Going through detox is an extremely difficult process. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to seek expert withdrawal treatment. Regardless of your drug of choice, this process is dangerous. There are a few core aspects of detox you should be aware of before ending use.

Relapse Is Common Without Professional Withdrawal Treatment

Many people think they can handle detoxing without professional help. However, the symptoms that occur during the process can be severe. Life-threatening symptoms aren’t common, but withdrawal makes people feel extremely uncomfortable. In fact, the symptoms typically cause them to relapse during detox.

Visiting a detox center can help people avoid relapse. In fact, detox is the first step in any successful rehab plan. Not to mention, when under medical supervision staff can ease your symptoms by:

• Tapering the drug dose
• Providing social support groups
• Using medicine
• Offering exercise therapy
• Preparing healthy meals

Symptoms of Withdrawal

It’s important to know which symptoms to expect during withdrawal treatment. However, the side effects differ for everyone. Several factors determine the severity and length of withdrawal.

For example, the longer people use drugs, the more intense their withdrawal symptoms become. However, some drugs produce stronger symptoms than others. Heroin withdrawal has extreme side effects. Alcohol withdrawal, on the other hand, can cause death.

In general, certain symptoms are more common than others. Some of these include sweating, vomiting, chills, and body aches. Most symptoms also involve extreme cravings to use drugs again.

Withdrawal Timeline

The length of withdrawal treatment varies between individuals. Everyone detoxes from drugs at different rates. Usually, the longer you use drugs, the longer it takes them to leave the body.

The method of drug use also affects how long detox lasts. For instance, those who inject drugs tend to struggle with withdrawal longer than those who use other methods. Additionally, those with a history of drug abuse in the family may struggle with withdrawal symptoms for an extended period of time.

However, other factors affect duration as well. It takes longer to detox from certain drugs than others. On average, it takes about one week for heroin withdrawal symptoms to subside. Cocaine withdrawal symptoms, on the other hand, last an average of five to 10 weeks.

Using Medicine to Curb Withdrawal Symptoms

Often, withdrawal symptoms are too extreme for people to handle alone. In such cases, detox centers offer medication to take the edge off. These meds are safe to use as long as people take them correctly.

In some rare cases, it’s possible to develop a dependence on certain withdrawal medicines. The risk is yet another reason why people need to seek expert help. Detox centers ensure the correct use of additional medications to avoid problems later on.

Steps to Recovery Is Here to Help

When you need addiction recovery programs you can count on, turn to Steps to Recovery. Our goal is to provide the necessary tools to help you overcome addiction and avoid relapse. The different programs we offer include:

• Partial hospitalization
• Family therapy
• Intensive outpatient rehab
• Sober living
• Gender-specific rehab

Additionally, we emphasize family involvement during treatment. We use family therapy to educate relatives about addiction challenges. Through this treatment method, we can also help rebuild effective communication between relatives.

Don’t waste time wondering how to get clean. Reach out to Steps to Recovery to break free from addiction. Call us at 267.719.8528 to begin your journey today.