
Unfortunately, even after the drug leaves your system entirely, you will still need to avoid the drug at all costs. If you consider using it again for even a second, you could relapse back into your addiction in a heartbeat.
Medication has two uses in this case. The first use is to make you more comfortable during the detoxification process. The symptoms you may experience during this process are uncomfortable and potentially alarming for your health.
Doctors will use certain medications to help reduce the pain you experience as well as to keep your mind calm. There’s only so much that can be done, so don’t expect the medication to make it easy. Medication will take the edge off at best. At any rate, it’s better than nothing and makes the process safer.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy applies to outpatients more than those still undergoing detoxification. The purpose behind behavioral therapy is to help you realize the importance of your health and restraining yourself from harmful drugs.
The therapist will use real-life variables, including your family, your job, your sense of self-worth, and so on to help you condition your mind against the drug.
While this is mostly for outpatients, many addicts benefit from therapy sessions before any further treatment so that they are more convinced to see through the entire detox process.
Cold Turkey Isolation
Cold Turkey Isolation isn’t often applied with drug rehab services but becomes necessary in certain cases. Patients who exhibit violent tendencies during withdrawal can become a hazard to themselves and anyone around them.
Violence occurs for those who are highly addicted to the drug and makes the detoxification process more difficult to complete.
Assuming the patient gives their consent and it is absolutely necessary, the addict would be strapped to a medical bed and tied down in such a way that they cannot move their arms or legs. They restrain them this way as much to stop them injuring themselves as they do for the safety of the staff treating the patient.
The full process can take several days or even a week to complete and will leave the addict feeling terrible for the duration. However, the result is losing their dependency on the drug in question and allows them to move straight into medication and therapy for the avoidance step.
These are a few of the more common treatment methods for drug addiction treatment. As you can see by the severity of some withdrawal conditions, it is best that you allow professionals to oversee your recovery rather than trying to detox on your own. I urge you to consider the risk to yourself and anyone around you should you try to detox on your own terms with professional guidance!
