If your use of drugs or alcohol have become uncontrollable, you would do well to undergo detox and enter rehab. Does drug addiction require medical help? Yes. The process of detox, rehab and maintenance will all be easier with medical help.
Because the detox process can be extremely dangerous, the first step in entering drug treatment is the most critical in terms of relying on medical professionals. Your symptoms during detox can be both intense and unpleasant, including
- nausea and vomiting
- dehydration and muscle cramps
- loss of consciousness
No matter what rehab process you ultimately choose to enter, getting support from professionals during detox is paramount to your survival as well as your success.
Healing and Health
As you come out of detox, it’s likely that you will be in a very fragile state, both emotionally and physically. Because the detox process involves ridding your body both of the drugs in your system and the toxins that have built up over time, you may yearn to be left alone. However, medical professionals may need to monitor your intake and output of fluids as well as caloric intake. Some people, in the process of detox, need IV fluids to support their physical systems.
If you can’t take in fluids due to nausea, your kidneys will struggle to cleanse your blood. Your gut may also be damaged by both poor dietary choices and the toxins in your system. Part of rehab may include changes to your diet that may not suit your taste buds. The loss of privacy that comes with such complications during detox can be extremely frustrating. You will likely be unhappy and possibly unpleasant to be around.
The worst thing you can do to your body is to go through a “cold turkey” detox alone. It’s also extremely hard on relationships if you try to go through detox in the company of a loved one. Trained medical professionals will be able to shrug off what you do and say during detox and during the early days of rehab. These trained professionals will also be ale to help you overcome the discomfort of dehydration and the digestive symptoms caused by a switch to healthier foods.
Use these professionals as a way to protect your loved ones from any unpleasant things you may do or say. You will need your loved ones to help you move back into the sphere of your family and your community. If your family is no longer receptive to you, you will need medical support while you build yourself a new community. In addition to the physical support that you will need to get through detox and the care that you will need to move into rehab, you will likely undergo multiple forms of therapy. You will need to be assessed for any underlying mental health conditions and treated for any pain issues you are facing.
It’s important that your rehab process also includes therapy and support regarding feelings about yourself. There is a great deal of guilt and recrimination tied to the condition of addiction. You may see yourself as weak or as unworthy of medical support if you can’t fully accept the illness that is addiction. Exposure to addictive drugs changes how your brain functions. In addition to healing your brain function and changing how you see your condition, you will likely enter group therapies.
Early in the days of detox and rehab, you may struggle mightily to open up in group. After all, if you can’t accept your illness and the healing process of detox and rehab, you may not be able to empathize with others going through the rehab process. Accepting yourself as a person in recovery will be much easier as you study your fellow rehab attendees and learn from them. As you work through the rehab process, you may ultimately be able to assist others coming fresh out of detox. As you heal, you can assist others in the healing process. Ready to get started? Call us today at 833-820-2922.