- When it comes to treating a drug or alcohol addiction, everyone has different needs.
- The severity of addiction may range from mild to severe, depending on how many symptoms one has and how badly these symptoms affect their life.
- The care they need to break this cycle and get out of the crippling addiction depends on where they fall in this range.
When it comes to treating a drug or alcohol addiction, everyone has different needs. The severity of addiction may range from mild to severe, depending on how many symptoms one has and how badly these symptoms affect their life. The care they need to break this cycle and get out of the crippling addiction depends on where they fall in this range.
Most people who become dependent on alcohol or drugs experience sudden withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit. The effects of these withdrawal symptoms on their mind and body can be extremely uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. To safely get through them, it is necessary to seek professional help. This is where the role of detox comes in.
Detoxification or detox is when a person removes all traces of drugs and alcohol from their body, ensuring that they are physically stable to seek addiction therapy. It may not always be a part of every addiction treatment plan, but the majority of people go through it when entering rehab. (source: SAMHSA, 2015)
FAQs
If someone addicted to a substance quits using it all of a sudden, whether by choice or not, it is referred to as going cold turkey. The process may seem easy and beneficial; however, without proper support, it can seriously threaten overall health. When a body addicted to a regular supply of alcohol or drug suddenly ceases to get any, it responds by producing extremely uncomfortable and potentially painful symptoms, called withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms may include a high fever, high blood pressure, hallucinations, severe disorientation, and seizures. If left untreated, these symptoms can quickly progress to become life-threatening. It is important to understand that many people who attempt to go sober cold turkey and experience these symptoms eventually resort to abusing the substance again just to eliminate the discomfort associated with withdrawal. This perpetuates an ongoing cycle of abuse that negatively impacts all areas of life. Hence, it is important to enter proper detox programs to avoid this cycle and successfully overcome an addiction.
In general, a drug and alcohol detox typically lasts between 7 to 10 days. However, this time frame is not fixed and may vary for different people depending on certain factors, like:
How much drug or alcohol have they been using
Their current mental and physical functioning
The severity of their withdrawal symptoms
The duration of their ongoing addiction
Moreover, other factors like past medical and mental health history, current age, gender identification, and the presence of any co-occurring disorder also determine whether a detox will be short or long.
While it is possible to detox from alcohol or drugs anywhere, experts highly discourage doing it on your own as it can be extremely dangerous and even potentially deadly. Quitting suddenly or without enough medical supervision may lead to serious health issues, such as severe dehydration or seizures. The discomfort associated with these symptoms can be so high that it may force an addict to resort to abusing the psychoactive substance to quit experiencing them. Hence, joining a detox program for drugs or alcohol is always better for a safer and more effective experience. (source: APA, 2023)
Detox is usually the first step towards overcoming a substance or alcohol use disorder and living a sober life. Once a person completes it, they may find it difficult to maintain a sober life and find themselves at a higher risk of relapsing. To minimize this risk and make sobriety long-term, experts encourage seeking additional therapy following a detox program. These therapies aim to find the root cause of addiction and work on suppressing it so that it does not lead to any addiction in the future. Most people enter an inpatient program following a detox program as it allows them to seek treatment in a setting free from distractions and temptations of the external world. The medical team closely works with each individual to develop a plan that helps them overcome their issues and hindrances related to addiction. Following an inpatient program, most people opt for aftercare services that continue providing follow-up care for them for years.
While most people undergoing detox can successfully manage their withdrawal symptoms within one to two weeks, some continue to experience these lingering effects for weeks or months. Known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome, it comprises some common symptoms of withdrawal, such as a lack of energy, mood swings, memory issues, persistent nausea, depression, delayed reflexes, and problems with balance. Most of these symptoms come in waves and continue to hit throughout the day for up to a year following detox. To help people suffering from post-acute withdrawal syndrome, it is essential to provide extended treatment programs that tend to them longer than usual.
