You’ve decided that it’s time to take that first courageous step toward sobriety. This means checking into an alcohol detox center. However, you hesitate. What goes on inside an inpatient detox center?
Is Detox Necessary?
The typical stay at an inpatient detox center is about five to ten days. That’s a short time. However, in this span, you manage to overcome a physical addiction. It also means facing your fears of withdrawal symptoms.
Depending on the substance you’re abusing, it might mean depression or anxiety, gastrointestinal upset, and pain. Medical supervision of the withdrawal process keeps you safe at a residential drug treatment center. Most importantly, pharmacological support makes the experience comfortable. Once you break the physical addiction, you’re ready for rehab.
This isn’t something you want to do on your own. Rather, entrust your care to a good-quality inpatient detox center. At-home cold turkey attempts at withdrawal are unpleasant and frequently fail. Besides that, they can lead to dangerous medical emergencies.
What Happens during a Stay at an Inpatient Detox Center?
You collaborate with a team of therapists and medical professionals to create a relevant care protocol. Addiction treatment specialists take into account your medical history, substance abuse severity, and personal needs. Similarly, the substance – or substances – you’re detoxing from contributes to the care protocol’s design. Therapies include:
- Medication-assisted treatment that allows for the reduction of cravings and withdrawal symptoms
- Medical supervision of the withdrawal process that allows for intervention when necessary
- Individual counseling as a way to make plans for a future of abstinence and lifelong sobriety
- Group therapy that encourages you to work with peers on exploring new coping skills
- Mental health therapy that focuses on depression or anxiety you might experience during the withdrawal process
You enter the facility with a physical and psychological addiction. At the end of your short stay, you’ll typically overcome the physical aspect of dependency. Your body no longer feels that it needs alcohol or a drug to live. It’s now time to focus on the psychological aspect of addiction.
Detox center counselors assist you with the move to a rehab center. In fact, almost all people who go through detox choose to transition to drug rehab rehab right away. It minimizes the risk of early relapse. Most importantly, it lets you use the momentum of success you experienced at the center.
Choose the Inpatient Experience
Checking into a drug or alcohol detox center typically means moving into the facility for about a week. After that time, you move on to rehab or return home. The intensity of the therapy empowers you to break physical addiction in this short time. Most importantly, it keeps you comfortable and safe.
Outpatient treatment cannot offer you this level of success. Typically, it takes longer. Similarly, it may not help manage withdrawal symptoms as effectively. Therefore, success rates are not the same.
Learn more about a stay at an inpatient detox center today!