Detoxification (or detox), be it for alcohol or drugs, is meant as a first step down the road to recovery from addiction. It is an essential step that can often be physically, as well as mentally, uncomfortable for the addict. Detox is not something that one can simply decide to do from home alone. Detox must take place under the careful supervision of professionals. Without the necessary medical assistance most addicts will not be able to free themselves from the hold that a drug has on them.In order to be successful in the long-term you must master the short-term, and that can be summed up in one word- detox. Bear in mind however that there is no miracle cure per se for a drug or alcohol addiction.

What is Rapid Detox?

Rapid detox is defined as “a hospital procedure to rapidly detoxify the body from those drugs that cause prescription medication addiction or opiate dependency, while under anesthesia and supervised doctor’s care”.

Sometimes called “Anesthesia Assisted Opiate Detoxification” this is a first step in a long process towards healing and recovery.  Doctors involved in this process for a drug patient seek to decrease or completely eliminate all of the signs and symptoms that are connected to withdrawal from opiates. It is believed that rapid detox decreases the possibility that relapses will occur and also paves the way for a better recovery period.

It is important to understand that rapid detox is in no way meant to replace a comprehensive drug treatment and recovery program. It provides a drug user with more comfort as they begin the transition period from drug user to drug free life. It also acts as a means for the user to be better equipped to tolerate the withdrawal symptoms they will face.

After a person’s body is “clean” of drugs the next essential step is to receive counseling. First comes the physical start to healing and then the emotional and social. Aftercare is also essential in order for the individual to deal with everything that he or she has had to cope with.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under Drug & Alcohol Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.