Detox Centers Provide a Safe, Medically Assisted Recovery Process That Results in Faster Sobriety
If you have said “I’ll use just one more time and then I’ll stop,” yet you keep going back to using drugs or alcohol, it might be time for you to seek professional help.
Once you have admitted that you want to stop using drugs or alcohol, the first thing you should do is find a detox center in California. Detox refers to the process of ridding the body of all of the toxins that have been built up as a result of drug or alcohol abuse. Trying to go through detox on your own can be a difficult process. The side effects can be hard to deal with. In order to ease the effects, many people give in and use drugs or alcohol. If you are serious about sobriety, an inpatient detox center can provide you with the help that is needed to get through the challenges that are associated with detoxification and improving your recovery time.
Symptoms Associated with Detox
When a person uses large amounts of a substance over a long period of time, the body becomes dependent and needs the substance to balance your brain chemistry. It needs it to function properly both physically and mentally. When an individual abruptly stops using a substance, the body goes through withdrawal; it reacts because it is missing something that it has become reliant on. This reaction can come with a number of side effects, which can be unpleasant and painful, and in serious cases, they can even be dangerous.
The symptoms of withdrawal vary and are dependent on the type and the amount of a substance the person was using, but some of the common symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Depression
- Anger
- Sweating
- Increased heart rate
- Heart palpitations
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Pain and tightness in the chest
- Muscle tension
- Tremors
In serious cases, the side effects of withdrawal can include:
- Seizures
- Heart attack
- Hallucinations
- Stroke
The Dangers of Detoxing Alone
Chemical dependency is a serious health issue. Trying to go through the process of detox alone can be frightening and dangerous. Additionally, when a person attempts detox alone, he or she is more likely to fail.
Attempting to overcome substance dependency without professional help is usually futile. In most cases, people will continue using drugs or alcohol in order to ease their withdrawal symptoms. In severe cases of withdrawal, the effects can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. For these reasons, it is important for those who are attempting to overcome substance abuse and addiction to seek the help of professionals in a detox center.
The Benefits of a Detox Center
The goal of a detox center is to help patients go through withdrawal safely. These centers also improve recovery time and success rates. Some of the key benefits that a detox center in California provides include the following:
- Patients receive 24 hours supervision by professionals who are trained in handling the physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms that are associated with detox.
- Increased safety, as trained professionals can provide medical care if it is needed during the withdrawal process.
- Reduced stress levels that could trigger patients to start using alcohol or drugs. The only thing patients have to focus on is getting through detox.
- No access to drugs or alcohol, which means that individuals will not have the ability to resume using drugs or alcohol while they are going through detox.
- Faster recovery time. Supervision, medical care, reduced stress and no access to drugs or alcohol means that patients will be able to recover from withdrawal symptoms and their addiction faster.
- Greater comfort. Detox centers offer the necessary comforts, including beds and private bathroom facilities, which means that patients will be as comfortable as possible as they go through detox.
- Increased success rates. Patients are far more likely to remain on the path of sobriety when they are able to get through detox in a safe and comfortable environment.
Detox is the First Step, Not a Cure
It’s important to remember that detox is the first step in the recovery process, not a cure. While it does remove the toxins that have been built up in the body over the course of time, it does not remove the addiction; the factors that drive substance use and abuse are still present. As such, it is important for those who attend a detox center to complete the entire rehabilitation process.
Through rehab, individuals identify the cause of their addiction, learn what triggers them to use drugs or alcohol and how to combat those triggers, and gain useful strategies for remaining sober and living a life free of drugs and/or alcohol.
It can take a long time for patients to learn how to live without using their substance of choice. Addiction is a disease, but it is treatable. By going through detox and rehab in a safe, comfortable setting and by receiving the help and support that is needed, those who are dependent on alcohol or drugs can regain control of their lives and life a life free of substance use.
If you or a loved one is battling addiction in California, Ocean Hills Recovery can provide the assistance that is needed to beat the addiction. Located in Dana Point, our facility offers inpatient detox and various rehab programs to suit the needs of addicts and those they love.
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