Drug addiction can be deadly, and unfortunately, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that about 20.8 million people who needed treatment for addiction in 2007 never got any help at all. It’s a sad number, and unfortunately, it tends to remain consistent from year to year. While some people might not get help because they’re ashamed of their addictions or they’re worried that disclosing their problems would lead to yet more dysfunction, it’s possible that some people don’t get help simply because they don’t know how good help might be for them.

This article will outline the resources available in a drug detox facility, and at Axis, it’s our hope that this article will spur you to call if you have an addiction. We can help you to get better, and these are just a few of the tools we’ll use in that fight.

Medical Supervision

During detoxification, the cells in the brain and the body are learning to function normally, even when addictive substances have been removed from the bloodstream. Some addictive drugs just cause discomfort or mental anguish, but others cause physical pain or even life-threatening complications during withdrawal. In a detox program, medical staff keeps a close eye on clients, ensuring that they feel comfortable and in control. Sometimes, they have specific tools they use in order to monitor comfort. For example, according to a study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, a clinical opiate withdrawal scale that contains 11 items can help doctors correctly assess someone’s addiction and comfort level during withdrawal. Scales like this might be used repeatedly as the detox moves forward, so medical staff can adjust treatment as needed.

Medication Management

Some addictive drugs have been studied so extensively that medication developers have created prescription treatments for withdrawal symptoms. Currently, there are medications that can be used to treat opiate addictions, including addictions to:

• Heroin
• Vicodin
• OxyContin
• Morphine

It might seem unusual to lean on a medication during withdrawal, as people enter these programs because they’d like to stop using drugs, not because they’d like to find a new substance to become addicted to. However, these medications can be vital in the fight against addiction, as they can keep people comfortable enough to participate in care, and they’re rarely associated with secondary addictions. For example, a study in the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics found that providing buprenorphine to people addicted to heroin seriously reduced discomfort, and when the placebo medication was given, people reported greater urges for drugs. It’s possible to assume that people would relapse to heroin use without buprenorphine if the urges were strong enough, so this drug could be of vital help.

While other addictive drugs may not have specific medication antidotes available, medical staff may be able to soothe discomfort by providing prescription therapies. Antidepressant medications, sleeping medications and blood pressure medications could all be used to keep people feeling relaxed and comfortable as their bodies adjust.

Care and Support

It can be frightening to feel physical distress along with psychological upset. People with addictions might be accustomed to popping a pill, sipping a drink or shooting up a drug when they don’t feel well, so the ideal of just waiting for symptoms to pass might be unusual or a little frightening. The psychological support provided during detox could be vital, as therapists could remind people that the mild discomfort they’re feeling is natural and normal, and that the work they’re doing will be vital to their success.

Detox facilities might also provide soothing baths, bland foods, dark sleeping spaces, and soothing meditation areas. People may feel calm and cared for, and they may find the inner strength to let the process play out, where they may have been tempted to drop back into drug use at home. The sober environment of a detox facility can also be considered helpful, as people simply won’t have access to addictive drugs here. They can’t relapse when they can’t lay their hands on the drugs.

Getting Started

It’s certainly intimidating to think about enrolling in a detox facility, and some people are worried about what will happen in these environments. But hopefully, this article has made the benefits of detox clear, and we hope you’re motivated to get started on your own journey to sobriety. Please call our Axis admissions counselors in order to get started.