How To Detox From Drugs
By Midwest Detox Staff
It can be very daunting to simply stop taking drugs. It sounds simple enough in theory, but the process is both physically and psychologically taxing and can be fraught with peril. It’s important to be realistic about the demanding process involved with detoxing from drugs, but it is equally vital to understand that it can be done.
Addiction isn’t pretty. Addiction also isn’t a choice. Classified as a disease by the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, it must be treated as such. With the proper education of how addiction works and the fact that it is an illness, it becomes easier to understand how detoxing from drugs is the first and most pivotal step in the path towards addiction recovery.
The Benefits Of Detoxing From Drugs
Abruptly halting your drug use is no easy feat. It is imperative to understand the benefits of detoxing from drugs in order to have the right mindset when beginning the detox process. Comprehending the reward that comes with being clean is a vital step that must be taken before the detox can even start.
What do drugs do? Obviously, each type of drug will have varying effects, but they are all similar in the way that they tend to numb our feelings and emotions. Oftentimes, the disease that is addiction begins with enjoying that numbness, with relishing an easy alternative to feeling pain. Once that feeling is experienced, it can become all too easy to resort to it time and time again in order to avoid the roller coaster of emotions that is everyday life.
When you detox from drugs, you will begin to feel emotions and pain again. While that may sound like a negative, with that ability comes the capacity to feel love and a sense of belonging with family members and friends. Whereas drug use alienates the user from his loved ones, drug detox will do the opposite. It will allow you to have healthy relationships, both personally and professionally.
Improved self-esteem is another benefit of detoxing from drugs. Drug use allows the user to bury feelings of unworthiness and self-loathing. Without drugs in your system, you can begin developing feelings of self-worth. Improved relationships both at home and in the workplace will play a huge role in nurturing that self-esteem.
Besides experiencing improved relationships, detoxing from drugs will result in better physical health. Every medication has side effects. Prolonged drug use in excessive quantities takes a massive physical toll on the body. The good news is that when you stop, your body will immediately begin healing itself from the damage.
Why Detoxing From Drugs At Home Is Not A Good Idea
The benefits of detoxing from drugs are clear. In fact, they may seem so aspirational that one may be tempted to try and detox immediately from the comfort of their own home. There are many reasons why this is not a good idea. Firstly, it is extremely difficult to abruptly stop using drugs. It may seem like sheer willpower would be enough to do the trick, but that is unfortunately not the case.
As your body rids itself of any drugs in its system, it begins to suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Since the body has learned to rely on the drugs for a prolonged period of time, when those drugs are suddenly withheld, the body no longer knows how to function. As a result, there are a myriad of both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms that are experienced.
Physically, you will experience nausea, vomiting, sweating, shivering, high temperature, headaches, elevated heart rate, and elevated blood pressure. Psychological withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, depression, insomnia, irritability, agitation, confusion, paranoia, and mood swings. In severe cases, these withdrawal symptoms can progress and lead to hallucinations, seizures, and delirium tremens.
While one may think that they can handle these withdrawal symptoms on their own, it usually becomes too difficult to withstand. Languishing in the throes of detox, it can become all too easy to pick up the phone and text your drug dealer just to get the pain to stop. Doing so will not only halt the recovery journey before it has even begun, but it will demotivate you and make it feel like it’s useless to even try again.
In a home environment, even in the most loving of homes, there is not enough emotional support and guidance to help you make it through the detox process. More importantly, in a home environment, there is no medical team providing around the clock medical care to ensure that withdrawal symptoms don’t become life threatening.
The Best Way To Detox From Drugs
It may be disheartening when you come to the realization that you can’t just quit drugs on your own. You may feel like it’s pointless to even undertake a process that requires so much. The list of withdrawal symptoms can bounce back and forth around your brain and discourage you from even wanting to begin your recovery journey in the first place. However, it’s important to understand that even though detoxing from home is a bad idea, there are better successful ways to detox from drugs.
The best way to detox from drugs is at a drug detox center. These facilities offer trained medical and mental health professionals to assist in the arduous journey that is drug detox. When you arrive at a drug detox center, intake personnel will sit with you to review your medical history and addiction history, and will address any concerns you may have.
Armed with a full picture of your physical and emotional health, as well as your drug use history, including relapses, a team of licensed professionals work together to create a treatment plan that works for you. This means you are not attempting the detox alone. You have an entire team of medical professionals assisting you throughout the entire process.
Around the clock medical care will monitor your symptoms and provide a personalized medication regimen designed to alleviate your suffering. Mental health professionals will provide one-on-one therapy sessions, as well as group therapy sessions, to help guide you through the detox process.
How The Drug Detox Program At Midwest Detox Can Help You
It is abundantly clear that the best way to detox from drugs is at a drug detox center. However, it is important to note that not all drug detox centers are created equally. When choosing where to begin your recovery journey, it is imperative to select a place tailored to your individual success.
With a very low patient capacity of just nine patients at a time, Midwest Detox prioritizes the individual journey of each client. Our highly qualified team of physicians, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, nurses, licensed therapists, and addiction counselors understand that each patient’s history and drug journey is uniquely their own. Armed with this understanding, our dedicated staff work diligently to create a personalized detox regimen for each individual patient.
At Midwest Detox, we understand the shame that comes with drug use. Our primary goal has and always will be to treat each patient with respect and dignity. We strive to partner with you on your recovery journey, to make it one that is comfortable, safe, and successful.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Reach out to Midwest Detox at 414-409-5200 or send us a message today.