Medical Detox at First Step to Recovery

At First Step to Recovery, we consider it a privilege as well as a responsibility to offer an outstanding medical detox program that can serve the needs of individuals facing all types of drug and alcohol abuse disorders. Our recovery advocates are very familiar with addiction, and with the physical and psychological demands that alcohol and drug withdrawal place on the body. We are proud to be able to offer a medical detox program that accounts for these demands, and is designed to maximize the safety and comfort of each of our clients throughout their experiences. If this is your first time in detox or treatment, you may not be familiar with the benefits of medical detox, which is why we have put together some helpful information.

What is Medical Detox?

Medical detox simply refers to the process during which all traces of an addictive substance are eliminated from the body. Over a period of chronic drug or alcohol abuse, the chemical environment within a person’s brain slowly adapts to the perpetual presence of a toxic substance, and detox represents the reversal of those changes. This process is often characterized by symptoms of withdrawal, which can vary widely in type and severity.

Some of the most common symptoms of are listed here:

  • Alcohol: anxiety, tremors, seizures, hallucinations, changes in blood pressure and heart rate, psychosis

  • Opioids: anxiety, hypertension, nausea, vomiting, insomnia

  • Barbiturates: rapid breathing, hallucinations, insomnia, seizures, delusions, muscle aches, tremors, nausea, vomiting

  • Stimulants: lethargy, depression, confusion

  • Benzodiazepines: delusions, hallucinations, insomnia, anxiety, light sensitivity, numbness, tingling

Naturally, these symptoms can be unpredictable, frightening, disorienting, and painful. Without access to medical care, some of these symptoms can even become life-threatening. That’s where medical detox comes in.

Medical detox is a carefully planned, holistic approach to detox that increases both the safety and the effectiveness of the process.a Medicl detox takes place in a specially designed facility that is staffed by doctors and other health care professionals who are on hand 24/7 to ensure that symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal are kept under control.

While not everyone sees the value in such focused treatment of drug dependence, experts across the board (including those at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse) agree that individuals who seek professional help in treating addiction and dependence are much more likely to receive effective treatment and achieve lasting recovery.

The role of medical detox in recovery is actually a very important one. Without first addressing the physical side of addiction and freeing one’s self from the influence of drugs or alcohol, the root causes of addiction can’t be effectively treated, nor can a plan be implemented for long-term recovery. In addition, when the symptoms of withdrawal are among the most intimidating aspects of treatment, medical detox offers individuals a safer, more comfortable way of going about it.

If you would like more information about medical detox through First Step to Freedom, please feel free to contact us at (888) 415-8810 today. We are here to help you on your recovery journey.