The word detox is widely associated with eliminating foods or chemicals from your diet that you feel negatively impact your health. Among people with substance use disorders, the word has an entirely different meaning. When you’re struggling with a drug or alcohol dependency, detoxification is the first step on the road to sobriety and recovery. It can also be one of the most challenging parts of getting clean.

Here’s what you need to know about drug and alcohol detox.

The Disease Model of Addiction

You’re abusing a drug or alcohol. You wish you could just quit. But addiction’s a disease of the brain that won’t let you. Every time you try to stop using, withdrawal symptoms cause you to start up again.

Safe Detox is Possible with Medical Supervision

Detoxification centers understand what you’re going through. There, caring therapists provide medical supervision of your withdrawal symptoms as you detox from the substances you’ve become dependent on. Pharmacological support can reduce the pain and discomfort of withdrawal, allowing you to rest and focus on self-care and healing. Depending on the addiction you’re dealing with, you can also get help with cravings.

Detox means change. As you break your physiological addiction to a substance, you ready yourself for rehab. There, you find out what made you reach for drugs or alcohol in the first place. Then, you learn how to handle triggers and stressors better.

How Rehab Ends the Psychological Addiction

After detox, your body is no longer fighting the chemical changes that come with discontinuing your drug use. However, your mind may still be seeking the comfort of drugs to alleviate psychological pain and trauma. You may feel certain that you need a drink to loosen up or a stimulant to perform. And because you don’t have any frame of reference, you may start believing it.

That’s where therapists at a rehab facility step in. By customizing a therapeutic protocol for you, healing is possible. Modalities might include:

  • Individual counseling with compassion for your feelings, thoughts, and needs
  • Group therapy sessions that combine honest feedback with peer support
  • Family counseling that integrates a collaborative approach to healing individually and as a group
  • 12 Step group meetings that introduce accountability and emphasize peer relationships
  • Life skills training and coping skills development with an eye on independent living

The goal of evidence-based addiction treatment is the development of healthy thought patterns and coping mechanisms. Addiction treatment helps you learn to recognize and let go of dysfunction. In its stead, you find productive ways of handling strong emotions, disappointments, stressors, and triggers.

Taking the Time You Need to Heal

Because addiction is a disease, professional treatment is the most effective method for fighting the symptoms and healing its effects. Although addiction treatment should be tailored to each unique individual, there are some commonalities to the experience. It starts with detox. It continues with rehab.

Residential rehab is the ideal environment for making lasting strides in addiction recovery. It enables you to immerse yourself in a therapeutic environment. It also readies you to step down your level of care after a while. You’re always preparing yourself for the next step on the road.

Isn’t It Finally Time to Get Help at Steps to Recovery?

If you’ve done rehab before and relapsed, your understanding of the detox process may be different from someone navigating withdrawal and treatment for the first time. No matter where you are in your journey to sobriety, finding a trustworthy drug and alcohol detox center can be tough. It doesn’t have to be. Contact Steps to Recovery at 267.209.7312 to take your first step towards recovery.