What is "detox"?
Detoxification is the process of letting the body rid itself of a drug while also dealiong with the symptoms of withdrawal. It is often the first step in a drug treatment program and should be followed by treatment with a behavioral-based therapy and/or a medication, if available. Detox without follow-up is not treatment.
Withdrawal?
Withdrawal has to do with the symptoms that occur after use of many addictive drugs is reduced or stopped. Length of these "symptoms"may vary with the type of drug. For example, heroin withdrawal may include: restlessness, muscle and bone pain, sleeplessness, diarrhea, vomiting, and cold flashes. These symptoms may last for several days, but the general depression, that often accompanies heroin withdrawal may last for weeks. In most cases withdrawal can be treated with medications to ease the symptoms, but treating withdrawal is not the same as treating addiction.
How do I know if someone is addicted?
If a person is compulsively seeking and using a drug despite things like loss of job, debt, physical problems brought on by drug abuse, or family problems, then he or she is most likely addicted. But only a health care can determine the kind of addiction and a course of treatment.
Is Detox enough??
Detoxification does not address the psychological and behavioral problems associated with addiction It does not typically produce lasting behavioral changes required for recovery. Detoxification is most useful when it incorporates subsequent drug addiction treatment.
Why can't an addict just stop?
Nearly all addicted individuals believe in the beginning that they can stop on their own. However, most of these attempts at quiting result in failure to achieve long-term abstinence. Research has shown that long-term drug use results in changes in brain function that last long after the individual stops using drugs. |
