Author: Justin Mckibben
When it comes to overcoming a serious drug addiction it is crucial to start your recovery strong and with a healthy and stable foundation. Long lasting and sustainable sobriety often means consistent work on not just healing physically, but also psychologically. After-all, drugs and alcohol are not the only symptom to addiction; it is often far deeper than the surface.
So when it comes to the question many people may ask- how to detox from drugs at home- the best answer we can think of is pretty straight forward… just don’t.
You may wonder why, especially if you think it is all just a matter of white-knuckled will-power to get through the initial shock to the system that comes without the substance. Maybe you are a parent or family member who just wants to help your loved one any way you can.
However, the truth is that trying to detox at home isn’t just an unnecessary risk, it can also be incredibly dangerous or even life threatening.
How to Detox from Drugs at Home: Withdrawals
Due to the withdrawals, which can go from modern to overwhelming, many people want to find a way to detox comfortably. Therefore, many people trying to figure out how to detox from drugs at home do so because they want to avoid the physical discomfort while still working towards getting clean.
Then depending on pre-existing conditions or adverse health effects of drug abuse, there can be other medical complications during the detox process that most cannot diagnose or treat at home.
There are also drugs that are so potent and damaging that if someone tries to detox at home “cold turkey” they may do far greater harm to the body and vital organs. Some drug withdrawals can actually kill. If you are to ask how to detox from drugs at home with a primary concern about withdrawals, it is probably not a good idea in the first place.
How to Detox from Drugs at Home: Maintenance Drugs
The physical dependence on the substance that develops from extended use and increased tolerance can be a nightmare. The detox process can be incredibly difficult for most people. Some people have used medication maintenance programs like methadone or Suboxone to try and get off illicit drugs, but often times these methods are also unsustainable in the long-term. Usually, these medications also have side-effects of their own.
Suboxone, for example, is often used as a maintenance drug for opioid addiction. The problem is, there is a lot about Suboxone that most people don’t know.
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With methadone people find themselves visiting a clinic to receive doses of a maintenance drug that has become infamous for its own horrible withdrawal symptoms.
In the end, recovery experts consistently insist that these drugs are only really useful when accompanied by cognitive behavioral therapy or comprehensive addiction treatment.
How to Detox from Drugs at Home: Relapse Prevention
Another crucial part of drug detox that a lot of people forget about is the importance of relapse prevention. While most people think of detox as just the first stages of trying to get clean, the reality is that there is still an incredibly high chance for someone trying to detox at home of relapsing. Not just because they aren’t removed from the environment in a secure facility, but also because they are struggling with withdrawal while also not getting the strong support and treatment.
Truthfully, most addiction treatment professionals and experts agree that detox should always be done with the supervision and support of medical professionals. Behavioral therapy and other forms of treatment are also critical components of shaping the foundation for recovery from drugs and alcohol. Beyond medication or even natural remedies to combat withdrawal, people also need to develop coping skills to prevent relapse.
Instead, Choose Safe Medical Detox
It is true there are cases of some detox attempts done from home, but at the end of the day it is still an unnecessary level of discomfort and risk. Because people do also die from trying to detox from dangerous drugs at home. There is no need to kick and scream on the couch when there are so many resources that provide safe medical detox.
Ultimately, the specific substance, the length of use and the severity/frequency of use will determine how difficult the detox process will be. A combination of volatile substances can also create a whole new danger.
So instead of giving you a list of supplies, which will be incomplete or insufficient, or giving you a few cliff notes on how to detox from drugs at home, we thought it was important to stress why event though it may be ‘possible’ it can also be harmful, and in the end can even be counterproductive.