CB Login

Detoxification

Detoxification is a vital, initial step in the process of drug rehab and alcohol rehabilitation. Before the whole person can begin to heal from drug and alcohol addiction, it is important to first remove the substance(s) from the body to eliminate the physical dependence and cravings, leaving only the psychological dependence to address, which is what drug rehab is explicitly designed to do.

Stimulant Detoxification

Detoxification, or detox for short, can range in danger and intensity depending on the substance abused and the severity of the addiction.  For stimulant drugs like cocaine, amphetamines, meth, and crack, detox is generally not a particularly dangerous process.  Most often, the addict becomes very irritable, suffers from extreme fatigue and experiences very strong cravings, none of which are at all pleasant, but still relatively physically safe.  Individuals who suffer from stimulant addiction will more often sleep during the detoxification process and go through intermittent periods of strong cravings and irritability.

Opiate Detoxification

For opiates, such as heroin, morphine, Vicodin®;, OxyContin®;, Norco®;, Dilaudid®; and methadone, detox can be far more jarring and uncomfortable.  While it is still not a life threatening ordeal, opiate detoxification can cause symptoms mimicking very severe flu symptoms such as vomiting, clod sweats, hot flashes, runny nose, clammy skin, muscle aches and spasms, and insomnia. Often, the muscle spasms are uncontrollable and can cause kicking motions, especially in the legs, thus the term "kicking the habit".  For many opiate addicts, detoxification and the withdrawal symptoms are so uncomfortable and painful, fear of the experience alone is enough to continue the habit, despite desires to get clean.  Opiate withdrawal can take anywhere from 3 to 10 days, with the withdrawal symptoms typically peaking at 72 hours. Although opiate withdrawal is not life threatening and does come to an eventual end, the process is extremely grueling and uncomfortable.  The options of rapid opiate detox has become increasingly more popular as a viable way to detox from opiates as this process used anesthesia to put the addict to sleep while certain drugs are administered to expedite the detoxification, making the entire process time shortened from several days to several hours.

Alcohol and Benzodiazepine Detoxification

For alcohol and drugs falling the benzodiazepine class like Xanax, Klonopin, Lithium, Valium, and Ativan, the detoxification process can be  very dangerous and life threatening without proper medical care. Alcohol abuse and addiction creates a severely strong physical dependence along with the psychological dependence of any addiction.  When denied alcohol, alcoholics can suffer some very severe and dangerous symptoms including, hallucinations, cold sweats, delirium tremons (DTs), seizures, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. Some alcoholics can experience withdrawal symptoms so severe that they can fall into dangerous seizures and suffer permanent damage, even death.  For this reason, alcohol detoxification can be very dangerous, but with proper medical care, the alcohol detox process can be endured successfully and generally takes an average of 3 to 10 days, depending on the severity of the alcohol dependence.
For benzodiazepines which are indicated to treat anxiety, seizures, and sleeplessness, the detox can be very dangerous as the withdrawal symptoms can sometimes mimic the very symptoms benzodiazepines are indicated to treat.  Benzodiazepine detoxification can be a rather long process as there is no medication indicated to reverse or ease the symptoms of the detoxification, other than benzodiazepines themselves.  So, the most effective way to detox from benzodiazepines is a slow taper of the drug, which can take weeks, depending on the half life of the drug and the severity of the addiction.  In order to avoid seizures and dangerously high blood pressure and heart rates, the best way to detox from any drug in the benzodiazepine class is to do so in a hospital setting with qualified medical staff and equipment.

Any time there is consideration to drug and alcohol rehab, detoxification is a necessary first step in the process. Once the body is free of drugs and alcohol, it leaves only the psychological dependence, which is the base of the drug and alcohol rehab design. No matter what the drug or severity of the abuse in the addiction, it is highly recommended to consult a physician prior to beginning a detoxification process, as everyone will respond differently given various individual situations.