Detoxification
Detoxification
When someone struggles with long-term, chronic substance use, they will inevitably experience harmful impacts on their physical and psychological health. Choosing to seek help to overcome addiction at a drug detox center in Mexico is the first yet often most challenging step to getting sober and starting a journey to lasting health and wellness. For most people with a substance use disorder, detox and withdrawal are the first steps to sobriety. The process of detoxing is challenging, and depending on the substance or substances used, it can lead to uncomfortable and potentially dangerous side effects. The challenges of detox are one of the many reasons seeking professional treatment to overcome addiction offers the most significant opportunity for success.
What is Detoxification?
When you decide to seek help overcoming addiction, the first step for most programs is detox or detoxification. Although sometimes challenging and complex, detox is a vital step towards putting addiction in the past. Before you can work on understanding how to manage the thoughts and emotions that lead to addiction, it is necessary to be free of cravings and the other challenges that come with being under the influence of substances. Without completing detox, this is not possible.
During detox, the body must learn how to function without the presence of substances. Unfortunately, this is often an unpleasant and sometimes scary process. While actively using drugs or drinking alcohol, your body, and brain change. Long-term addiction leads to physical and functional changes to how the brain sends and receives messages throughout the body. Without substances, cravings occur as the body believes it needs those substances to perform day-to-day tasks. During detox, substances are not available, which, in most cases, leads to withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal Symptoms & Detox Timeline
Addiction is a disease unique to the individual. The symptoms one experiences while they are using and while they are attempting to detox are equally as wide-ranging. Several factors contribute to the severity and intensity of symptoms one may experience during detox. Factors such as the type of drug they used, the duration of their addiction, and how often they used will all play a factor in the withdrawal process.
While there are symptoms that are directly linked to specific drugs, some symptoms are commonly associated with withdrawal from almost all substances. These often include mood and behavior changes, appetite changes, body aches and pains, changes to sleeping patterns, fatigue, and mild respiratory issues such as a runny nose or congestion. Other symptoms that occur frequently include nausea, vomiting, sweating, and shakiness. In some cases, more severe and potentially dangerous symptoms may occur, like hallucinations, seizures, and delirium tremens or DTs.
There are several different drugs that can lead to withdrawal symptoms. These include many that are frequently misused or abused, such as opioids, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, antidepressants, barbiturates, cannabis, and alcohol. When withdrawing from these substances, the physical and psychological symptoms are often the opposite of those experienced when using. For example, when someone uses depressant drugs (such as alcohol), it causes feelings of relaxation by slowing down the function of the central nervous system. When someone stops or reduces the amount of the drug they take, they will experience symptoms of overstimulation such as restlessness, anxiety, and agitation.
The timeline for withdrawal and the duration of withdrawal symptoms is also linked to the type of substance and how often it is used. It is sometimes easiest to look at the timeline for withdrawal based on how quickly the drug’s effects are felt. Short-acting opioids like heroin and some prescription pain medications act quickly within the body. Likewise, when you stop using, the effects of withdrawal also occur quickly. In most cases, withdrawal symptoms begin in as little as 8 hours and last up to ten days. Long-acting opioids may take up to two days for withdrawal symptoms to occur. The first withdrawal symptoms from benzodiazepine withdrawal may occur within 24-hours after your last dose and last up to two weeks. Alcohol withdrawal often starts within 24 hours after your last drink and lasts about a week.
What to Expect When Entering a Detox Center in Mexico
Choosing to seek help overcoming addiction is one of the most difficult decisions someone struggling with drugs or alcohol will ever make. While challenging, it is a vital step on a journey to overall health and wellbeing. When entering our addiction treatment center in Mexico, there are a few basic steps you can expect. The first step is generally a comprehensive assessment or intake interview. During the intake interview, you will work with members of your treatment team as they learn more about you and your treatment needs. Intake assessments include a series of questions about your mental health history, medical history, and your previous experiences with addiction treatment and relapse. This information plays a vital role in helping to determine the best types of therapy to help you meet your treatment needs.
The next step, if necessary, is detox. As you focus on healing from the addiction, medical and mental health professionals will continually monitor your vital signs (including blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and breathing) to ensure your safety throughout detox. You will also have access to nutritional and emotional supports during detox so you can focus on what matters most, getting well.
Detox, while essential to sobriety and recovery, is not a standalone therapy. It is necessary to complete a therapeutic treatment program as part of addiction rehab. Lasting recovery requires learning how to safely and successfully manage triggers using healthy coping strategies that do not involve alcohol or drugs. Relapse is an unfortunate and common occurrence for many who complete addiction treatment. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health services administration state as many as 60% of those who complete an addiction treatment program will experience at least one incidence of relapse on their journey to recovery. In some cases, it is necessary to return to treatment for help with detox or additional follow-up treatment support. The coping techniques learned part of an individualized treatment program at our facility are designed to help you avoid relapse after treatment ends.
Begin Healing Today at Our Mexico Drug Detox Center
Safely and successfully overcoming addiction often requires the support and guidance found at a professional treatment center. Whether you struggle with an unhealthy relationship with drugs or alcohol, choosing to detox under the care and supervision of the team at a drug detox in Mexico can help ensure you have the help you need to get and stay sober. Some people choose to detox alone. While this may seem easier than enrolling in a comprehensive treatment program, it is often an unsuccessful and potentially dangerous way to defeat addiction. For many, symptoms experienced as part of withdrawal are overwhelming and powerful. They can be difficult, if not impossible, to manage without help. As a result, a relapse often occurs, putting you in greater danger of medical complications or overdose. When you detox in a medically supported environment, you receive a high level of quality ongoing support and guidance that are vital to successfully detoxing and beginning to work towards lasting sobriety.
At our detox center in Mexico, our team of highly trained medical providers and mental health treatment counselors are skilled in helping guide you through the challenges of detox. We are here to help you manage the physical and emotional difficulties that can accompany getting sober and healing from addiction. Detox is the first step you must take towards putting addiction in the past and starting over on a healthy, substance-free path. We are then happy to help you through the second step of recovery: inpatient treatment. If you or a loved one struggles with a substance use disorder, seeking help at a professional detox center is the best choice. To learn more about how you can begin healing from addiction today, contact our Mexico drug detox center to learn more about our programs.