What is Drug and Alcohol Detox?

Drug and alcohol detox is a treatment for people who have developed physical dependencies on drugs or alcohol. Cessation can cause serious symptoms and complications during the period known as withdrawal. A drug and alcohol detox provides medically supervised care during withdrawal to treat symptoms and stabilize patients. Detox can also be used for drugs associated only with psychological dependencies to create a structured environment for people who are quitting.

For certain addictions, drug and alcohol detox in a clinical setting is critical. Withdrawal from alcohol, heroin, and certain other drugs can be deadly if conducted at home or in an unsupervised setting. During drug and alcohol detox, patients are monitored for signs of emerging complications and are given medications to treat symptoms, including drugs like anticonvulsants to address seizures.

When a patient is admitted to a drug and alcohol detox facility, the personnel develop a treatment plan on the basis of the patient's general health, the type of addiction, and other factors. This treatment plan will be used to help the patient adjust to cessation of drugs and alcohol and cope with the sometimes dangerous associated symptoms.

Detox is typically provided in a secure hospital or clinic. While in treatment, patients do not have access with the outside world and they are monitored 24 hours a day by nursing personnel and other medical staff. They may also be provided with psychological counseling, although during the worst period of drug and alcohol detox, patients may not be alert or aware enough to benefit from counseling.

Going to drug and alcohol detox is the first step in treating addiction. Once a patient is medically stable after with the withdrawal process, additional treatments like counseling can be explored. Some inclusive facilities offer both detox and counseling in an inpatient setting and may provide outpatient services as well to people who are far enough into recovery to feel comfortable leaving the clinic.

Substance abuse is very difficult to treat. It is important to remember that addiction is not cured, only managed or treated. Someone with a history of alcoholism, for example, will always be an alcoholic, but can choose to avoid alcohol with the assistance of substance abuse treatment. Many different treatment plans are available for people who have completed drug and alcohol detox and if a program is not working well for a patient, the patient may want to consider exploring other approaches.