Addiction problems plague individuals from all walks of life. No one is immune to an addiction problem. Drugs and alcohol are the common addictions that individuals seek detox for. Roughly 80% of heroin users started out by misusing prescription drugs, but more surprising than that is that drugs are not the number one addiction problem in the U.S. alcohol is. No matter what the addiction is, proper detox is the only way to begin rehab and get treatment. Knowing the detox process helps ease a lot of fears for those who aren’t sure what the process will be like. Read below for some information about the detox process.

What is Detox

Detox is the process of eliminating certain chemicals and drugs from your body. Detox processes usually involve inpatient or outpatient procedures. A drug detox is typically inpatient, and the withdraw symptoms are managed while the individual is going through the detox process. The detox process for drugs can happen on it’s own, but it is much longer and the withdraw symptoms are typically bad.

Why is it Necessary

The detox process is necessary in most cases because the body can become addicted to the substance you need to detox from. Sometimes the detox process can be done on it’s own by cold turkey while waiting for the substances to leave the body, but sometimes it can not. Certain detoxes from drugs have shown to have life threatening withdraw symptoms if not carefully treated by detox doctors.

Length of Detox

The length of detox processes depends on several variables. There are essentially three steps to the detox process. These include evaluation, stabilization and treatment. Evaluation includes evaluating what the substances are, and determining what kind of treatment is needed. Stabilization involves keeping the patient stable while they experience the various side effects for the withdraw process. Finally treatment begins after detox processes are done. This allows patients to have skills needed to steer clear of the substance that caused the addiction in the first place.

Assisted or Unassisted

It is possible for an individual to detox on their own but it’s not recommended. Normal detox processes can take anywhere from several days to several weeks. That can mean a long process for those trying to go at it on their own. Proper supervision and medical support is recommended in the event that something goes wrong during the process.

The detox process must be completed before a rehab treatment can begin for an individual. If an individual does not have the drug out of their system then rehab will not be successful. A proper detox and rehab program can help addicts free themselves from addiction and lead happy and healthy lives.