It is easy to obsess with the end goal of being fully sober; however, all journeys begin with step one. For some people, the first step is detoxing. From a clinical point of view, according to drug rehab centers, detoxing is quitting your drug of choice and permitting your body the time it needs to completely eliminate it, so you’re fully clean and sober. Depending upon the drug taken, that addiction detox process may last from a couple of hours to a couple of months.
The majority of addictive drugs can cause neurochemistry changes that take a substantial quantity of time to clear; sometimes, quitting cold turkey might be uncomfortable or even deadly. That’s why it is never recommended to try DIY detox.
How Serious is a Relapse?
The longer you try to quit on your own and fail, the higher risk you are placing yourself under. There are a variety of risks of using drugs, particularly these days with the spread of harmful opiates such as fentanyl. Overdose rates are increasing, and there are severe health risks from long-term drug and alcohol abuse, which includes HIV from shared needles and organ failure. A rehabilitation program might be the only effective solution for you.
Proper Diagnosis
At Pacific Bay Recovery, we never suggest that patients enact detoxes at home. Not only is their risk too high, but a person’s chance of a full recovery is a lot less than if they get treated for their substance abuse. From the harms of detoxing, from hypokalemia to alcohol, read further for a list of what might go wrong if you attempt to detox while at home.
Mental and Emotional Effects of Improper Treatment
In spite of how socially acceptable it is in society, alcohol is likely the most harmful substance to completely detox from. It is pretty unique in that the side effects that come along with detoxing can be lethal without medical help if the addiction is serious enough. Alcohol addicts should not stop cold turkey without medicated assistance in a hospital or drug rehabilitation facility.
The chronic drinker’s body will develop a complicated physical dependency on alcohol. It makes the initial couple of days of sobriety the most dangerous and difficult, depending upon how serious the addiction is.
Step one is the most challenging. It’s when medical supervision should be a must.
There are some common side effects of detoxing from alcohol; the severity depends upon the addicted person’s tolerance, as well as how much they’re drinking. Shakes, nausea, hallucinations, and anxiety may happen, and, without being treated, they might lead to seizures, extreme insomnia, and heart failure. It is a lot safer to detox within a professionally controlled environment for abuse treatment with the correct medical treatments available.
Heroin, Meth, and Other Addictive Substances
Alcohol will have the most physical repercussions from detoxing, whereby meth is among the most challenging drugs to stop from a psychological viewpoint. Meth has a couple of physical side effects that are not as challenging to cope with, comparatively speaking; however, the emotional and mental consequences are extremely hard to deal with if you are alone.
The addicted person suffers intense cravings as they feel the lowest of lows, making it easy to relapse without the support of other people. Adding to that is the realization that chronic meth use will lead to serotonin system changes in the brain, potentially causing depression or psychosis.
Symptoms of withdrawal from drugs like heroin sit somewhere between meth and alcohol when it pertains to detoxification side effects and their severity. The majority of addicts suffer extreme physical withdrawal symptoms that are similar to the flu.
Variability in how an addict processes withdrawal may mean that two addicted people who have the same addiction might suffer different withdrawals; the first person might only have vomiting and diarrhea, whereby the second person might become hypokalemic from fluid loss and end up in heart failure.
Heroin withdrawal, in extreme cases, might also do damage to brain chemistry that is irreparable— it’s where meth maintenance comes in.
Getting Professional Help
It is more effective and a lot safer to detox with other people by your side than to try to do it alone. Getting sober is just one aspect of the journey. Even after withdrawal, you still need the proper support. Do not try it alone; it is painful, uncomfortable, and, oftentimes dangerous. Come to Pacific Bay Recovery for professional substance use treatment and take step one of your journey instead. When searching for “alcohol detox near me” on your phone or the internet, if you live in the San Diego, CA area, please feel free to get in touch with Pacific Bay Recovery at (619) 350-8220.
