Medical Detox

At Boca Recovery Center, we help you detox safely with medications and therapy to manage your withdrawal symptoms.

Believe you can and you’re halfway there – Theodore Roosevelt

We do not use rapid detox kits or cold turkey methods because their effectiveness is unproven and their safety is questionable.

Medical detoxification from alcohol or substances is necessary because when it comes to addiction, your brain and body are not always in sync. Your brain may be focused on recovery and doing everything to get sober, but your body may not be ready because it is still under the influence of drugs or alcohol and you are physiologically-addicted. This means that your body cannot function properly without getting the alcohol or substances that you have been using for some period of time. Detox is the process of safely bringing the body up to speed so that recovery can be accomplished with minimal risk to your health.

Medical detox programs give people the time their bodies need to get rid of the substances or alcohol from their system. When you enter the drug detox program at Boca Recovery Center, you will start your journey to a sober, healthier life in a safe, supervised environment. We will keep you as comfortable as possible throughout withdrawal. Our expert staff can manage a range of withdrawal severities depending on the substance abused and your level of dependence. Call us today on (855) 637-1331 to learn more about our medical detox programs.

In this article, we will give you some insight into how medical detox works and what to expect during drug withdrawal. This information will help you and your family prepare to get the help you need for a sober future.

Why do drugs cause withdrawal?

Before you can understand medical detox, it will help to know a little more about what drugs can do and why they cause withdrawal symptoms. Many drugs cause physical dependence. This means you come to rely on them to prevent uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. As time goes on, you need more of the drug to get the same effect. This is called tolerance. Some people become physically dependent on a drug rather quickly, while others take longer. When you stop taking the drug, your body needs to get used to the new normal before it can recover. This causes withdrawal symptoms.

 

Do I need medical detox?

Withdrawal symptoms can occur whenever you stop or cut back on drugs after long-term use. These symptoms can be very difficult, even painful. An experienced addiction recovery team can manage these symptoms with medications to control your symptoms. This will make the process as easy as possible. The withdrawal process is not life-threatening when it’s performed in a supervised setting utilizing evidence-based medical detox programs. Medical detox in a top-rated addiction rehab facility is the best way to safely come off drugs or stop using alcohol.

What drugs cause withdrawal? What are the symptoms?

Here are some of the drugs that commonly cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms:

Opiates

Morphine, OxyContin, heroin, Vicodin are all opiates. When you attempt to stop taking these drugs, you may experience anxiety, agitation, insomnia, and muscle aches. Late withdrawal symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping.

Benzodiazepines

Klonopin, Valium, and Halcyon are commonly abused benzos. During withdrawal from benzos, there can be life-threatening complications. The withdrawal syndrome is characterized by irritability, sleep disturbance, panic attacks, anxiety, tremors, sweating, nausea, palpitations, and muscle pains.

Alcohol

When you are abusing alcohol, your brain is in a constant state of sedation. When you stop drinking after longstanding heavy alcohol use, you may develop a severe and life-threatening condition called delirium tremens. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include jitteriness, agitation, restlessness, hallucinations, paranoia, and seizures.

Cocaine

The effects of cocaine withdrawal are not as serious as alcohol or benzos. Oftentimes, there are no physical symptoms. However, depression and drug cravings can last for months after stopping cocaine use. Some people experience suicidal thoughts during cocaine withdrawal. Symptoms can also include vivid, unpleasant dreams, general discomfort, fatigue, and agitation.

Amphetamines

Ritalin and other amphetamines are stimulants that put you in a state of hyper-alertness. When you remove these drugs from your system, it can lead to unusual brain activity. Amphetamine withdrawal symptoms include depression and psychosis (strange behaviors). Cravings can be present for up to five weeks after the last use. Treatment with medical detox can help keep these episodes in check.

What is Medical Detox?

Drug detox is essentially a natural process in which your body uses various organs to get rid of the drugs in your system. For example, if you’re in a medical detox program for alcohol, your digestive system will process the alcohol. Your liver will purify your blood. Your kidneys will remove the waste from your body. But, during this process of removal, the powerful drugs that are still present in your body can wreak havoc, causing severe withdrawal symptoms. That’s why attempting a drug detox at home can be dangerous and may put your life at risk.

At Boca Recovery Center, our experts will manage your withdrawal symptoms to keep you comfortable. We will treat you with your addiction history in mind. This will allow you to move past drugs in the safest possible way.

Many methods of detox come with dangers that can put your life at risk or leave you battling serious complications. Medical detox is the safest way to come off drugs or alcohol.

Still not sure if a medical drug detox at Boca Recovery Center is right for you? Let us take a look at the different options available to help you get clean.

Cold Turkey

Some people make a conscious choice to quit drugs at once. This is the cold turkey method of quitting. It doesn’t allow your body or brain time to adjust. Your systems are pushed into sudden withdrawal.

Sometimes, a person may be pushed into cold turkey withdrawal unwillingly. For example, in some states, prison inmates don’t receive addiction rehab treatment unless there is a life-threatening complication.

The cold turkey approach can be appealing because it is cheap and quick. But it comes with considerable risks. It can be very dangerous to suddenly stop taking certain drugs. Also, when you quit cold turkey at home, you won’t have any help with withdrawal symptoms or severe cravings. That can set you up for a medical crisis or relapse.

Home Detox

People with longstanding addictions become experts in understanding how the drug affects their mind and body. They know how much to take and when to take it to get the desired effects. Some people think they can sober up by slowly tapering drug use at home. The idea is to use smaller and smaller doses over time so that their body has time to adjust. The hope is that one day they’ll be taking no drug at all.

In reality, tapering to zero use takes a long time to accomplish. One study found that progressive benzodiazepine withdrawal is preferable to abrupt discontinuance, but it works best if done for over 10 weeks or more. If you move faster, you’re at risk of relapse.

Regardless of the length of home detox, when you’re tapering drug use on your own, you’re always at a risk of relapse. You still have access to the drugs you’re addicted to. It only takes one moment of weakness to take more than you planned.

Home Detox Kits

There are many home detox kits on the market that claim to help people during the long taper from drug use. These sobriety products contain vitamins, tinctures, and herbs as well as urine tests to help you stay on track. However, many home detox kits will not help the drug pass out of your system. They will not speed up the removal of the drug from your body. At best, they are ineffective and you are signing up for a cold turkey withdrawal. At worst, home detox kits can be dangerous for people taking certain types of drugs. So, if you’re thinking of using a home detox kit to pass a drug test, think again. Your investment may not be worth it.

Rapid Detox

Certain programs offer to sedate you and provide you with medications that will render the illegal drugs inactive. This method is especially popular for opioid addiction. It sounds tempting, right?

Unfortunately, there’s no short cut to sobriety. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, anesthesia-assisted ultra-rapid detox simply is not effective. The withdrawal symptoms are as severe as those you might endure with traditional detox programs. Moreover, there are grave safety concerns and the method is not covered by insurance.

What to expect during medical detox at Boca Recovery Center?

At Boca Recovery Center, we understand that drug recovery can be daunting. Our team of therapists and clinicians is with you all the way, starting with alcohol and drug detoxification. We will cleanse your body and stabilize your mind while ensuring your health and safety. You will have help in dealing with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. We will make withdrawal as comfortable as possible using detox protocols and standards approved by leading authorities in addiction rehab. Our carefully supervised program is designed to meet all your physical and psychological needs. The ultimate goal is to reduce the severity of your withdrawal symptoms. You will be under constant supervision and we will support you at every step of the withdrawal process.

Our experienced medical detox team will prescribe medications to blunt the effect of withdrawal symptoms so you can recover safely without feeling severely ill.

Your treatment will be customized to your needs. The team will prescribe treatments based on:

• What drugs you have taken
• How long you have been using
• When your last dose was consumed
• Your typical dose
• How many times you have attempted sobriety in the past and what happened during these attempts

In addition to medications, you’ll receive nutrition, emotional support, and alternative treatments to help your mind and body heal. As you move through the detox process, our team will keep a close eye on your mental and physical wellbeing. Therapies will be tweaked based on your symptoms. The aim is to keep you comfortable and make the process as easy as possible.

At the end of your medical detox at Boca Recovery Center, the goal is you’re no longer taking any more drugs. You are ready to enter therapeutic programs to complete your recovery. You can move forward to the next step, i.e., drug rehab where you’ll learn strategies to manage cravings and handle relapse triggers.

The medical detox program at Boca Recovery Center will smooth your path to rehab and long-term recovery. We’ll make sure you’re ready to do the work required for lasting sobriety.

Find out more about medical detox programs for people with addictions by calling Boca Recovery Center on (800) 516-4357. By enrolling, you’ll take the first step to a happier, healthier, drug-free future.