The first step of treating a drug addiction usually begins with detoxification. During detox, the body is purified of all toxins left behind by drug use so that the individual can begin the physical and mental healing process. By skipping this process, the residual toxins left behind can threaten sobriety by causing cravings long after the drug use has ended. In California, there are hundreds of drug detox centers to choose from. Choosing a California drug detox center will depend on the type of drug you’re abusing and how frequently you abuse it.
Types of California Drug Detox Centers
There are three main types of California drug detox centers: those that are medication-based, those that are holistic, and those that are detox only.
* Medication-based drug detox: Individuals who abuse drugs frequently or for many years often develop a strong physical dependency, leading to severe withdrawal symptoms once the drug use has ceased. Medication-based drug detox utilizes medications to help ease specific withdrawal symptoms to help the individual through the difficult and painful first stages of detoxification. Medication-based detox is also used for individuals who abuse certain drugs, such as opiates, as a way to maintain withdrawal and minimize symptoms by blocking opiate receptors.
* Holistic drug detox: Many people today are turning to more natural methods of treatment that treat all aspects of the addiction, including the physical, mental and emotional/spiritual causes and effects of the addition. Holistic drug detox centers provide supervised detox without medications, and instead focus on withdrawal methods that are safe, natural and often have a spiritual emphasis.
* Detox-only drug detox: Detox-only centers only offer physical detox supervision without therapy or other forms of addiction treatment found at full-service drug rehabs. The individual is sent home once the withdrawal symptoms have passed and he or she is physically well enough to do so.
Choosing a California Drug Detox Center
To increase the chances of long-term sobriety, drug detox should cover all aspects of a personís withdrawal and purification from drugs. An ideal drug detox center will incorporate counseling and therapy during detox to simultaneously treat the psychological and behavioral withdrawal symptoms. If only the physical withdrawal symptoms are addressed, the chances of relapse remain very high because a person who has an addiction will have a psychological compulsion to use drugs long after the physical withdrawal symptoms have ceased.
Some common psychological and behavioral withdrawal symptoms are anxiety, depression, craving and compulsive behavior. All of these symptoms can be effectively treated with behavioral therapy, individual and group therapy and counseling, dual-diagnosis treatment, or a combination of all. In behavioral therapy, patients will learn how to modify their attitudes and behavior regarding drug use and learn healthy life skills that will encourage long-term sobriety. Therapy and counseling sessions will help the individual identify the root causes of his or her drug addiction and learn how to make better decisions when coping with these root issues. For individuals who are suffering from a co-occurring mental disorder, such as depression or anxiety, dual-diagnosis treatment therapies will treat both the addiction and the underlying mental disorder so that long-term sobriety can be achieved.
When choosing a California drug detox center, you’ll want to choose one that offers a variety of supportive treatment options after the detoxification process has ended. Talking to a medical professional about your symptoms can help you determine which type of treatment you should receive after drug detox has occurred.
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