In most cases of addition, especially drug addiction, an individual gets physically dependent on a certain substance. The dependency is intense that without the drug the person might be in severe pain or dysfunctional. This is because the drug has by now affected the chemical balance in the brain allowing the person’s structure to crave for the certain drug in order to obtain sense of balance. Much worse is that the body later on tolerates the drug that enters the system, thus, resulting to a higher dosage requirement the next time the drug is taken to reach the desired effect.
By its very description, addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit , such narcotics, to such an extent that its discontinuation causes severe trauma. This distress can range in intensity from intense cravings to life threatening illness (depending on the drug), making it virtually impossible for an addict to give up without assistance. Because most withdrawal symptoms can be relieved immediately upon use of the drug that the body is withdrawing from, the craving to use that drug is very high during this time, often resulting in defeat of the healing before it can even begin.
To treat addiction, it always starts with the recognition of it. The treatment process can then be carried on. Treating addiction means taking away the dependency on the drug. This would mean that the person had to stop taking the drug. However, reducing the body of an addict from taking in the drug would lead to withdrawal symptoms. And it is not easy having to deal with these symptoms. The severity of the symptoms depends on the kind of drug the person is addicted to. Detoxification should be done to stop pains of withdrawal symptoms.
Detoxification is a process of cleansing the toxins from the body. Relating this to, it is the elimination of the drug residues from the body and controlling the symptoms of withdrawal. The detoxification process is only the first step to recovery. Taking away the toxins that have been controlling the body system of the patient should be done first before any behavioral based treatment which would treat the underlying factors of addiction.
Drug detoxification can be referred to as the stage of withdrawal during which the person’s body eventually returns to homeostasis after long-term use of an addictive substance. Depending on the addiction, the process will vary.
Detoxification can be done on both inpatient and outpatient basis. Inpatient detoxification allows a close monitoring on the patient. Also, the contact to the substance of abuse could be avoided. On the other hand, outpatient detoxification allows higher social support. In comparison to inpatients, patients in outpatient theraphy retain greater freedom, continue with their day-to-day activities with lesser disruptions. However, with outpatient treatment, there is an increased risk of relapse since the patient is more likely to be exposed with the substance of abuse.
The process of drug detoxification seeks to lessen the severity of the trauma associated with the body’s withdrawal from dependence on a particular drug by medically alleviating and monitoring the intense physical symptoms associated with stopping drug use. When the drug is emptied from the system and the pain and discomfort associated with ending its use have been alleviated, the other reasons contributing to the addiction, such as the emotional and psychological issues, can be taken cared of.
Substance dependence is always a serious problem for everybody. More than intensive treatment, self-determination is also a requirement. The healing procedure is to be deal very hard everyday.
