10 Signs Your Liver Needs Detoxing
Medically assisted detox is a safe and controlled way to remove intoxicants from your system in order to gradually disrupt your body’s cycle of dependency on drugs and alcohol.
Medically assisted detox is a safe and controlled way to remove intoxicants from your system in order to gradually disrupt your body’s cycle of dependency on drugs and alcohol.
Struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol is not a sign of weakness or character defect. When you decide that it’s time to stop fighting and start thriving, it takes a tremendous amount of courage and willpower to enter treatment. However, it takes more than willpower to overcome addiction. To help overcome cravings and minimize withdrawal symptoms, many people turn to medically-assisted detox. Substance abuse causes changes in the brain, producing powerful compulsions to drink or use drugs. Our medically-assisted detox in Los Angeles is a powerful tool for overcoming addiction and create the conditions for lasting change in sobriety.
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Independently detoxing from drugs and alcohol can be an extremely painful process, as well as potentially fatal. Ending a substance use disorder is not as simple as just no longer abusing drugs or alcohol. It often takes the assistance of medical and mental health professionals for individuals wanting to stop their active substance abuse to do so safely. One way to do safely and effectively detox from drugs or alcohol is with medically-assisted detox.
Medically-assisted detox is the process of utilizing medicine to gradually help individuals wean off of the substance(s) they were actively abusing. Drugs and alcohol impact the brain and the body so profoundly that when they suddenly stop being used, an individual can experience some severe withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the type of substance that an individual was abusing, medically-assisted detox can be implemented to help reduce the intensity of withdrawal symptoms, minimize the presence of cravings, and prevent fatal side effects from developing. Medical and mental health professionals will establish a detox plan for each individual based on factors such as what type of substance they were abusing, what their current physical state is, and what their mental health history is. The medications administered will help make the process of detox much smoother.
It might seem like a good idea to just stop abusing drugs and alcohol cold turkey and power through the period of withdrawal. Many individuals take this route, especially because there still remains a strong stigma surrounding addiction treatment. It is common for people with a substance use disorder to attempt to take matters into their own hands because of fear of what others might say or think about them if they went to rehab. But, when coming off of drugs or alcohol, medically-assisted detox can be extremely beneficial, which is why it is usually recommended.
The absolute most important thing to focus on when beginning the detox process is safety. That is because detoxing from certain substances, like alcohol and benzodiazepines, can be deadly. Those who are receiving medically-assisted detox get the benefit of being in the care of medical and mental health professionals on an around-the-clock basis who can help prevent and/or mitigate any health issues that arise. Medically-assisted detox is one of the most effective modalities used to prevent death during detox.
Detoxing from drugs and alcohol is no walk in the park. In many cases, people experience symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, muscle aches, sweating, anxiety, depression, tremors, and fever, to name a few. When detoxing blindly, these symptoms can come on quickly and rapidly intensify. Therefore, the pain and discomfort can become increasingly difficult to manage, often tempting individuals back into substance abuse just to get some relief. With medically-assisted detox, however, this level of pain is nowhere near extreme. Instead, withdrawal symptoms that do develop are often mild to moderate and do not last as long. Plus, any cravings that continue during this time are muted, allowing for individuals to remain comfortable.
One major issue that individuals who are detoxing face is the ability to remain focused on their goal of detoxing. That is because when withdrawal symptoms start to develop and persist, they can be physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing. They can completely and entirely compromise one’s focus and cloud their judgment, jeopardizing their likelihood of continuing on with the detox process. Medically-assisted detox significantly reduces the symptoms that can develop in a manner where individuals are able to keep focus rather than become vulnerable as a result of symptoms.
Medically-assisted detox can offer these and several more benefits. It is highly recommended that when detoxing from drugs or alcohol, individuals first consider doing so in the care of a medically-assisted detox program because of these benefits.
Not everyone who is planning on detoxing from drugs or alcohol is going to require or can benefit from medically-assisted detox. As ideal as it would be to have medications capable of treating detox from all different types of substances, that is unfortunately not the reality. Medically-assisted detox can only be implemented and effective for those individuals who are looking to detox from opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines. There are medications that have been developed that are designed to specifically help in the detox process from these substances, including methadone and buprenorphine for opioid withdrawal, acamprosate and disulfiram for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, and benzodiazepines to provide a medical taper for those detoxing from benzodiazepines.
When you’re ready to begin treatment, you may be worried about entering inpatient treatment for help with your addiction. However, it is possible to safely and effectively detox at home. Our medically assisted detox can be performed from the comfort of your home here in Los Angeles with the help of our professional and compassionate addiction support specialists. We want to make the medical detox experience as successful and comfortable as possible, and will create a treatment plan that will fully support you as you detox from drugs and alcohol. Contact us to find out how we can help you get on the road to recovery by starting with medically assisted detox.