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Long-term or chronic struggles with drugs and alcohol lead to significant physical and psychological impacts on the body. When someone is addicted to substances, physical and functional changes to the brain and many vital body systems occur. Even when the individual stops using, it can be difficult for the body to heal and these functional changes to go back to return to normal. In some cases, changes are permanent. However, with the assistance of a comprehensive detox program followed by addiction therapy, most individuals who struggle with long-term addiction can attain and maintain lasting sobriety by allowing their body time to heal in a safe and supported environment.
Choosing to seek help as you begin a journey to sobriety is a difficult decision. Many who struggle with chronic addiction also struggle to admit that they have a problematic relationship with drugs or alcohol. For most addicts seeking sobriety, detox is the first step in the sobriety process. Detoxing is not easy. It requires individuals to experience a range of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms as the body rids itself of any remaining substances. Depending on the nature and severity of your addiction, detox and withdrawal can lead to uncomfortable and sometimes potentially dangerous side effects. It is the more severe symptoms that point to the need for a supported detox program. Relevance Recovery does not provide detox services, but we are happy to refer you to a trusted detox center near you.
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What is Detoxification?
The first step for many people to overcome addictions to drugs or alcohol is detoxification or detox. Although sometimes difficult, detox is a necessary process in the journey towards achieving and maintaining lasting sobriety. Before someone can begin the therapeutic process and start learning how to successfully manage symptoms in relapse triggers, it is essential to be free from cravings and the other challenges that come with still being under the influence of your substance of choice. Without the detox and withdrawal process, this cannot be accomplished.
As you begin and progress through detox, your body will start to learn how to perform day-to-day functions without the use of drugs or alcohol. This means that your brain and body systems will begin remembering how they worked before you started drinking or using drugs. When you are using, the activities within your brain and body change to accommodate the presence of drugs or alcohol. Vital, life-sustaining activities such as how the brain communicates with the rest of the body change because of the presence of drugs or alcohol. When you don’t use or drink, intense and sometimes overwhelming symptoms occur. These are known as withdrawal symptoms. They are a sign that your body is demanding substances to continue functioning in its “new normal.” During detox, drugs and alcohol are not available, no matter how powerful the cravings may be. This is what leads to withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal Symptoms & Detox Timeline
The symptoms you experienced during detox will be unique to your particular relationship with drugs and alcohol. Additionally, each substance produces specific symptoms while using and while detoxing. Therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact symptoms one may experience as they withdrawal from drugs and alcohol. Additionally, other factors contribute to the intensity and severity of symptoms that occur during detox. This may include the severity of addiction, whether you have detoxed before and experienced relapse, and the presence of any underlying physical or mental health conditions. When someone struggles with a medical illness or a co-occurring mental health disorder, the process of withdrawing can be further complicated by physical or emotional symptoms that are made worse as part of the withdrawal process. It is these symptoms, as well as the more severe symptoms of withdrawal, that highlight the need for supported detox services at a drug detox center in New Jersey.
Although not all substances lead to withdrawal symptoms, many do, including widely used prescription pain medications and alcohol, stimulants, antidepressants, opioids, and cannabis. In most cases, the effects of withdrawal from a substance are the opposite of the desirable results felt when using it. For example, when someone uses stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, they feel increased energy, among other things. When detoxing from a stimulant drug, symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy, and exhaustion are common. The same holds true for different types of drugs, such as depressants.
The timeline for withdrawal will also vary depending on the type of substance and the severity of one’s addiction. It is also dependent on the speed at which the user feels the effects of the substance. For example, short-acting drugs like heroin and some prescription painkillers produce effects that are felt almost immediately upon use. Unfortunately, the duration of the impact for these drugs is also extremely short, and it does not take long for the desirable symptoms of use to fade. For these substances, withdrawal symptoms will begin within hours after your last use and can last up to two weeks.
For benzodiazepines, withdrawal symptoms occur even faster; sometimes as quickly as within 24 hours. Alcohol withdrawal is similar to that of benzodiazepine withdrawal, and withdrawal effects can begin to appear within 8 to 24 hours after your last drink. For most substances, the most intense and potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms occur within the first 24 to 72 hours after your last dose and typically subside within the first week of withdrawal. Withdrawal typically lasts up to two weeks, although some substances can produce symptoms lasting several weeks or months.
What to Expect When Entering an NJ Drug Detox Center
Entering a New Jersey drug detox center, the first step is often a comprehensive intake interview. An intake interview or assessment is a vital part of the treatment process. It helps your treatment team understand your medical and mental health needs as you detox and progress towards sobriety. An intake interview also helps your treatment team determine which therapy models will best help you achieve your treatment goals. The next step in the treatment process is generally detox. Although a vital part of a comprehensive treatment program, detox is not a standalone intervention for addiction. Attaining and maintaining lasting sobriety requires participating in a comprehensive treatment plan where you can learn and practice the skills needed to manage relapse triggers.
How Can We Help You Find a Drug Detox Center in NJ?
Getting help to quit using drugs and alcohol at a drug detox center in NJ is the safest and most effective way to get and stay sober. Because some substances can produce dangerous and potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms, detoxing “cold turkey” is unsafe and often unsuccessful. Drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be intense and challenging to manage without the care and guidance of a supported detox program.
At a drug detox center in New Jersey, a team of medical and mental health professionals will work with you through all stages of the detox and treatment process. Together, you will create an individualized addiction treatment program that addresses your physical, psychological, and holistic treatment needs as you overcome the challenges of drug or alcohol addiction. Detox is not easy. Many people looking to get well experience a wide range of unpleasant and sometimes painful symptoms as they cleanse their body from any remaining effects of drugs or alcohol. At a medically supported detox program, skilled doctors and nurses will monitor your vitals provide emotional support, and, if necessary, administer medications to help reduce the intensity and severity of withdrawal symptoms.
It is important to note that not all treatment centers provide medically supported detox services. If you struggle with an addiction to benzodiazepines, alcohol, opioids, and certain other drugs, medically supported detox is a vital process on your journey to recovery. Without the care and support of an addiction treatment team at an alcohol detox center in New Jersey, the possibility of withdrawal symptoms leading to relapse is significantly increased. We are happy to refer you to trusted alcohol and drug detox centers in New Jersey.