What is drug detoxification?
The goal of drug detoxification, also called toxin elimination or withdrawal treatment, is to get the patient suffering from addiction to a toxic substance to stop using the addictive drug as quickly and safely as possible.
There are a large number of substances that cause addictions, but the main ones are:
- Alcohol
- Amphetamines
- Benzodiazepines
- Cannabis
- Cocaine
- Nicotine (Tobacco)
- Opiates (Heroin)
- Emerging Drugs (hallucinogenic mushrooms, hallucinogenic plants, new amphetamines, ecstasy and derivatives, tryptamines, piperazines, ketamine).
Why is it done?
Addictions to toxic substances are chronic diseases affecting the brain and behavior, characterized by dependence on one or more drugs harmful to the organism. Therefore, their treatment is very important.
The most common symptoms that patients addicted to a drug have are:
- Anxiety: The addict feels anxious about using the intoxicating substance.
- Loss of control and inability to stop drinking.
- Physical dependence, which causes withdrawal symptoms that may include sweating, fever, tremors… when the addict stops taking the drug.
- Tolerance, which is the need to consume increasing amounts of the drug.
In addition, excessive consumption of these toxic substances leads to serious health problems, both mental (depression, psychosis…) and physical (damage to the liver, brain…), and even death.
Self-help groups or behavioral therapy can help patients in their treatment.
What does it consist of?
Detoxification treatments are medicalized processes for patients to overcome their addiction, eliminating or controlling withdrawal symptoms. They usually consist of different stages:
- Detoxification: In this first step many addicted people must enter a center, where different professionals help them with the treatment of elimination out of the organism of alcohol or other drugs and achieve physical stability, without the organism already missing the substance. This process should always be carried out under the supervision of a physician and a psychiatrist who monitor the patient’s evolution.
- Detoxification: This step is carried out in patients who are already detoxified, that is, who are not suffering the effects of withdrawal syndrome. It is usually performed with the patient out of hospital. Detoxification is a process in which the person tries not to return to the consumption of the substance, mainly with psychotherapeutic treatment. The objective is to be able to live without using, improve psychosocial functioning and have healthy habits. To this end, professionals must foster certain personal and social skills in order to achieve these goals.
- Reintegration: Finally, at this stage the patient’s change is consolidated and future plans and life projects are carried out. The professionals will remind the patient of his commitment to his new life and will support him at all times.
Once the first step of detoxification has passed, options such as self-help groups or behavioral therapy can greatly help the patient learn to control his or her compulsion for drugs and to support him or her with other patients.
In self-help groups they provide emotional support to the patient, as they can lessen the feelings of shame and isolation that can lead to relapse. They also help the patient understand that addiction is a chronic disorder with a risk of relapse.
Behavioral therapy can be applied as part of a drug addiction treatment program. It is a form of psychotherapy in which a psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed alcohol and drug therapist will provide the patient with techniques for coping with their drug compulsion, relapse avoidance or strategies for dealing with a possible relapse.
What specialist treats you?
The psychology specialist treats people’s behavior and mental processes. His field of study covers all aspects of the human experience: perception, attention, motivation, emotion, intelligence, personality, consciousness, etc. To find the answers to all these questions, it relies on the scientific method.
The specialist in psychiatry can also help in this pathology, since there is a specific branch of clinical psychiatry of addictions. Psychiatrists treat mental disorders with the aim of ensuring the autonomy and adaptation of the individual to the conditions of his existence.