Inpatient Drug Detox
Drug detox can be an intense process, and at times withdrawal can be difficult to handle without a stable, controlled environment. This is not the fault of the patient, but a quality of the withdrawal phenomenon. Inpatient drug detox can assist in getting the patient through the initial phase of withdrawal and beyond.
The first benefit the patient experiences in an inpatient drug detox facility is often that of medication. Basic medications can be offered to the patient to lessen or even eliminate the symptoms of withdrawal. Severity of withdrawal symptoms vary with the patient and depend on the drug or drugs used, but often carefully prescribed medication can help significantly improve the experience, until drug detox is complete.
Another major benefit of inpatient drug detox is the controlled, stable environment. The patient’s usual surroundings are often stressful or otherwise conducive to drug abuse, and it is frequently much easier for the patient to change his or her every day habits when the surroundings are changed as well.
Therapeutic options are varied and more easily accessible in an inpatient drug detox setting. These options can include group sessions, individual counseling, and many other varieties of therapy which would be difficult for the patient to access without being in the facility around the clock. This twenty four hour a day presence in drug detox centers is also very helpful in extreme cases, where suicidal ideation or other severe problems require constant observation and attention.
The usual choice for inpatient detox tends to be a hospital setting, though there are also many specialized drug detox centers, as well as longer term residential facilities. Treatment can be of varying lengths, depending on drug detox programs being utilized. A short term drug detox can be up to 30 days long. This is geared toward stabilizing the patient, completing the actual physical drug detox, and providing the patient with skills and education to create a healthy lifestyle after the treatment ends. Longer term inpatient drug detox can be a number of months, or as much as a year. The individual patient, drug or drugs used, and course of treatment determine the length of time necessary.
If you or someone you know is in need of inpatient drug detox, outpatient drug treatment, or any other substance abuse treatment, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has a free and easy to use Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator online here:
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
Use the link to find a facility near you, and we wish you a a quick and long-lasting recovery.