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    A Complete Guide To A Medically Managed Detox

    If you are curious about what is a medically managed detoxification and how it will affect a person suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, then you are in the right place. In this article, the whole process and risks of detoxification will be explained to you in the simplest way possible.

    Detoxification or simple Detox is the initial process in the treatment of substance or drug abuse. It involves the use of medications and psychotherapy sessions to manage and control the drug dependent’s cravings and withdrawal symptoms. The medical detox process can span for several days up to a few weeks depending on the patient’s condition – how much substance is in his/her system and how healthy the patient is.

    Withdrawal symptoms are the sudden reactions of your brain and body, specifically a surge of adrenaline, resulting from the sudden stop substance or drug intake. Some withdrawal symptoms include;

    •         Vomiting
    •         Sweating
    •         Palpitations
    •         Muscle pains
    •         Diarrhea
    •         Insomnia and cold flashes
    •         Anxiety
    •         Depression
    •         Isolation
    •         Restlessness

    These symptoms can occur and recur for a few days or up to a few months. They may look discouraging and hard to deal with but the detoxification process actually helps in easing and managing these symptoms.

    There are many kinds of detoxification processes designed for different kinds of patients. Although, it is conventionally agreed that detoxification is not the long-term solution for drug or substance addiction. Detoxification cannot completely treat addiction. It is primarily designed to help and introduce to the patient how the treatment process will be.

    Detoxification comes in various forms and designs, they can also happen in different settings depending on the patient’s condition, culture, tastes, experiences and etc. What’s important is that the treatment should always focus on the initial treatment of addiction and its’ withdrawal symptoms. In fact, it is encouraged by experts that detoxification programs be constantly updated and changed in order to address the specific needs of the patient. This, according to study will increase the effectiveness of the process.

    There are three conventionally accepted stages in the detoxification program;

    1.    Evaluation – amount of drug intake and how deep it is into the system is measured at this stage. This will be used as the basis in the medications that will be used in the process. Additional physical conditions are also evaluated in this stage, possible medical complications are taken into consideration before proceeding to the next stage. The mental state of the patient is also evaluated in the stage to estimate the degree in the implementation of the process.
    2.    Stabilization – the second stage of the process is the implementation of the program based on the evaluations from the first stage. It is at this stage that the patient’s body and mind will be improved and maintained for the incoming treatment program.

    Encouragement – and the last stage of the process is the encouragement of the patient to undergo the formal treatment program for drug or alcohol addiction. It is at this stage that the loved ones of the patient must show their concern and help convince the patient to undergo further treatment to fully recover from the addiction.

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