The goal of detox is to rid the body of chemicals, whether they are prescribed medicines or illegal substances. The body can become dependent on the drugs and requires a detoxification period, report counselors at The Canyon, a drug treatment facility in California. There are a number of techniques used to detox a body from drugs.
Step 1
Decrease the amount of drugs that you are taking slowly, allowing your body to adjust to the reduced amounts before lowering the dosage. Most doctors utilize this technique of tapering off when detoxing patients from habit-forming medications, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic.
Step 2
Quit using the drugs and go through what is called "cold turkey." The body will react with symptoms that may or may not be dangerous, depending on the kind of drugs used. Prescription narcotic, alcohol and barbiturate withdrawal can be dangerous and should be medically monitored. Other drugs, such as heroin and marijuana, bring milder symptoms that are not life-threatening. Many treatment programs, such as The Canyon, recommend treatment for all patients who need to detox a body from drugs.
Step 3
Find a program that administers other prescription drugs to provide a medical detox. Programs, such as those offered at The Canyon, can reduce the severity of the withdrawal symptoms, but do take longer to completely rid the body of chemicals. They can prescribe drugs that help relieve muscle aches and pains, reduce nausea symptoms and help you sleep during the detox process.
Step 4
Enroll in a drug treatment program that serves addicts with the same kind of addiction that you have. The facility locator provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides contact information for more than 11,000 treatment centers nationwide. Find out what kind of treatment your insurance covers or where you can find indigent treatment if you need it. Other facilities accept private pay clients.
Tips and Warnings
- The physical withdrawals associated with detox from drugs are the tip of the iceberg, reports National Institute on Drug Abuse authorities. The mental obsession and compulsion to use more drugs continues for up to a year and requires ongoing treatment and support. Get involved in ongoing counseling or join a group, such as Narcotics Anonymous, to continue with the mental detox process.
- Beware of programs that offer pain-free withdrawal or detoxing without side effects. Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse report that techniques, such as the ultrarapid detoxification process that uses anesthesia to mitigate withdrawal symptoms, do not provide any more relief than conventional detox programs.
