Over years of substance abuse, a person's body becomes accustomed to having harmful chemicals in its system. The brain is chemically altered to depend on the substance in order to function correctly. At this stage, a medical detox is necessary to help with the physical addiction.
Medical detox is a process by which your body rids itself of all traces of drugs and alcohol while under the care of medical professionals. Due to the physically uncomfortable and painful symptoms associated with withdrawal, a medical detox protocol is necessary to prevent health emergencies. To find out more about the various medical detox programs offered, contact Indianapolis Drug Treatment Centers at (877) 804-1531 today.
Every person, depending on their history with drug and alcohol, and their physical state, will have a different experience in detox. Everyone feels the anxiety and nervousness. Some people experience nausea and some physical pain. In medical detox facilities, doctors will prescribe medication that alleviates many of the withdrawal symptoms. While this medication does not cure the addiction, it does mitigate withdrawals and cravings, and this can make it easier for the patient to overcome their physical dependence.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be the most dangerous, and typically begin only a few of hours after the patient's last drink. While patients may still have appreciable levels of blood alcohol for up to a day, they nevertheless experience shaky hands, anxiety, nausea, headache, stomach cramps and profuse perspiration.
Twelve hours after the patient's last drink, they may experience hallucinations. The convulsions of alcohol withdrawal seizures can begin between 12 and 24 hours after the last drink. Patients tend to be especially prone to seizures if they've been through medical detox on more than one occasion. The more often the patient has relapsed in the past, the more serious the seizures.
Delirium tremens is a serious medical condition that can arise between two and three days after the last drink, and can last up to a week. Patients experience extreme tremors, seizures, irregular cardiac activity and very strong and vivid hallucinations. This condition requires immediate medical treatment.
When you decide to enter treatment for addiction, the first step, no matter what method you choose, will be detox. Going through detox on your own is not advised, as detoxification from alcohol and other drugs can wreak havoc on your system if it is not undertaken correctly.
Some people choose to have a doctor prescribe them medications to help with their symptoms, while others will go a more natural route, and supplement with vitamins and mild pain relievers, until the symptoms have passed. Whatever method you choose, successful completion of detox is the first and most important step to recovery.
Detoxification and the treatment for substance abuse is a serious process, and you deserve complete privacy during this period. To ensure that you completely recover and can remain clean, it is important that all aspects of your addiction are looked after. An addiction often signals other issues. Whether they are emotional problems or health problems, it is essential that your treatment addresses all of the issues that are causing your addiction.
Whether the problem is alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana or any other type of drug, recovery is possible. Call Indianapolis Drug Treatment Centers at (877) 804-1531. We can help you find addiction rehab treatment facilities that offer the right combination of therapy, support, privacy, and encouragement to ensure you can be successful in your recovery.