The Detox Process: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Drugs and alcohol disrupt our body chemistry and is misused or abused, they have the potential to cause addiction. These devilish chemicals take hold of your physiological and psychological processes, creating dependence that turns into a vicious cycle of abuse.

Some drugs, like prescription medications, have a defined purpose and can benefit us. Similarly, the occasional drink or joint might not be too much of a bad thing if you can keep it under control and moderate your use.

But for millions of Americans, moderation isn’t possible. Using these substances leads to misuse and eventual abuse, ruining lives and scarring families. Trying to kick a chemical or alcohol addiction is really, really hard.

Millions of people try to kick their addictions every day, and few manage to keep their conviction and make it to sobriety. The reality is this, trying to kick drugs and alcohol cold turkey can be more than your mind and body can bear. The only way to make it through the gauntlet of withdrawal is with a medical alcohol detox or drug detoxification program.

What is a medical detox, and how can it help addicts break free from the clutches of addiction?

What is Medical Detox?

Medical drug and alcohol detox programs are inpatient rehabilitation programs designed to remove your dependence on the monster of addiction that’s controlling your life. It’s a medically led strategy coordinated by a doctor experienced in helping patients mitigate the risk of withdrawal symptoms causing harm to their physiology.

In layman’s terms, a medical doctor uses medications to limit the withdrawal effects of the drugs you’re using. We get it, it’s weird to hear that doctors need to prescribe drugs to you to help you beat a drug addiction, but it’s a proven protocol that gets results.

The medical detox occurs in three phases, with a medical doctor personalizing the treatment to your unique circumstances. A medical detox isn’t always necessary to kick an addiction, but it has many advantages for the user who can’t seem to control their addictive behavior.

Quick Look: What are the Benefits of Medical Detox?

A medically supervised detox program at a drug and alcohol detox center like Carrara offers you the following benefits for your recovery.

Safety: Medical supervision reduces the chances of complications in withdrawal.

Symptom management: Medications and supportive care reduce adverse symptoms or distress associated with severe withdrawal symptoms.

Personalized Care: Special treatment protocols are prepared according to the needs of the person.

Foundation for Recovery: Detoxification lays the foundation for successful long-term treatment programs.

By reducing physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms, medical detox creates an opportunity to focus on the recovery process itself.

When Is It Necessary to Administer Medical Detox?

A medical alcohol and drug detox isn’t always necessary. If you’re a smoker, you might be able to quit without using NRT. But if you’re a fentanyl user, it’s going to be difficult for you to stop using without medical assistance.

Doctors determine the extent of your addiction and diagnose any co-occurring mental health disorders before creating a custom detox plan. Typically, these programs are for users with a prolonged history of abuse and are using large quantities of their chosen poison. You can’t control your compulsion to use, no matter how hard you try, and you’ve probably tried to quit many times before but failed with each attempt.

Alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates are highly addictive chemicals and you can’t just drop using them and hope for the best. If you’ve been using these drugs for a while your brain and nervous system are reliant on them and you’ll end up experiencing life-threatening complications during withdrawal.

A medical detox gives you a controlled environment to get your body clean of these toxins without experiencing life-threatening complications. Your doctor administers medications that help you make it through the worst symptoms of the withdrawal phase without undergoing too much stress or pain as your body lets go of its physical need for the compounds ruining your life.

Understanding Withdrawal Symptoms with SUD and AUD

Drug and alcohol detox symptoms vary depending on the extent of your addiction and how long you’ve been using drugs or alcohol. There are different levels of addiction, ranging from mild to severe, and your doctor assesses you to understand the nature and depth of your problem.

Here are some of the common symptoms associated with different types of substances.

Alcohol: anxiety, sweating, nausea, trembling, seizures, and hallucinations or delirium in extreme cases.

Opioids: Muscle aches, insomnia, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Stimulants: Fatigue, depression, sleep disturbances, and changes in appetite.

Benzodiazepines: Anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and an increased sensitivity to light and sound.

The Medical Detox Process at Carrara for Treating SUD and AUD

There’s no cookie-cutter strategy to medical detox, each case is unique and requires a customized approach to treatment. Let’s take a look at the three stages of medical detox you’ll go through at Carrara.

Step #1: Assessment—Getting to Know You

When you’re introduced to the medical team at Carrara luxury alcohol detox and drug rehabilitation, you’ll get a private assessment from a doctor. They’ll thoroughly assess you, asking questions on your medical history and your current health.

They’ll complete bloodwork tests to analyze the health of your internal organs and hormonal system, looking for signs of damage caused by your addiction. They ask you questions regarding the state of your mental health and diagnose co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression that influence your addictive behaviors.

Step #2: Detoxification and Stabilization

After your doctors is confident they have all the information they need from you, they’ll start planning your personalized withdrawal program using medications to dampen the symptoms associated with withdrawal from your substances of choice.

For instance, if you’re addicted to morphine or opioids, they may recommend suboxone therapy at a dose specific to your height and weight.

The goal of the protocol is to mitigate the pain and discomfort associated with withdrawing from your substance of choice, reducing the intensity and duration of symptoms to make it as comfortable as possible. The doctor will treat you in your private suite at Carrara while you lie on your king size bed nestled in plush bedding. Or while you’re relaxing on the couch in front of the fireplace.

You’ll receive IV fluids and intravenous vitamins and minerals to help your body recover from any deficiencies in your electrolyte balance or your vitamin levels. During this phase of the process, you get round-the-clock care from a team of highly trained nurses who specialize in helping people make it through the detox program. There’s always someone there to call for when you need support.

The nursing team at Carrara monitor your vital signs 24-hours a day. They give you individualized attention to mitigate the risk of complications like seizures and delirium tremens (DTs).

There’s always someone there to talk to when you feel scared or lonely. You don’t need to stress about anything. You have an entire team helping you through this challenging experience.

Step #3: Transition: Preparing You for the Next Step In Your Treatment Plan

The final stage of the detox process is strengthening your body and mind to enter the therapy program and continue the rest of your inpatient treatment. The worst is behind you now, but the medical team continually assesses you based on your response to the treatment. When your doctor thinks your body is ready to move forward, they’ll focus on preparing your mind and spirit for the next stage of the program.

What are the Medications Used in AUD and SUD Detox Programs?

A world-class, luxury alcohol and drug detox center like Carrara works with private doctors who’ve dedicated their careers to helping people recover from their addictions. They spend their time helping people while staying on the cutting edge of medical breakthroughs in these treatments.

Your doctor studies medication withdrawal protocols involving compounds recommended by the latest medical research and proven in the trenches of medical detox programs across the world. The medications they choose are prescribed to treat the specific substance you’re addicted to. Here’s a quick look at the compounds your doctor may prescribe during the detox process.

Suboxone: A combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, Suboxone is highly effective in managing opioid withdrawal by reducing cravings and minimizing withdrawal symptoms.

Benzodiazepines: These drugs are very commonly used during alcohol detoxification in preventing seizures.

Clonidine: Stops symptoms like excessive sweating, muscle cramps, agitation, and restlessness associated with opioid detox.

Acetaminophen: An OTC medication for general pain relief.

Methadone:  A long-ester opioid-based medication prescribed for withdrawal from heroin, fentanyl, or prescription opioids.

Naltrexone: The doctor prescribes this medication post-detox to block the opioid receptors.

Anticonvulsants: Drugs like gabapentin stop the seizure risk associated with withdrawing from alcohol or benzodiazepines.

How Long Is the Medical Detox Process at Carrara?

The drug and alcohol detox timeline depends on the substance you’re addicted to, the severity and extent of your addiction, and how your addiction has impacted your health. Theres no set guidelines for how long it takes you to complete the detox process, but here’s a basic guideline.

• Alcohol: 2–8 days.
• Opioids: 7–10 days.
• Stimulants: 3–7 days.
• Benzodiazepines: The tapering strategy for these drugs may take weeks to several months.

Some drugs have longer half-lives in the body than others, and some, like benzos, have lasting holds on the nervous system that take a great deal of time to break, especially if you’ve abused them for a while. Your doctor will personalize your treatment protocol during the assessment phase of the process and let you know what to expect during the process. You can ask them questions and they’ll clear up anything you don’t understand. Their goal is to make you as comfortable as possible during the process.

Carrara Medical Detox Program – Get a Fresh Start to a New You

An outpatient alcohol detox or drug program won’t give you lasting results and often doesn’t include a medical detox. You need an inpatient program to help you through the withdrawal process and prevent relapses while you’re getting clean. With a fully controlled and medically supervised environment to get clean in, you form the foundation for the rest of your treatment, giving you a better chance of completing it and making a lasting recovery to a life of sobriety, free from the clutches of addiction.