Drug addiction is becoming the most prevalent disease in the United States. You are significantly more likely to get cancer and other serious health consequences if you abuse or use drugs or alcohol for an extended time.
Drug detox is therefore advised at the start of any treatment course.
If you deal with addiction, mental health disorder, or a substance use disorder, you might go through withdrawal after you stop using.
Trying to detox on your own can be risky without medical assistance.
The best way to learn how to detox your body is to enlist a medical detox program’s assistance. It is advisable to detox under medical supervision due to the hazards associated with substance detoxification following alcohol or benzodiazepine consumption.
The best way to effectively detox your body is to do it in a safe, monitored setting with access to medical professionals, therapeutic support, and caring staff.
Key Takeaways
Alcohol and drug detox is advised at the beginning of any treatment program. If you are battling addiction or substance use disorder, you could experience withdrawal after you stop using.
- Depending on the substance taken and the duration of use, detox will feel different.
- Abuse of alcohol and other drugs changes brain chemistry and results in physical dependence on the drug or alcohol.
- Your mind and body can recover from addiction by detoxifying.
Call (844) 933-4145 when you’re prepared to develop a long-term treatment plan. You call The Haven Detox-New England at any time for a free consultation.
Detoxification: What is it?
The process of ridding one’s body of drugs or alcohol is known as detoxification (detox). When someone stops using drugs or alcohol, their body begins to filter out all of the toxic substances. Medical detox is meant to treat withdrawal symptoms safely.
Everyone’s experience with detox is unique. What detox will be like depends on the kind of drug used and how long it was used.
Before attempting to detox on your own, it is advisable to speak with a doctor about your level of alcohol addiction.
If your addiction is severe, getting started on the detox process while going through withdrawal may require medical assistance.
Withdrawal Symptoms
The following are the withdrawal symptoms that include:
- Sweats
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Other unpleasant symptoms
Getting through withdrawal symptoms might take days or even months for most drugs. The duration of withdrawal is determined by several variables, such as:
- Substance(s) to which the user has addicted length of time the addiction has persisted
- Abuse technique (smoking, injecting, snorting, or swallowing)
- Quantity of drugs consumed
- Family history
- Underlying health issues
You should expect withdrawal symptoms because you’re depriving your body of its fix. Please get medical attention if your symptoms get worse.
Medical vs. Natural Drug Detox
You might not always be able to finish a natural drug detox successfully. Natural detoxing at home could be fatal if you’re coming off drugs or even alcohol.
You’ll need the assistance of medical professionals if your drug addiction is serious about getting through the withdrawal phase and initial detox safely.
Medical detoxes typically incorporate some medication to gradually wean the person off the drug rather than stopping abruptly. Medical detoxes are frequently safer since they reduce withdrawal’s adverse and perhaps lethal effects.
Drug-Specific Detox Strategies
Before beginning an ongoing treatment program, you must detox if you are dependent on any of the following substances:
Drug detox calls for a personalized strategy, just like all addiction treatment regimens have to be. The manner and kind of detox will depend on the substance used and the degree of dependence.
How to Detox the Body
It’s critical to understand how addiction alters the body and brain to learn how to detox from drugs and alcohol. Alcohol and drug abuse alter brain chemistry and cause physical dependence on the substance of choice.
Physical withdrawal symptoms like trembling, nausea, restless legs and insomnia are possible.
The kind of substance you are detoxing from impacts your withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal can result in delirium tremens, while heroin abuse can result in excruciating cramps.
Detoxing can cause significant symptoms like confusion, hallucinations, and seizures; however, complications are uncommon.
After becoming physically reliant on a substance, coping with and controlling withdrawal symptoms can be challenging when you stop using it. Relapsing might occur if withdrawal symptoms are not successfully managed.
Because your tolerance lowers significantly during withdrawal and relapse might result in a potentially lethal overdose, overdosing is also a risk when you detox without medical supervision.
The Detox Process: Step-By-Step
Everybody has different detox requirements. Drug detox facilitates the individualized care of drug addicts. The procedure typically includes these three steps:
Evaluation
The medical staff examines incoming patients for physical and mental health problems. Doctors use blood tests to assess the patient’s drug intake. It aids in calculating the dosage of drugs required.
A thorough evaluation of the patient’s medical, mental, and drug history is included. This information establishes the foundation of the patient’s long-term treatment strategy.
Stabilization
Stabilizing the patient through medical and psychological treatment is the next stage. Preventing the patient from suffering any injury is the aim of stabilization.
Doctors prescribe drugs for addiction treatment to avoid complications and lessen withdrawal symptoms.
Enter Treatment
The preparation for a treatment program comes as the last step of detox. Doctors explain to their patients the procedure and what to anticipate. The best odds of recovery following detox are found in inpatient treatment.
Detoxification Benefits
Detoxing can aid your mind and body in recovering from addiction and being the initial stage of an addiction treatment program. Your brain chemistry alters while you are trapped in addiction.
Alcohol and drugs affect brain receptors to boost neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine levels. These provide positive and exhilarating emotions.
Unfortunately, your body and brain lose some neurotransmitters when you quit using. It can then result in depressive, anxious, or hopeless feelings. A detox may worsen your underlying issues if you have a co-occurring disorder.
Benefits of drug and alcohol detoxification also include:
- Improving memory and other cognitive processes
- Making co-occurring disorders more straightforward to treat
- Promoting liver healing
- Making physical improvements
- You’ll feel more energized.
Length of Detox
Here is the good news: each second you abstain from narcotics, your body begins to detoxify. It is a result of how your body removes medications from your body.
The drugs you consume, smoke or snort all enter your bloodstream. Your liver and kidneys then break it down, and your saliva and urine filter it out.
However, difficulties could arise. For example, if your liver has been damaged, your body may detox from narcotics more slowly.
It’s essential to evaluate whether your drug usage may hinder your body’s ability to detox, as this is a common side effect of drug and alcohol addiction. If so, detoxification may take longer.
But generally speaking, the substance(s) you’re detoxing from will determine how long it takes.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that drug detox will typically take:
- One to three days for heroin
- Two to three days for cocaine
- Seven days to one month for marijuana
- Two to three days for meth
- Two to four days for MDMA
Safe Detox or Fast Detox
Numerous items promote themselves as means of removing medicines from the body more quickly. The products come in various forms, although they are typically offered as herbal remedies or specialty drinks.
And while it would be good to detox from narcotics more quickly, there is no proof that these medicines speed up the process.
Most of these products operate under the premise that consuming more water speeds up eliminating medicines from the body. However, it is untrue.
These items claim to add creatine and other vitamins to your urine so that the drug won’t be detected in the diluted sample. But drinking more water alone dilutes the number of drugs in your urine. Testing tools may typically still see the substance, though.
Simply put, the process of detoxification cannot be sped up. And suppose you have a pressing concern about passing a drug test. In that case, it might be time to think about the effects of your drug usage on your life.
The root causes of substance abuse are considerably more complex than cleansing your body of drugs.
How to Safely Detox From Drugs
Addiction is a complex mental illness. Furthermore, even on the odd occasion that an at-home drug detox succeeds, it won’t deal with the underlying problems that cause different people to become dependent on alcohol and drugs.
As a result, the safest option to rid your body of drugs is to enroll in a detox facility.
You will be kept safe while going through the controlled medical detox process. It is a significant advantage because at-home detoxification can be fatal depending on the substance you’re quitting.
And your chances of successfully detoxing from narcotics will significantly rise if you’re in a safe, sober atmosphere.
Additionally, you will have the option to move on to inpatient therapy. Although it can be enticing, drug detox is rarely the only thing you require.
You face the danger of relapsing soon after leaving a detox recovery facility if the mental side of addiction and its causes are not addressed.
We suggest those who undergo detox at our addiction treatment facility enroll in our dual diagnosis program.
You can receive treatment for co-occurring drug use disorders and mental health conditions here from qualified mental health and addiction specialists.
Your chance of relapsing will be significantly reduced as a result. Additionally, it will assist you in identifying better-coping strategies than drugs, which can dramatically improve all facets of your life.
It can be tempting to believe that detoxifying your body from narcotics requires a quick fix. The truth, however, is far different. It may be the time to seek professional help at a recovery and detox facility if your drug usage has started to impact your life negatively.
Tips to Help You Detox From Drugs
Here are the seven tips to assist your recovery in helping you detox from drugs.
Check into The Haven Detox
Heroin and opioids are two substances that can have bad withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholism puts patients at risk for fatal seizures when going through detox.
Please look for a detox program at The Haven Detox. Our staff are on duty around-the-clock to watch over and assist you. To make drug detox easier to handle, doctors may prescribe medicines.
Stick To a Nutritious Diet
Your digestive tract will become dysfunctional during drug withdrawal. It’s typical to feel queasy, vomit, and have diarrhea. Despite not feeling hungry, consume nutritious foods. Your body requires nutrients, especially niacin and vitamin C, to detox.
Get your daily recommended five cups of fruits and vegetables. Fill up on fish, lean meats, and beans for protein. Much like the flu, chicken soup can help with drug detox.
Increase Your Water Consumption
Toxins from drugs are flushed out by water, quickening withdrawal. You must drink plenty of fluids to support your organs, particularly your liver, from detoxifying. You must replace any lost water from vomiting and diarrhea.
Some detox patients experience extreme perspiration and runny nose. Water that is colder aids in reducing feverish body temperatures. To hydrate adequately, consume 12 cups or around 100 ounces of water daily.
Continue To Be Active
You might want to curl up in a fetal position and sob while undergoing drug detox. The process is complex, but you will make it possible! Exercise at a low level regularly can support you.
Dopamine, a feel-good hormone, is released as your heart rate increases. Take a light stroll or a short trek.
Practice Deep Breathing
When you breathe deeply, stretch receptors in your lungs to calm your nerves. Stress and poisons are exhaled with each exhale. Increased oxygenation of your cells will also hasten the process of drug detox. First, choose a peaceful area and settle in.
Close your eyes and purge your thoughts. Inhale deeply into your diaphragm through your nose. To get a better night’s sleep, take 10 minutes to practice deep breathing.
Lean on Support
It’s okay to ask for assistance. Staff at our facility may try to comfort you; don’t push them away. The optimum outcome for you is what the clinicians, doctors, nurses, psychologists, and others want.
They are available for friendly, non-judgmental conversations. Be honest about the suffering and feelings you’re experiencing. Discuss the repressed rage and frustration. Connect with your loved ones as well, if you can.
Inform your best friend, spouse, parent, or sibling about your accomplishments. Or you may compose a formal letter and mail it to them.
Life After Detoxification
The process of treating addiction begins with detoxification. For a good recovery, detox alone is frequently insufficient. The psychological component of addiction must be treated in those seeking therapy. They can join support groups or enroll in an inpatient recovery program.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How fast can you detox your body?
Detox programs often last three to ten days, depending on medical necessity, even though the length of time required to detox from substances differs from person to person.Depending on the detox you select, the detoxification process might last anywhere from one day to many weeks. Getting enough sleep eliminates the toxins that build up throughout the day.
A healthy diet high in prebiotics and probiotics supports effective detoxification by maintaining the health of your digestive system. At-home detox always results in relapse after a day or two.
What is involved in the detoxification of drugs?
The liver is the leading site of drug metabolism. It is essential for drug detoxification and substance removal from the body.The sinusoid channels, lined by Kupffer cells, a kind of immune cell, are used by the liver to filter toxins. These take the poison in, digest it, then expel it. Phagocytosis is the term for this action.
The liver is essential for the body’s detoxification and elimination of toxic endogenous and foreign chemicals. Kupffer cells, the liver’s phagocytes that live in the lobules, are responsible for destroying germs that invade the body and digesting and eliminating cellular waste.
What does it feel like to detox?
Detoxification is essentially blood purification. In the liver, where poisons are processed for removal, impurities are removed to do this.When someone with an addiction goes through detox, their anxiety and agitation levels increase as their body and mind adjust to life without drugs or alcohol. Irritability, social exclusion, despair, and intense emotions of loneliness are typical emotional states.
The lengthy list of detox side effects includes bodily aches, headaches, nausea, cognitive fog, irritability, and exhaustion. Because your skin is a significant toxin exit route, you can also develop acne or skin irritation.
The Haven Detox-New England: Detox Comfortably
Finding a detox facility that is certified and experienced is the next step in completing your withdrawal safely and comfortably.
The Haven Detox-New England is here to provide medical detox that can increase your chances of long-term recovery and connect you with other services and treatment options.
Call us at (844) 933-4145 immediately to learn more about how our treatment center may assist you in addressing your substance use concerns.
