In the United States alone, 20 million people have Substance Use Disorder or SUD. This is a mental health condition that causes people to use a substance like drugs or alcohol in a problematic way. SUD victims use the substance to the point where it impairs their lives or causes them distress.
Do you have SUD and live in California? If so, residential detox treatment in California can free you from your pain. Read on to learn more about these programs and what they involve.
What Is Detox Treatment?
Detoxing is usually the first stage of a drug or alcohol rehab program. After a person enters an inpatient rehab program, they need to eliminate their reliance on their substance of choice. Medics in the rehab program will cut down the amount of a substance a patient takes or cut them off entirely.
Withdrawal
Their body will then start to negatively react to losing the substance. This reaction is called withdrawal.
Withdrawal happens because taking a substance for a significant amount of time changes a body’s chemistry. Once the substance goes away, the body has to readjust.
Withdrawal Assistance
Withdrawal symptoms can be incredibly painful and sometimes even life-threatening. It’s up to the medical professionals at the center to assist the patient through their withdrawals.
If all goes well, the patient will fight off the withdrawal symptoms until they stop. They can then enter the therapy portion of a rehab program.
Timeline of Detox Treatment
Most of the steps you take during alcohol and/or drug detox treatment are the same. Some of the fine details, like treatment length and assistance given, differ from substance to substance.
Intake
After a person enters rehab, they will first undergo an intake assessment. Steps you may encounter in this process include the following:
- Get blood work done
- Mental health tests
- Physical health tests
- Answering general health questions
- Answering addiction questions
This assessment helps medical professionals figure out how they can best help you. They will use all this information to help them develop your custom detox and rehabilitation plan.
Withdrawal Symptoms
After the assessment, the person will enter withdrawal within 24 hours or so. Withdrawal symptoms look different for everyone. They change from person to person depending on:
- Length of the addiction period
- The substance they’re addicted to
- How much they’ve been consuming
- General mental and physical health
Experiences are so diverse that a single person can experience multiple detoxes and have them all be different. Still, there are many common symptoms that multiple people can have. Common physical symptoms include the following:
- Exhaustion
- Runny nose
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Shivering
- Shaking
- Muscle pain
- Bone pain
- Fever and chill
- High blood pressure
- High heart rate
- Stomach cramps
Mental symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Paranoia
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Cravings
- Mood swings
In the most severe cases, patients can experience seizures, delirium, and hallucinations.
During the Withdrawal
While patients are experiencing withdrawal symptoms, they receive 24/7 care. Medical staff will carefully monitor the patient during this time. They should also be supportive and compassionate to the patient.
Medical professionals can also give patients certain medicines to ease them through their withdrawal. No medication can ease all withdrawal symptoms. However, many types of medication can ease problems like anxiety and insomnia.
How Long Detox Treatment Lasts
The average detox treatment lasts about a week and a half. Still, the amount of time spent can differ from person to person. Many of the same factors that affect withdrawal symptoms also affect the length of a detox period.
Some Benefits of Detox Treatment
Some people may believe they can detox themselves. This may be possible, but it’s extremely difficult for this to be successful. If you detox yourself, you won’t have many of the benefits that come with an inpatient detox program.
No Substance Available
If you stay outside of a rehab facility, you will still have your substance of choice available to you. This isn’t the case in a rehab facility. The medical there will ensure that you don’t have access to what you’re addicted to.
You can try to have a friend watch over you. They may be able to stop you from going after the substance you crave. However, keeping you medically safe from your symptoms likely won’t be possible for them.
Medical Help Available
As mentioned, medical professionals will look after you 24/7. If you end up having a medical emergency, they can help you quickly and swiftly. If you have a medical crisis in your home or a friend’s, emergency services won’t be able to get to you in time.
Yes, medical emergencies during a drug detox are rare. But don’t take the risk! Engage in detox services to help you with your substance abuse detox.
Easier to Detox
On top of that, medical professionals should do everything in their power to make your detox more comfortable for you. This will make the entire detox process easier to get through.
If the process is easier, it’s much more likely that you’ll be able to get through it. You will then be able to continue on your journey of recovery and possibly never struggle under SUD again.
Try Our Residential Detox Treatment in California
Do not worry about appearing weak by using a detox treatment. Many strong men and women struggle with freeing themselves from addiction. This goes far beyond one’s physical and mental strength.
Do you need residential detox treatment in California? If so, consider using our services at Oasis Detox. Our holistic rehab center will focus on healing your mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
In addition, we offer genuine care and empathy. Enroll today by filling out the form on this page.