What to Look Out For in a Good Medical Detox Program?

Do you wish to experience a lifestyle outside of addiction? Do you want to bounce back but are unsure where to start? This article will guide you through a medical detox and help you take the first step towards recovery from addiction and further treatment.

Addiction is one of the major problems in today’s world. From adolescence to old age, people from all age groups suffer from some kind of drug addiction. According to the New York Times, the United States suffers the most drug-induced deaths per year.

When a person uses drugs like opioids and alcohol frequently, they are susceptible to depending on them to function normally. While this dependence is mainly psychological for some time, it can quickly turn into physical dependence. When you get physically dependent on a drug, you start experiencing discomfort if you stop taking it. This may include sweating, shivering, and trembling. You might also experience nausea and vomiting. In extreme cases, withdrawal from the drug can cause insomnia, hallucinations, and illusions. Withdrawal symptoms may vary depending on the type of substance.

Medical Detox

When you choose to undergo proper addiction treatment, the first step is detox. Medical detox includes administering drugs to minimize and manage the withdrawal symptoms and avoid medical complications. Although dieticians recommend a specific diet you can take to control the withdrawal symptoms; experts recommend a medical detox for optimal results.

You must find a detox program that best suits your needs. Look for a program that offers a variety of medical detox services as part of their rehab process.

Here is a list of services offered by medical detox programs.

Individual and Group Therapies

Therapy along with detox can do wonders for withdrawal symptoms management. While medication can help minimize the physical symptoms, patients usually start to experience depression and anxiety along the way. This can hinder the treatment process. Regular therapy sessions help the patients manage their mental health. It also helps them control intrusive thoughts and focus on the present.

In individual therapy sessions, patients have a one-on-one sitting with their therapists. This is usually a personalized session that focuses on individual struggles during the recovery process and how to overcome them.

In group therapy sessions, patients often sit together with their therapist in groups and share their struggles. This helps them relate to other people and makes them feel understood.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

As explained before, medication-assisted treatment involves the use of medication to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Such drugs are administered in varying concentrations depending on the condition of the patient. For alcohol detox, medicines that contain Benzodiazepines are considered the gold standard.

For opioid detox, opioid agonists like Methadone and Buprenorphine are administered to reduce cravings.

Co-occurring Disorder Treatment

People who suffer from substance abuse problems also struggle from mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Some studies correlate these two disorders in various capacities. People with mental health issues are more likely to experience substance abuse and vice versa. This is known as a co-occurring disorder.

While undergoing a medical detox, doctors usually do a full physical and psychological evaluation to diagnose the underlying conditions. If you get diagnosed with a mental illness along with substance abuse, doctors go for dual-diagnosis treatment. This includes taking medication for detox and seeking therapy for mental health issues. This approach has generated exceptional results.

Live-in Rehabilitation

Medical detox requires constant monitoring after administering the detox drugs. Some people opt for outpatient treatment, where they go to the rehabilitation centre to take medication and then return home afterwards. Although this setting can work if your addiction is still in mild stages, doctors usually recommend an inpatient treatment.

Inpatient treatment, also known as live-in rehabilitation, requires you to stay in the facility for the entire length of your treatment. This is because the withdrawal symptoms can sometimes make the patient hostile and prone to self-harm. They also need constant monitoring and regular therapy sessions alongside detox.

Long-term Treatments

Long-term treatment methods involve a residency period of 6 to 12 months. They provide 24-hour care in a homely environment. Doctors and staff live with the patients like a community and help them resocialize by designing activities to deal with their destructive emotions and cravings.

Long-term treatments yield the best results. Patients who go through long-term residency often have a lower chance of relapsing.

Short-term Treatments

Short-term treatments usually include 3 to 6 weeks of inpatient treatment in hospitals, followed by outpatient treatment involving therapy sessions and exercises. It is usually an intensive program due to a shorter duration. Patients need to be committed to the treatment and engage in aftercare programs to avoid relapsing.

People opt for short-term treatments because they are less expensive than long-term residential treatments.

Wrapping-up

Finding the right detox program can be a challenging task. For this, you first need to figure out what you are more comfortable with. Every medical detox program offers different services. Always remember to do extensive research on your own before you make your choice.