Why Should I Attend Professional Detox for Opioid Withdrawal?

It is common for individuals undergoing opioid withdrawal to attempt to detox from their drugs of abuse at home instead of attending a professional detox program. However, it can be extremely dangerous not to receive the treatments recommended for opioid withdrawal or to go through the process without the help of professional caregivers.

Assessment and Treatment Plan Creation

A professional detox program can help you overcome opioid abuse.

Individuals who do not attend professional detox will not be able to be assessed for the severity of their withdrawal syndrome, nor will they be able to have a personalized treatment plan created for them with the help of a medical professional. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) is an 11-item scale designed to be administered by a clinician” that is used to rate the signs and symptoms commonly associated with opioid withdrawal and the tendency of the patient to exhibit them. This can make it much easier to identify the severity of a person’s withdrawal syndrome and the types of treatment they will require. At a detox center, your doctor will help you decide on the best treatment regimen for your needs and be able to administer those treatments safely.

Pharmacological and Behavioral Therapies

Three different medications exist for the treatment of opioid withdrawal: methadone, buprenorphine, and clonidine. It is both unsafe and illegal for an individual to treat themselves with these medications, and it can also be very dangerous to taper off the medication you are already using without the help of a medical professional. In detox, you can receive the medication that is best for you, even if it means being slowly tapered of the drug you were originally on, under the care of the detox center’s nurses and doctors.

In addition, at a detox center, you can receive access to behavioral therapies. This can be extremely helpful in allowing you to transition into your next phase of treatment while being beneficial to those patients grappling with depression or other emotional and psychological issues.

Transitioning into Addiction Treatment

Those who do not attend addition treatment after they have gone through opioid withdrawal put themselves in serious danger. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Because withdrawal reduces the person’s tolerance to the drug, those who have just gone through withdrawal can overdose on a much smaller dose than they used to take,” often leading to coma and death.

If you decide to attend professional detox, you will be much more likely to make the transition into addiction treatment after your withdrawal has ended. This is not only much safer but it is the only way you will truly be able to recover from your opioid addiction, as detox itself is not a full treatment regimen but merely the beginning of one.

Do You Want to Find an Opioid Detox Center in Your Area?

Call 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) . We can help you find a detox facility that offers the treatments you need as well as provide assistance with transitioning into a full addiction treatment program after your detox has ended. Call today to begin your recovery.