What is Drug Detox?
Drug detoxification is the process of ridding one’s body of the accumulated toxins and poisons in their body through continued use and abuse of drugs. This can be a complicated and dangerous process, especially if one is trying to detoxify their system by themselves. For this reason, it is always suggested and encouraged that drug detox should be completed under the care of a medical professional or in a trained and experienced detoxification facility or drug rehabilitation.
What Are Some of the Dangers of Drug Detox?
There can be many dangers associated with drug detox. These dangers include health complications during the process, usually as a result of damage done to the body through drug abuse, discomfort, and in some cases death.
A person who has succumb to drug addiction has experienced changes in their physiology and brain chemistry. The brain has chemicals that it produces naturally which affect a person’s behavior and general sense of well-being. Certain drugs can throw off the natural balance of dopamine and other naturally occurring hormones which regulate mood. Over time these drugs can replace the chemicals produced by the brain, and afterwards can lead to disorders such as depression and in some cases suicide. Ecstasy in particular is known to severely alter a person’s brain chemistry with prolonged use.
What is Drug Detox Like?
In a professional drug detox, medical professionals closely monitor all aspects of this difficult process for the safety of the patient. Not only do they ensure the safety of you or your loved one, but they do all that they can to make sure that the detoxification process is as pain free as possible. With detox for certain drugs in the range of 3 weeks to a month, comfort during this trying time is a significant concern. Vomiting and nausea are quite common, as are chills, shakes, and in some cases hallucination. With trained medical staff and medications developed specifically for this process, these side effects can be minimized, and in some cases eliminated.
With the strong possibility of drug detox being a very trying and sometimes dangerous prospect, it is strongly encouraged to seek professional help and to not attempt detoxification on your own. With many insurance companies now covering a significant portion of drug detox and drug rehab costs, professional help is a viable option that should be considered strongly.
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