If you’ve developed an addiction to alcohol or to drugs like opioids, benzodiazepines or cocaine, you may benefit from completing a drug and alcohol detox program to help you rid your system of harmful chemicals.
Though you might assume you are “cured” after you make it through the challenging period of painful withdrawal symptoms that characterizes drug rehab, the truth is that going through detox is merely the first phase of your recovery. You will need a detailed treatment plan to address the next steps, as well as committing to specific lifestyle changes.
Detox Sets the Stage for Future Treatment
The chief reason to undergo drug or alcohol detox is to help you achieve stability in a comfortable environment. The goal is to free your body and mind of the addictive chemicals associated with physical and mental dependency.
Though detox can be fundamental to your success, you will still need to work on chipping away at the root causes contributing to your addiction. Examples of these issues include long-established behavioral patterns of substance misuse, as well as co-occurring mental health disorders like depression or PTSD. If you don’t move on to seek further help for your addiction after completing detox, you’ll be more likely to continue to struggle – despite having achieved sobriety temporarily.
Avoiding Relapse and Overdose
Staying clean after detox requires you to commit to significant changes in almost every area of your life. You’ll need to seek continued treatment that helps you learn to manage your new, healthy lifestyle. Being in rehab can also reduce the risk of relapse in the early stages of recovery.
According to statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the risk of relapse in people with addiction disorders is between 40 to 60 percent – which is comparable to other chronic conditions like high blood pressure. Completing detox as a stand-alone treatment without moving on to the next phases of drug and alcohol rehab can jeopardize your chances of staying clean, no matter how strong your willpower is.
If you do use drugs or alcohol again after completing a detox program, your risk of overdose will be higher because you will have lost some of the tolerance your body built up through prolonged substance misuse. A dosage that once seemed “normal” to you could suddenly be fatal. Opioid overdoses are especially risky after detox, as too much of the drug can cause respiratory failure.
Staying Clean After Detoxing From Drugs and Alcohol
Most people enter detox with the goal of getting sober and remaining that way for the rest of their lives. However, to achieve long-term results in sobriety, you should have an aftercare plan that addresses where you will go after completing your personalized detox program. Not only will seeking additional care keep you safer from relapse and overdose, but a qualified program is also much more likely to help you achieve success in long-term, lasting sobriety.
After detox, you will have to decide between different options for continued treatment, including inpatient rehab, intensive outpatient programs and transitional housing. Each of these types of addiction treatment programs can play a crucial role in your recovery process, and can give you strategies for staying clean after detox.
If you are seeking detox to help you reclaim your life and achieve your goals of getting and staying sober, our treatment team at Inland Detox can provide you with a tailored plan for ongoing care, including a seamless transition into the facility of your choice. When you’re ready, contact us 24/7 to start your recovery journey in Southern California.