Medical Detox in Staten Island, NY

An alcohol or drug addiction is a tricky condition to deal with. Addiction is actually a chronic disease that affects a person’s physical and mental health. The physical side stems from changes that occur in the brain, both in its structure and in its functions. Addiction treatment must address these physical issues as well as the mental issues, and medical detox is the best way to address the physical side of an addiction.

Detoxification and Medical Detox

Detoxification, also known as just detox, is the process of getting every last trace of a drug or alcohol out of a person’s system. This process breaks the brain’s dependence on the substance to function by denying the substance and forcing the brain to adjust to functioning normally without it again. Medical detox is the same detox process, but it is undergone with care and supervision from medical professional.

Medical Detox is the Best Detox Option

Medical detox is by far and away the best option for going through the detox process. The medical professionals that oversee medical detox can do much to assist a person through the process. On the most basic ways that medical detox can be helpful is by providing a basic support system. People underestimate just how much having a little encouragement and emotional support can do to keep them on track and successful during the detox process.

In fact, a lack of support and guidance are major factors in why detoxing at home has such a high failure rate. Another reason for this is the intensity of the withdrawals that people experience. Withdrawal symptoms during detox can feel excruciating, even if they are not dangerous to a person’s health. These intense withdrawal symptoms can be reduced, managed and shortened through the use of prescription medications administered during the medical detox process.

Of course, some withdrawal symptoms can be considered medical emergencies (like seizures and problems with respiration or the heart rate). When these occur at home, the person could suffer for a prolonged period of time before receiving assistance which could cause permanent damage or even lead to death. However, in medical detox, the doctors and medical staff are ready and prepared to treat such symptoms immediately, making medical detox far safer than other forms of detox.

Medical Detox is One Part of a More Holistic Treatment Program

Medical detox is the best way to get the process of treating a drug or alcohol addiction started. However, it is not a full and comprehensive treatment program. It is the first step in a holistic treatment program.

When a person goes through medical detox, they break their physical addiction, but the mental side of the addiction is left untouched. Because of this, assuming you are cured of your addiction after detox is a surefire way to lead directly to relapse. However, if a person continues on with treatment by undergoing cognitive-behavioral individual and group therapies as well as trying alternative therapy options, they will be able to figure out what caused them to abuse substances and deal with those issues in more pragmatic and healthy ways.
Staten Island Drug Treatment Centers can and will help you get the medical detox you are looking for to overcome your addiction to drugs or alcohol. Just give one of our recovery advocates a call today at (929) 575-5202.