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When choosing an addiction rehabilitation center, be sure that the center you pick has an onsite detoxification facility. Detoxification is the process by which the body rids itself of the immediate amounts of the drug of addiction and starts trying to return to a normal level of functioning.

A detox unit must be staffed by doctors and nurses every hour of the day. People who are detoxing are usually put on precautions, a health assurance guideline where a nurse checks the patient every 15 minutes for signs of distress. If a person is in a hospital bed, checks are constant. This careful observation is important, because withdrawal is both difficult and uncomfortable, and ranges from mildly annoying to excruciatingly painful, and can, with some drugs of abuse, be quite fatal.

 

Withdrawal Symptoms Include, but are not limited

  • Elevated pulse
  • High Blood Pressure, sometimes spiking into stroke range
  • Seizures
  • Headache, Migraine
  • Diaphoresis (dangerously high levels of sweating)
  • Nausea and vomiting (I.V. fluids are often required to prevent dehydration)
  • Hallucinations (common with alcohol, called delirium tremens, or DTS)


Some drugs absolutely require medical care for detoxification. Alcohol can cause a lethal withdrawal syndrome, Even if the outward signs of withdrawal are not severe, the brain suffers greatly from a phenomenon called a glutamate cascade. A doctor skilled in addiction medicine can prevent that by giving injections of thiamine and complex nutrients that will support the brain and protect it during the first 72 to 967 hours of abstinence.

A detox center will make sure a patient’s care is individualized. After clearing detox, the professionals there will assess the patient’s needs and determine what level of care is most suitable.

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