Introduction
According to Dr. Richard Nahas, detox is the first step to recovery when you’re addicted to pills, alcohol or illegal drugs. It’s also called withdrawal treatment or detoxification where the addictive substance is slowly weaned off your system. Let’s check out how detox helps fight addiction.
The Details
- Detoxing at home – A lot of people prefer to detox at home. It’s also preferred by those who don’t have insurance and can’t pay tens of thousands of dollars for other detox programs. However, it’s important to understand that when you detox at home, you’re all alone and won’t have a professional supervising you. You may not have access to medication either to make the process easier.
A lot of detox medications that are available to doctors can’t be bought by regular people. That’s why people who detox at home are at a higher risk of overdosing or relapsing. Detoxing at home is usually only recommended when you haven’t been using drugs for long and have a very low degree of addiction.
- Detoxing at the hospital – If you’re having serious withdrawal symptoms like rapid heart rate, seizures or breathing problems, you should go to the ER as soon as possible. However, the ER isn’t usually the best place for detoxing. A lot of emergency rooms are under-equipped to treat addiction. So, if you aren’t having any withdrawal symptoms, the ER may simply redirect you to your local substance abuse treatment centre. However, some hospitals have expanded their addiction services in recent years and may be able to help.
- Outpatient detox – Outpatient detox comes in various forms. If the degree of addiction is fairly low and doesn’t require a lot of supervision, patients may just check in at a local home health agency or doctor’s office at scheduled intervals. Others may get check-ins from nurses.
However, people with a higher degree of addiction usually enrol in a substance abuse treatment facility or a daytime program at a hospital. The greatest benefit of outpatient detox is that you get to stay at home while getting professional support. Think of this detox method as detoxing at home with supervision from professionals, ambulance care, and medical-assisted withdrawal.
- Inpatient detox – Most inpatient detox programs include complete medical monitoring with nurses and doctors available at all hours while some rely on peer support. Programs with complete medical monitoring are the most expensive. However, some inpatient detox facilities also offer pro bono services to some customers who don’t have insurance and are unable to pay. These detox programs provide the highest level of care and also keep you safe and medically stable while you slowly get rid of the addictive substance from your system.
Conclusion
Dr. Richard Nahas suggests that you try out detoxification if you’re addicted to alcohol, opioids or illegal drugs. Detox programs are usually very comprehensive and effective if you follow them properly. If that doesn’t work for you, you can consult your doctor for other solutions.
