Not all medical cases in the United States call for a visit to a hospital’s emergency room (ER), as not all medical incidents involve a life-threatening condition or injury. Instead, many Americans visit walk in clinics for back problems, weight loss programs (they may visit weight loss physicians in particular), or they may have an ankle sprain. Meanwhile, many Americans are struggling with a drug addiction, and a detox center may be visited to launch detoxing processes across the nation. Many Americans undergo these challenging but necessary detoxing processes to free themselves of a drug addiction, and an alcohol detox center may be visited for alcoholics looking to free themselves of substance abuse. What might be expected during these detoxing processes, and why are those detoxing processes dangerous to perform at home rather than at a clinic?
Drug Abuse and Recovery
Many Americans are currently abusing drugs, some of them as young as 12 years old, with opiates such as heroin being popular drugs of choice among abusers. Many Americans die every year as a result of overdoses, but tragedy such as that can be averted when a drug addict resolves to undergo the detoxing processes and free themselves of addiction. Some addicts may experience an intervention, when concerned friends and family members speak up about the addiction that they see in their loved one. Assuming that an addict agrees to undergo the detoxing processes, they should look up and visit detox centers in their area to flush their system of drugs. Rehab is not possible until the addict has become clean, after all, or relapses may be very likely.
This is not something to undergo without medical supervision. Detoxing may involve some risks to health, and someone attempting a detox alone may quickly relapse into their drug of choice. Rather than attempting detox alone at home, addicts may find detox centers, which are medical clinics staffed with professionals who are ready to help. These addicts, once they arrive, may stay there for a few days under strict supervision for their safety. The patient may experience many unpleasant side effects of withdrawal as they are detoxing there, but this is an essential step to take toward recovery. Patients may expect various symptoms depending on their drug of choice, such as chills, a fever, strange dreams, insomnia, goosebumps (for serious cases), shivering, vomiting, or possibly even seizures. None of this is savory, but it’s important to go through this detox process. And better yet, medical staff will be on hand to help in case something goes wrong. Medical staff will also determine when the patient is ready for the next step.
The addict, once clean of drugs, may undergo rehab with counselors and therapists, who can guide them further into recovery and allow the patient to develop a new lifestyle and perspective that does not involve any drug use.
Visiting Urgent Clinics
Meanwhile, urgent clinics are medical facilities for non life-threatening medical cases that call for professional attention. “Urgent” and “emergency” care should not be confused, although some clinics today are in fact hybrids that offer both urgent and emergency care alike. This makes them flexible and convenient. Either way, when a victim needs urgent care, a nearby responsible adult may look up local urgent care clinics online if they don’t already know any, and find one that is open and conveniently close.
Many thousands of these clinics can be found across the United States, and many of them are built into strip malls for easy access or may even be found in retailers such as Target or Walgreens. These facilities are staffed with nurse practitioners and physicians who can take care of many non life-threatening issues, and a clinic that’s running smoothly may see three patients per hour or so. A guest may expect a wait time of around 15 minutes.
Four in five of these clinics can treat bone fractures, and most of them can also treat sprained ankles or wrists, such as from sports injuries. Patients at these clinics may get medicinal relief from the cold or flu, and they may get stitches and bandages for shallow cuts (such as from stepping on broken glass). Patients may visit the pharmacy, or get lotion and ointment for rashes or sunburn as well.
