Addiction treatment begins with drug detox. In this step, the patient is taken off drugs to allow the brain time to escape its physical addiction to these substances. During this process, the brain cleanses itself and attempts to re-establish normal function. Drug detox is followed by months of intensive psychological therapy. In this step, the patient attempts to free his mind of psychological addiction, the condition that creates the irresistible cravings associated with addiction. Unfortunately, at our drug detox in Cuyahoga Falls, we often find that our clients are deeply perplexed by the fact that there are two steps required. We try our best to help our patients understand why.
To many people struggling with addiction, it often seems as if drug detox alone should be enough to do the trick. It's understandable that they should feel this way, especially after the turmoil of addiction. The freedom from cravings and withdrawal symptoms that drug detox delivers can feel like a permanent cure.
We tell our clients that appearances are deceptive, and that it's important to understand each aspect by turn. Here, we start with physical addiction, and the drug detoxification step that helps fight it. If you have questions about the process, you can always call us at our drug detox in Cuyahoga Falls.
When you are addicted, terminating drug use is neither simple nor intuitive. Upon stopping, a few hours of peace is all you get. Very soon, the physically addicted brain is unable to function without the presence of the drug in question, and begins to attempt to re-establish normal function, a process known as detoxification.
The brain's chemical levels become unpredictable, and the brain experiences very serious effects known as withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the drug and the length of the addiction, symptoms can range from headaches, insomnia, anxiety and agitation to hallucinations, seizures, convulsions and cardiac arrest.
As should be obvious, these effects are more than a nuisance. They can be fatal. While some addicts do manage to battle their symptoms on their own and emerge alive at the other end, further complications develop. Those who allow themselves to experience serious withdrawal symptoms usually fall prey to a phenomenon called kindling. When the brain experiences symptoms such as seizures, it becomes vulnerable to relapse in the future. Medically supervised drug detox is the scientific way to perform the detoxification process.
A scientifically designed drug detox program aims to take the patient through the detoxification process in a medically safe manner. This means that every effort is made to medically suppress harmful symptoms. With a variety of medications and medical processes at the ready, professionals ensure that the brain going through detoxification is shielded from all serious symptoms.
The advantages of medically supervised drug detox are multifold. To begin, the prospect of a pain-free course makes it easier for addicts to consider quitting. The constant medical supervision available helps ensure that the patient experiences no dangerous, life-threatening symptoms. Protection from the possibility of kindling is an important benefit, as well. The possibility of long-term sobriety becomes far stronger.
Addicts attempting drug detox have the option of choosing between accepting treatment on an inpatient basis and treatment on an outpatient basis. Many people prefer the outpatient method for the low cost, and the freedom that's allowed. Those accepting treatment are able to live at home, go to work each day and continue with their lives. Inpatient rehab in Cuyahoga Falls tends to be far more expensive and more intrusive. It requires that the addict take several months off work to check into a facility.
In all but the simplest of cases, experts recommend the inpatient method. The close medical monitoring possible comes with greater assurance of responsive treatment when withdrawal symptoms appear. Inpatient care also offers improved management in the event of complications such as the presence of a mental disorder, a common occurrence.
The drug detox process usually completes in a month. What follows is relapse prevention in Cuyahoga Falls, the months of psychological therapy that help ensure that the recovering addict has every psychological tool needed to resist a slide back into drug use, an eventuality that is all but certain when treatment is discontinued after detoxification.
It is a good idea in most cases to choose inpatient treatment for the relapse prevention stage. It takes full-time engagement with therapeutic programs to help fight relapse.
Drug detox is a highly skilled process, and not every detox offers the same level of scientific expertise or patient care. Many inpatient drug detox centers, for instance, offer patients nothing but minimal levels of care, even with sensitive cases such as benzodiazepine or alcohol detoxification. It's important to put in research into finding a center that possesses the level of expertise required.
If you would like advice on choosing a drug detox center, the experts at our drug detox in Cuyahoga Falls would be glad to speak to you. All you need to do is to call in to make an appointment. Call us now at (877) 804-1531.