What’s involved with a detox?ĭIY detox may work for people with milder substance use issues, but that approach is risky. This makes clinicians hesitant to recommend nonmedical detox in most cases.Īlso, the support from medical staff and loved ones can help you get through the worst moments. But it’s difficult to predict who will need medical support during detox and who won’t. Some people may experience withdrawal without medical complications. But for heavy alcohol use or sedative addiction, a do-it-yourself approach to detox can be unsafe or cause needless suffering. You may prefer the privacy and comfort of home to the sterile feel of a medical detox facility. Is it dangerous to detox from any types of drugs or alcohol on your own? You don’t know how your body will react, and you might not be prepared for a medical emergency. Detoxing during pregnancy requires extra care as well. You have other medical issues.ĭetoxing from substances can be hard on your body, even dangerous when you have other health conditions like diabetes, heart problems, or hypertension. These efforts can be more challenging if you don’t have a reliable support system. Detoxing on your own can be dangerous and ineffective, especially if you stop all substance use abruptly or have a history of severe withdrawal symptoms. If you've tried to quit or reduce your substance use, you know the process is difficult. You’ve tried to quit, reduce your use, or detox many times, and it hasn’t worked. You may feel comforted by your old habits and think of how easy it would be to start using again. You feel uncontrollable urges to use the substance and find it hard to resist. You often think about getting intoxicated and the people, rituals, and places connected with the substance. When the substance is leaving your body, you start to feel uncomfortable or sick. Sometimes you have to use it just to feel normal. For example, you may find that you need more of the substance to feel any effects, which is called tolerance. There are several signs that your body is dependent on a drug, prescription medicine, or alcohol. Your tolerance for the substance is going up ![]() DTs involve sudden changes in the nervous system that can cause confusion, tremors, and seizures. These are a severe, potentially life-threatening symptom of alcohol withdrawal. In more extreme cases, you may experience delirium tremens, or DTs. When you stop using them, your body may react with some of these symptoms: Substances such as alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines can cause physical withdrawal. Physical withdrawal symptoms are a sign of substance dependence. But you may also be struggling with self-care and the lifestyle changes that come with recovery. Some of these changes may be due to the effects of substances leaving your body. Substance withdrawal can cause mood changes, leaving you feeling depressed, anxious, or irritable. You have mood changes when you stop using the substance. Here are six signs you may need additional support while detoxing from substances. It’s tempting to try detoxing alone, especially if you aren’t ready to ask for help. Signs that you need outside help detoxing Treatment provides the therapy, support, and guidance many need for addiction recovery. If you’ve experienced withdrawal symptoms or tried quitting several times but were not successful, you may need treatment to recover. There isn’t much research on people who go into remission (temporary recovery) without help, but they tend to have less severe addictions or low risk of misuse. Some people can recover from a substance use disorder without treatment. Can you recover from a substance use disorder (or high levels of substance use) on your own? The process can be overwhelming and difficult to do alone, so it’s safer and more effective with medical support. ![]() When a person is physically dependent on a substance, they may experience many uncomfortable symptoms while detoxing. It involves physical and mental withdrawal symptoms that can be uncomfortable. Why it’s important to get support for your detoxĭetox is the process that the body goes through when stopping or cutting back on substances after a period of prolonged use. We’ll wrap up with some helpful resources to get you started. Here, we’ll review why it’s important to get support for detox, signs you need help detoxing, and the risks of detoxing on your own. But it’s an important early step toward recovery. Substance detox by itself isn’t a treatment. It’s often hard for people with substance use disorders to ask for help, and going through detox is no exception. Should you try a do-it-yourself (DIY) detox, or should you turn to professionals for help? Quitting on your own is tempting, but you’ve struggled for so long. You know your substance use has gotten out of control, and it’s time for a change.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |