Medical Detox in Baltimore, MD
An addiction to drugs or alcohol is considered to be a chronic disease. It involves changes in the brain, both in function and in structure, as well as an inability to stop consuming or using the addicted substance in spite of the negative consequences that substance abuse inevitably brings about. There are treatments available for an addiction, though. One of the most important treatments is medical detox. Baltimore Drug Treatment Centers can connect with with the best program for you.
Detoxification and Medical Detox
Detoxification (often simply called detox), is the process of getting an addicted drug or alcohol out of the person’s body entirely. Medical detox involves the same process, but under professional medical care and supervision. During medical detox, those medical professionals can use various treatments, both conventional and alternative, to help a person more successfully get through the detox process.
Why Medical Detox is the Best Detoxification Option
Medical detox has many benefits over trying to detox without professional assistance. The National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that it takes more than willpower and a desire to succeed to get through the addiction recovery and detox process. Many people who try to detox at home continue going around in circles in a vicious cycle of detox attempts and relapse.
The main reason for the failure of attempts to detox at home is the intensity and agonizing nature of withdrawals. When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, their brain begins to depend on the presence of that substance to function and when the substance is denied (i.e. detox), the person experiences negative side effects as the brain tries to return to functioning normally. Withdrawals can be quite painful and cause people to give up and use again to make them stop.
However, in medical detox a person will get the support they need to make it through the detox process successfully. This includes emotional support but also can involve the administration of prescription medications to manage and reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms and to make the whole detox process significantly shorter.
Though less common, some withdrawal symptoms can be severe and life-threatening, like seizures and psychosis. The level of care available in medical detox can and will make it so these symptoms are treated swiftly to avoid permanent complications. And, of course, if a person has respiratory, cardiovascular, or other major health conditions, medical detox programs can help to ensure that those conditions are not exacerbated by the detox process.
Remember that Detox is One Part of a Holistic Treatment Program
Detoxification is an important and necessary step in the addiction recovery process. However, it is not synonymous with recovery but is instead one piece of a bigger puzzle. Detox addresses the physical dependence that a person has to drugs or alcohol. But if they do not receive additional treatment to deal with the origin of the substance abuse and what led them to it, they will more than likely relapse shortly after completing detox.
Treatment for addiction needs to be holistic, dealing with both the physical and mental aspects of an addiction. Therapies like individual cognitive-behavioral therapy, group and family therapy, couple’s therapy, and alternative therapies like equine therapy and meditation all work together to get down to the deep roots of the addiction and help the person develop strategies to avoid substance abuse in the future in spite of their triggers.
Baltimore Drug Treatment Centers is here to help you get the medical detox care that you need to start your addiction recovery. Just give our recovery advocates a call today at (410) 260-0350.
