If you have a substance abuse disorder or struggle with addiction, you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using. Withdrawal symptoms can be similar to having the flu or can be potentially life-threatening. Attempting to detox alone without professional care can be dangerous. If you want to know how to detox your body, the best method is to entrust the help of a medical detox program. Due to the risks of detoxing from substances due to alcohol abuse or benzodiazepine abuse, it is best to detox while under medical supervision.
Connecting with a medical detox center can help put you in touch with additional services and treatment, such as outpatient programs and therapy. While detoxing is an important first step towards recovery, instead of figuring out how to detox your body, it is best to enlist the help of a certified and license medical detox center.
The best answer to how to detox your body properly is to do so in a controlled, safe environment where you have access to medical staff, therapeutic support, and compassionate staff.
How to Detox Your Body
To understand how to detox your body from drugs and alcohol, it is important to understand that addiction causes physical changes to the body and brain. Drug and alcohol use changes brain chemistry and makes your body physically dependent on your substance of choice. You can experience physical withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, restless legs, nausea, and insomnia.
Your withdrawal symptoms are linked to the type of substance you are detoxing from. While alcohol withdrawal can cause delirium tremors, withdrawal from heroin abuse can cause painful cramping. Although complications are rare, detoxing can lead to serious symptoms such as confusion, hallucinations, and seizures.
When you stop using a substance after becoming physically dependent on it, you can have difficulty coping and managing withdrawal symptoms. An inability to combat withdrawal symptoms can lead to relapsing. Overdosing is also a risk when you detox without medical supervision because your tolerance decreases significantly during withdrawal and relapse can cause a potentially fatal overdose.
Benefits of Detoxing
Besides being the first step in an addiction treatment program, detoxing can help your mind and body heal from addiction. While trapped in addiction, your brain chemistry changes. All substances interact with your brain, which is why intoxication is enjoyable. Drugs and alcohol work on brain receptors to increase your supply of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. These trigger feelings of happiness and elation.
Unfortunately, when you stop using, your brain and body become depleted of certain neurotransmitters. This, in turn, can trigger feelings of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. If you suffer from a co-occurring disorder, detox can worsen underlying conditions.
Some other benefits of detoxing from drugs and alcohol include:
- Improving cognitive functioning, including memory
- Making it easier to treat co-occurring conditions
- Helping your liver heal
- Improving your physical appearance
- Increasing your energy levels
Finding a Detox Center
Hopefully, now you understand how to detox your body from drugs, alcohol, and even prescription drugs. The next step is finding a licensed and experienced detox center to help you withdraw in a safe, comfortable manner. Medical detox can improve your chances at achieving long term recovery and connect you with additional services and treatment programs. To learn more about how our detox center can help you address substance abuse issues, call us today at 8662473307.
