DETOX
Understanding Detoxification
and Why It’s Critical in Recovery
The Start of the Recovery Journey
Recovering from drug or alcohol abuse has been described as a journey – a journey where individuals with a substance abuse problem can achieve sobriety while learning skills that will guide them to lasting recovery. For many, this journey begins with detoxification, a program designed to get all the toxic substances out of the body.
Think of “detox” as tackling the physical or physiological aspects of the addiction disease while “counseling” helps overcome the psychological aspects.
Detox services typically provide an initial period during recovery where individuals focus on overcoming their physical dependence on alcohol or drugs. It’s a crucial part of treatment and recovery. In fact, medical detoxification serves as an initial primer for the remainder of the individual’s treatment. If a patient were to skip detox and go straight into clinical treatment, they would likely suffer withdrawal symptoms, leave treatment and return to the drug of their choice.