Drug Detox and Your Mental Health

Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Substance abuse disorder and addiction affects an astounding number of people in the U.S and many patients never seek proper treatment at a drug or alcohol treatment center. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance abuse disorder in 2017 and almost 74 percent of people suffering from a substance abuse disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol abuse disorder as well. With this high of a percent, it is necessary to address the issue of addiction and abuse, and assist a patient with treatment right away.

Addiction and abuse, whether it be to alcohol, drugs, or another substance, kills thousands of Americans every year. If a patient does not get treatment soon enough, it may be too late and they are at risk for life-threatening consequences from their addiction.

Drug addiction is a mental health disorder that causes a person to crave alcohol, drugs or another substance to the point that it begins to affect their mental health in a negative way. Typically, someone who stops using drugs will begin to suffer from withdrawal symptoms. When you suffer from addiction, you repeatedly use a substance or engage in particular activities that may be harmful to your life.

If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction or abuse to drugs or alcohol, please contact the medical staff at Inland Detox to assist you with your treatment. We assist all of our patients through our treatment process and help each patient achieve recovery.

Detoxification and Withdrawal

Detoxification or also known as “detox” is a process in which your body clears itself from drugs, alcohol or another substance. Addiction treatment usually begins with detox, and with it can come some uncomfortable withdrawal side effects that make it very difficult to discontinue drug and alcohol use.

The most comfortable option for a patient to go through detox from substance use disorders such as alcohol or drug addiction is to seek a medical detox treatment hospital or facility. There are both mental *psychological” withdrawal symptoms and physical withdrawal symptoms that can occur when a patient goes through detox. Every patient is different in how they react, but typical cases will experience withdrawal symptoms.

Treating detox will look different for every patient, but in some cases it will include medications or other therapy that is necessary for a patient to achieve full rehabilitation. Medications may make it easier for a patient to taper the dose of the drug or substance they are taking, making it safer and more comfortable.

Withdrawal Symptoms

There are both physical and mental health withdrawal symptoms that occur when a patient stops using drugs or alcohol, especially when patients suffer from substance abuse or alcohol abuse. Although a medically monitored detox limits the symptoms of withdrawal, some may be unavoidable.

Some of the most common physical symptoms of alcohol or drug withdrawal in a patient includes:

• Shaking and shivering
• Nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting
• Vivid and unpleasant dreams
• Abdominal cramps
• Sweating
• Runny nose
• Muscle and bone pain
• High temperature and/or chills
• Exhaustion
• Headaches
• Increased heart rate
• Increased blood pressure

Psychological withdrawal symptoms may include:

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Intense cravings for the substance
• Confusion
• Agitation
• Paranoia
• Extreme mood swings
• Insomnia
• Inability to concentrate
• Depression

If you are experiencing any of the above issues or symptoms, it is best to seek out drug rehabilitation and therapy services at Inland Detox. Our program can help treat the symptoms associated with detox and withdrawal from drugs and alcohol, allowing you to be more comfortable during your addiction treatment and therapy.

Addiction and Co-Occurring Disorders

Often, patients with addiction also suffer from mental illness or have other mental health disorders, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety or mood swings that need to be treated along with their addiction. Addiction, abuse to drugs or alcohol and mental illness can go hand in hand, and if both disorders are not treated together, it usually means that the issues will remain the same.

The treatment program at Inland Detox treats co-occurring disorders, like PTSD, along with abuse to a substance, drugs or alcohol, ensuring that you are completely healed at the end of your therapy and recovery. We understand that mental illness can affect addiction and we want to allow our patients to get all the necessary care possible to treat their addiction disorders.

Your Mental Health During Detox

Your mental health is always important, but during detox and addiction treatment, mental illness is even more so. When receiving detox treatment, it is essential to be aware if there are any other psychological or mental health issues that the facility needs to be aware of.

Many times mental illness and a patient’s mental health get overlooked, but not treating those disorders along with addiction can be detrimental to the outcome of people in treatment for addiction.

During detox and withdrawal treatment, it may be necessary for a medical doctor to evaluate the patient to determine if there are other mental health disorders present along with substance abuse to ensure the right treatment services are being done. A large percent of patients suffer from mental illness along with their addiction and abuse to a substance, and it is necessary to treat both.

What Role Does Mental Health Play In Abuse to a Substance?

Mental health and abuse with a substance often occur at the same time, and this is because a problem with mental health can sometimes cause a person to engage in the use of a substance to help cope with the feelings they are having.

Mental and substance use disorders share some underlying causes, including genetic vulnerabilities, changes in brain composition, and early exposure to trauma or stress.

Typical mental illness that coincides with addiction and abuse to a substance includes:

• Mood disorders that include depression, bipolar disorder, and complicated grief.
• psychotic disorders such as schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia
• Anxiety disorders that include social anxiety, panic disorders and OCD
• Personality disorders such as narcissistic personality, borderline personality or dependent personality
• Trauma including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), childhood trauma or dissociative disorders

Alcohol Detox

If you drink alcohol excessively for a period of weeks, months,or years, you may have both mental health and physical problems when you stop or seriously cut back on how much you drink. Alcohol detox and withdrawal can be extremely dangerous for people if not treated properly by medically trained medical staff. A patient who is going through alcohol withdrawal will experience symptoms of withdrawal that are extremely uncomfortable and can be deadly. Withdrawal from alcohol is by far one of the most dangerous forms of withdrawal when compared to another substance.

Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are: headache, nausea, shaky hands, insomnia, vomiting, and sweating. The withdrawal symptoms from alcohol abuse can show up as soon as 6 hours after you put down your last drink. More severe symptoms of withdrawal can occur anywhere from 12 to 24 hour after your last drink and those are hallucinations or delirium tremens.

Drug Detox and Withdrawal

When people stop using drugs “cold turkey” and without a medically trained professional at a detox withdrawal facility, it will inevitably cause a withdrawal response to occur, specifically if a dependence or substance abuse disorder has developed. A general guideline of certain drugs and their characteristic of physical and mental health withdrawal timeline for people is as follows:

1. Withdrawal from Benzodiazepines (such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Clonazepam and Ativan): Withdrawal from these drugs begins within 1-4 days, peaking in severity within the first 2 weeks. Protracted withdrawal can last months or years without treatment in some cases.
2. Withdrawal from Short-Acting Opioids (such as heroin and certain prescription painkillers): Short-acting opioid withdrawal symptoms generally begin 8-24 hours after last use and last an average of 4-10 days.
3. Withdrawal from Longer-acting opioids (such as methadone): For methadone and other longer-acting opioids, it may take 2-4 days for withdrawal symptoms to emerge. Withdrawal will likely fade within a period of 10 days.

Treatment at Inland Detox

Inland Detox is a drug and alcohol addiction treatment recovery facility that is located in Temecula, CA that offers services and therapy for all types of addiction and substance abuse. Our program and services can help with physical and mental health symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal and detox, allowing patients to feel more comfortable during the process.

Our detox program and recovery services are specifically designed to provide therapy and assistance during a difficult time of substance abuse, where many patients are severely uncomfortable and may not have the ability to quit using drugs and alcohol on their own. Many people suffer from another co-occurring disorder and we are medically trained to treat all other disorders along with an addiction or abuse to a substance.

At Inland Detox we understand how challenging it is to handle the physical and psychological symptoms that happen with addiction and a substance abuse disorder, and our caring medical staff members are there to assist patients the entire time through their recovery.

If you are suffering from addiction or abuse to drugs, alcohol, or another substance there is treatment available at Inland Detox, where patients can achieve full recovery and move on from a life where drugs and alcohol have taken over. We are here to help guide you through the process, and if you need any additional information on our substance abuse disorder services, please contact Inland Detox right away.