What is detox?

Detox or detoxification is a word that’s used for multiple things that all have the same aim. Often, you’ll hear of people detoxing as a New Year’s Resolution, cutting alcohol or bad foods out for health reasons. However, for people suffering from addiction, it’s a way to stop or prevent their addiction.

What is addiction detox?

Detox & withdrawal is the first step to sobriety. It’s the process of letting the body remove the drugs from your system, in a controlled environment. Detox can take anything from days to months to kick into effect. The length of your withdrawal comes down to a number of factors:

  • What the user is addicted to
  • The duration of the addiction
  • How severe the addiction is
  • The method of abuse (smoking, injecting, swallowing, or snorting)
  • The amount of substance the user takes in one go
  • Family history
  • Their genetic makeup
  • Any medical conditions or underlying health concerns

Detoxification comes in three steps; they are as follows:

  1. Evaluation

You’ll be screened by a medical team for any physical or mental health problems. Doctors use blood tests to determine how much of the substance is in the patient’s body. This helps them to work out exactly how much medication is required. You can also expect a full review of drug, medical and psychiatric histories. This determines your long-term plan for treatment.

  1. Stabilisation

Once your treatment has been determined, you’ll be stabilised with medical and psychological therapy. This is to help prevent any further harm to the patient. The doctor prescribes medicines to help treat the addiction and to reduce any withdrawal symptoms or complications.

  1. Treatment

The last step is to prepare the patient for treatment. The doctors will familiarise the patient with the process and let them know what they can expect. The patient will then usually start a period of inpatient rehab.

Are there any side effects of addiction detox?

Detox can be a potentially dangerous period of time for addicts. This is why it’s so important to ensure that any form of detox you do is in a controlled, medical environment. Medical detox does limit the symptoms, but it doesn’t completely prevent them from happening. Some of the potential side effects include:

  • Increased anxiety or nervousness
  • Insomnia
  • Nausea or sickness
  • A feeling of discomfort/not being able to settle
  • Mood swings
  • Lack of sleep
  • Struggling to concentrate

Medical detox will limit the chances of this happening but it’s better to be prepared because there’s still a chance you’ll suffer from side effects.

What happens after addiction detox?

Detox is just the first part of your addiction treatment. You’re unlikely to overcome an addiction by detoxing alone. You’ll often find that you also need to be psychologically treated as part of the recovery. This often comes in the form of counselling, support groups or inpatient rehab.

Some people often find that they experience Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms (PAWS) which is why rehab is usually recommended following detox. PAWS is the withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced by patients and are largely psychological or mood-related. They include the following:

  • Hostility or aggression
  • Anxiety, panic, or fear
  • Irritability and mood swings
  • Depression
  • Exhaustion or fatigue
  • Inability to sleep
  • Trouble concentrating or thinking
  • Loss of interest in sex
  • Anhedonia, or the inability to feel pleasure
  • Memory loss
  • Struggle with stressful situations

How can Arrow Health help you?

Here at Arrow Health, we provide an addiction detox & withdrawal therapy that’s claimable on your private medical insurance. It takes place at our residential detox facility in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria at the Sam Lawrence Private Hospital. The facility is staffed 24/7 by experts from mental health and withdrawal. All detox procedures are under the care and guidance of a doctor without waiting lists.

During the treatment we provide the following to you:

  • Professional medical care
  • Your own private room with a double bed and ensuite bathroom
  • You’ll receive a lot of support and quiet care personalised for you
  • A therapeutic program that’s evidence-based and available after the detox phase
  • 24/7 access to nursing support and medical monitoring
  • A maximum of 30 days detox program
  • Aftercare which is included following your treatment
  • A detox program that leads straight into longer-term rehab
  • Gardens for you to walk around in

Your private health insurance will cover up to 30 days of detox treatment within our accredited private hospital. The private health insurance excess will depend on the extent of your cover. If you want to find out more about our program, give us a call on 03 95337888 and we’ll see how we can help you. Your road to recovery starts now.

If you’re concerned about a friend or loved one, you can get in touch through our someone I love needs help page. It can be hard to know what to do so make sure to get in touch and we’ll endeavour to help you and your loved one.