Ashley Addiction Treatment is one of the few rehab facilities that offer on-site detoxification. Doing so gives our program participants the opportunity to deal with drug withdrawal symptoms safely and pain-free. What are some of the symptoms you might experience? More importantly, what happens after detox?
Detox Breaks Your Physiological Dependence
Detoxification is the first step on the road to recovery. It breaks your body’s dependency on a substance. Alcohol, prescription meds, and other drugs may try to tell your body that it can’t live without them. Detox proves to you that you don’t need these substances to live.
Attempting to detox at home by yourself is dangerous. Some drug withdrawal symptoms can be hazardous to your health and require hospitalization. Others are so uncomfortable that they quickly erode your resolve to quit using. By undergoing detox at a designated facility, you have the advantage of medical supervision and therapy involvement all rolled into one.
Typical Drug Withdrawal Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the drug you’ve used, how long you’ve been using, and what a typical dose might be. For example, alcohol withdrawal results in shaking hands, sweating, and agitation. In some cases, you may have auditory and visual hallucinations. Seizures such as delirium tremens (DTs) constitute a life-threatening event that requires immediate medical intervention.
If you have a prescription drug addiction, you might suffer extreme forms of depression or anxiety. You feel gastrointestinal upset and abdominal pain. You’re either sweating profusely or shaking from cold. Your extremities may twitch and shake involuntarily.
Fortunately, professional medical supervision protects you from physiological harm during this process. Health care professionals monitor your vitals and keep you comfortable with the help of medications. They also ward off bigger problems by administering appropriate drugs that counteract dangerous side effects.
Although it sounds contrary to common sense, drug withdrawal symptoms are signs that the chemicals are leaving the body. These symptoms also signal that your body’s nervous system is coming back online. Because drugs rewrite your brain chemistry, their absence causes neurotransmitters to seek equilibrium. Typically, the process takes between three to seven or ten days.
The Danger of Psychological Withdrawal Symptoms
So far, we’ve talked about the physical symptoms. They are the ones that most people associate with quitting. However, there are also the psychological and emotional aspects. Frequently, people claim that they can make it through detox, but these symptoms scare them.
The sudden absence of dopamine release results in depression. Emotional overreactions become routine. You can’t handle stress the way you used to. You don’t feel like doing anything or going anywhere.
For this reason, it’s vital to undertake detox at a facility that also administers substance abuse programs. Now is a good time to begin treatment for the psychological dependence. By doing so without interrupting your detox or letting time elapse afterward, you boost the effectiveness of relapse prevention tools. Effective modalities include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy as part of the one-on-one talk therapy setting
- Age-appropriate therapies for young adults and other demographics
- Gender-specific paths that build on your innate strengths and allows you to collaborate with same-sex peers
- Holistic care that offers physical and emotional comfort, which also assists with grounding you in the present
Having an array of treatment options available is helpful because it allows for a seamless continuation of care. Since relapse is a real danger early on in recovery, this setup is of vital importance.
Find Out How Ashley Addiction Treatment Can Help You Stop Using Drugs or Alcohol Today
You don’t have to continue suffering. It’s possible to overcome a physiological, emotional, and psychological dependence on drugs or alcohol. Reach out for help today, which allows friendly therapists to get you started on the road to recovery. Dial 866-313-6307 now.