Drug Detox

Drug detox is a procedure aimed at ridding the body of harmful chemicals introduced by habitual drug use.  The process is supervised by medical professionals and helps ease the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms associated with detox cleansing, thereby increasing a patient’s chances of success.  The goal of this kind of body detox is to reduce the risk of dangerous side effects and potentially lethal complications brought on by drug abuse and addiction.

There are usually three stages of drug detox.  The evaluation phase involves extensive testing—both biological and psychological—to determine the specific substances present in a patient’s system and the quantity or concentration of those substances.  The patient is also assessed by a psychologist or substance abuse counselor to determine whether any underlying behavioral or mental disorders are present that could interfere with treatment.  The stabilization phase is the drug detox process itself.  A trained healthcare professional administers controlled doses of medication that eases withdrawal symptoms as drugs leave the body.  During this phase, the patient also learns what to expect from the procedure and subsequent recovery.  It is during this part of the process that support from family and friends can greatly impact the patient’s rate of success.  The final phase of drug detox includes providing access to counselors, therapists and behavioral specialists who work together to address the psychological issues that underlie addiction and provide coping skills that the patient can implement to avoid relapse.

Medical drug detox is appropriate for two main kinds of substance abuse:  addiction to opiates and addiction to benzodiazepine.

Opiate addiction—drugs like heroin, morphine and codeine—causes severe physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms can manifest mere hours after use.  Symptoms include restlessness, tremors, cramps, insomnia, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, and uncontrollable cravings for more drugs.  For opiate addicts, medical detox is essential to the withdrawal process, as symptoms can be so severe that they become simply unmanageable without medical intervention.  In opiate drug detox, medication is gradually decreased over several days to ensure complete weaning with as little discomfort as possible.

Benzodiazepines, also called benzos, are prescription medications used to treat conditions like insomnia, anxiety, panic and seizure disorders and include name-brand drugs like Ambien, Xanax, Ativan, Lunesta and Klonopin.  Benzo withdrawal is characterized by sleeplessness, agitation, depression, muscle aches, panic attacks, nausea, blurred vision, and delusions or hallucinations.  The severity of these symptoms varies depending on how much a patient has been using and for how long.  Medical drug detox for benzo dependence also involves administering controlled doses of medication that are slowly reduced over several days.

There is currently no recommended course of medical or chemical detox approved for dependence on cocaine, crack, ketamine or marijuana.

Even if drug detox is successful, patients with a genuine desire to overcome addiction must undergo additional treatment—either out-patient or residential—to deal with the psychological, social, emotional, behavioral and mental factors that contribute to chemical dependence.  Medical detox addresses only the physiological aspects of addiction and does not guarantee complete success; a comprehensive treatment plan is necessary to prevent future relapse.