Recovering from addiction calls for more than that clinical treatment you see in movies and shows. Rehab is not the end-all of addiction treatment, after all, so let’s take a look at drug detox and its role in recovering from substance abuse.
What is Detoxification?
While many people are familiar with rehabilitation as a means to recover from addiction, not many are aware of detoxification. This is the process by which the body is adequately prepared for sobriety at a medical and physiological capacity. Substance abuse, as you might know, changes the body’s chemistry in a way that creates an homeostatic imbalance. This means that the body’s biological functions are made to rely and depend on a constant intake of the substance in order to function “normally”. Of course, the body is not functioning normally, but rather it’s overworking itself to accommodate the effects and health consequences of the drug use. That is what detoxification is for: it aims to medically help the body regain homeostatic balance in order to function without the need for the drug in question.
Protecting the Body From Withdrawal
So, if withdrawal helps the body restore its homeostatic balance, what happens when the use of the substance is cut? How does the body react? Well, this is where the set of symptoms known as withdrawal will come in. These represent the backlash the body will go through as it loses the intake of a substance it considers essential. These lashes can be potentially very harmful to the body, manifesting as anything from cold sweats and insomnia to vomiting and diarrhea. In extreme cases, withdrawal can even be fatal in what is known as going cold turkey. Because of this, drug detox is focused on protecting the body and reducing the effects of withdrawal.
Setting Up a Successful Rehabilitation
Having properly prepared the body to handle the stress and strain of cutting or reducing substance use, addressing the medical component of addiction, it will be time to take on the emotional aspects. Addiction is, after all, not solely a medical issue. It is often deeply rooted in a person’s psychological situation, their emotions, and the events in their life. Because of this, therapy will follow drug detox. With the help of counseling, a person can better explore their feelings to gain a fuller understanding of what the root causes of their addiction are. Most importantly, this can allow a person to develop different tools to deal with these feelings going forward. Rehabilitation isn’t just about a person’s present, but also their future.
Find Drug Detox in Los Angeles
Here at our Los Angeles residential recovery center, we want to give patients their best chance at long term recovery with our program, our addiction treatment facility, and our staff. Our team at SV Recovery, a center for drug detox and rehabilitation, takes pride in the effort we put into guiding patients to recovery, understanding that each person is going to be different and that no two cases are the same. If you are interested in learning more about what we do and how we can help you, reach out to us at 1 (800) 627-7077 or admin@svrla.com.
