Menu Close

Drug Detox Center

Get Started Today

Contact us today to start your journey!

Detox is a scary prospect for many struggling with drug addiction. They might believe that entering a hospital setting or a treatment facility means giving up control and that going through the process alone will be easier to handle. Unfortunately, this white-knuckle, cold-turkey approach is rarely effective. People who go through detox may endure physical pain as well as life-threatening side effects, and they may also have severe drug cravings. All these factors could make the detox process less than successful.

Detox Center Programs

In fact, people who go through detox alone might have major complications to endure, and those complications might pop them right back into a drug-using habit.

Entering a drug detox program for addiction at a drug detox center is a much more practical choice for people working to overcome an addiction. At Skywood Recovery, they’ll get the help they need to ensure that the detox process moves forward and results in sobriety instead of relapse. Call 269.280.4673 to learn more about Skywood Recovery’s drug detox center in Augusta, Michigan, and the other addiction treatment programs offered.

What You Need to Know About Medical Detox

Detox is considered the first step to recovery from addiction. Each year, many people make the courageous choice to fight back against the problems they face and start their journey in these detox programs. Thousands of people enter these programs for lifesaving help, so people who fear that they’ll be alone or ostracized for their decision to get help might be wise to think again.

The goal of a medical detox is twofold. First, treatment providers attempt to provide therapies that could prevent major medical catastrophes from occurring during the detox process. While it’s true that detox is a natural process by which the body removes toxins from the bloodstream and learns to function normally once more, some drugs cause so much damage to the body’s processes that this transition can be dangerous. For example, people who attempt to stop drinking alcohol can develop seizures. It’s clear that this is common, and it can be deadly. In a supervised detox program, people have access to immediate help that could stop these consequences from taking place. A detox program attempts to make symptoms less severe, making completion of the process more likely.

The second goal of a detox program involves completion. The process can be painful, and drug cravings can be powerful and hard to ignore. People who attempt to stop abusing drugs might return to using drugs when facing symptoms like this. Some detox programs use medications to ease symptoms, while others provide supportive care and counseling to encourage the person to stay on the right path. Either method could make a relapse less likely. If the person feels comfortable, the urge to relapse to stop the symptoms might grow smaller.

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to sobriety, but a growing trend in recovery would have you believe differently. A relatively new service called rapid opiate detox (ROD) certainly sounds appealing, as providers promise that the process will be complete in a matter of hours, and the patient will feel no symptoms as the process moves forward. ROD involves putting people under general anesthesia and administering drugs that purport to remove opiates from the system. However, it is not considered secure, and there is no evidence that the process works as advertised.

Medically managed detox, on the other hand, is time-tested and has proven results. The process might take a bit longer to complete, but the results may be worth the effort involved.

What to Expect When Starting a Drug Detox Program

At the beginning of a drug detox program, counselors ask a series of questions regarding drug history, including the following:

  • What drugs do you take?
  • How often do you take them?
  • How much is considered a dose for you?
  • When did you last take drugs?

Counselors might follow up these questions with a urine test to ensure that staff understands the chemicals coursing through the person’s body. Counselors might also ask about the person’s previous history with detox. People who have been through detox multiple times are at a greater risk for complications, so staff will want to ensure that people like this get the extra help and attention they might need to go through it securely.

People struggling with opioid addiction involving prescription painkillers or heroin might need medication management—also called medication-assisted treatment (MAT)—and that help might begin on the very first day. Medications such as methadone or buprenorphine can help ease the physical discomfort associated with withdrawal and might also help reduce the cravings for drugs. Not all people need these drugs, but physicians can use an opiate withdrawal scale to measure symptoms and determine who needs medication management.

What Happens After a Drug Detox Program

The average stay in a detox program is a few days to a couple of weeks. However, some people may need to stay enrolled in their programs for extended periods as they may need more help due to high levels of drugs in their bodies. Therefore, they would require extended periods to process those drugs and obtain sobriety.

Medical staff members monitor the patients regularly during the detox process and assist as needed. MAT using FDA-approved medications is not the only way to provide comfort and care to patients. People who are nauseated, for example, might be provided with absorbent foods and over-the-counter medications. Those struggling with chills or hot sweats might be supplied with blankets or ice chips.

While the detox is mainly focused on the physical health of the addict, many programs begin providing their patients with information about the nature of the addiction and the need for follow-up care while they’re in detox. When detox is over, the patients will have no active drugs in their bodies, but the habits supporting addiction will remain. These are the issues handled head-on in a rehab program. That work begins as soon as detox is over. By stressing the importance of these lessons now, at the beginning of detox, staff might be able to encourage addicts to enter rehab as soon as detox is over.

Many programs usher people right from detox to rehab, building upon momentum and ensuring that the person doesn’t have the opportunity to return home and slip up before rehab begins. Some programs even provide detox and rehab services in the same facility, providing an ideal continuity of care process.

Find a Drug Detox Center in Augusta, Michigan, at Skywood Recovery

Detox is something we take very seriously at Skywood Recovery. Skywood Recovery offers a medical drug detox program that allows those with an addiction to carefully get the substances out of their system with minor discomfort and risk. Call Skywood Recovery today at 269.280.4673 to learn more about drug detox and rehab and how we can help you or your loved one recover.