The effects of addiction on the body and mind can be devastating. When drugs or alcohol maintain such an indelibly unhealthy presence in your system, it traps one in a cycle of dependence that feels impossible to escape — like a new normal that won’t ever change. If you’re wondering if there’s a detox center near me in Washington State, Royal Life Centers is here to help.
Admitting you have a problem with substance abuse is already a bold, brave step toward sobriety, but breaking free from that grip of alcohol or drug abuse takes more than willpower alone. Even if you want to quit cold turkey, some withdrawal symptoms can be severe or life-threatening, depending on the substance.
That’s where detoxification, or detox, plays such an integral role; the first, and arguably the most important, phase in getting clean and overcoming an alcohol or drug abuse disorder, often a progressive and chronic illness. By thoroughly clearing substances from the body, detox — a type of medically managed intervention — creates a foundation for long-term healing.
The idea of detox can seem overwhelming and intimidating. It’s understandable to imagine that detox means being left to your own devices, in a room somewhere, to fight off withdrawal all on your own, but that notion couldn’t be farther from the truth. What does it involve? How long does it take? Where does it take place, and will you have support?
Better understanding the detox process at detox centers near me sets you on a safe, secure, and sober path.
What Is a Detox Center?
A detox center is a facility equipped to help you safely wean off substances and manage any subsequent withdrawal symptoms in a supportive, structured and caring environment under the guidance of compassionate, trained medical professionals — doctors, nurses, therapists, addiction specialists and clinical support staff.
The word “detox” can sometimes be used interchangeably with “rehab,” since many facilities, like Royal Life’s Lacey location, offer a full spectrum of inpatient addiction treatment services to assist guests during the early stages of recovery and beyond.
Who is detox and rehab for? They’re for everyone with an addiction to alcohol or numerous other drug disorders; everyone is welcome and embraced. If “How does detox look for various substance abuse disorders at a recovery center near me?” is a question that resonates with you, read on to find out.
Detox for Substance Use Disorders
Different substances require different detox approaches due to the unique withdrawal symptoms they may cause. And because everyone’s physiologies are different, your detox regimen may vary from someone who may struggle with the same addiction.
Here’s a glimpse of what a detox program might look like for various substance abuse disorders:
Alcohol Detox
More than two-thirds of people treated for alcohol use disorder relapse within six months, according to the National Institutes of Health. This high relapse risk makes it unsafe to try and detox off alcohol on your own.
Spending time in an alcohol detox near me enables you to manage your withdrawal symptoms, but first and foremost, to gain clarity and understand your relationship with alcohol. Why do you drink? Binge and heavy drinking can segue into problematic drinking or even chronic alcoholism, affecting one’s relationships and ability to function in everyday life. Detox begins to open the door to rid yourself of toxins, prevent complications inherent to alcohol withdrawal and start a new chapter free of alcohol.
Opioid Detox
Opioids — whether street drugs like heroin or prescription painkillers like fentanyl — are drugs that mimic the effects of opium, an opiate derived from the poppy plant. As such, opioids are highly addictive.
While opioid withdrawal is not known to be life-threatening, it can pose challenging symptoms like drug craving, anxiety, restlessness, gastrointestinal distress, diaphoresis and tachycardia. It’s the fear of these withdrawal symptoms, notes the Cleveland Clinic, that compels many people to keep using opioids, illustrating the need for an effective opioid detox near me program.
Methamphetamine Detox
Methamphetamines are in a class of highly addictive stimulants responsible for tripling the number of overdose deaths from similar drugs other than cocaine in recent years. Meth withdrawal symptoms go beyond the physical. Since the drug works to alter brain chemistry, increasing levels of dopamine and other neurochemicals, withdrawal (which can last up to three weeks) may involve intense meth cravings, anxiety, depression, hallucinations and even psychosis.
In a structured meth detox near me program, round-the-clock medical care and supervision, nutritional support, intensive therapy and more are part and parcel of this stage of recovery to continue with addiction treatment.
Benzodiazepine Detox
Benzodiazepine, or benzo, addiction often happens after one is prescribed drugs like valium or Xanax to combat an anxiety or panic disorder. Unfortunately, these can become addictive, leading to a co-occurring disorder (a substance abuse disorder combined with a mental health disorder). And if one suddenly stops or quickly reduces their benzo use, withdrawal symptoms — like seizures and delirium — may be severe.
Benzo dependence takes control over the decision-making portion of your brain, making it hard to quit — and emphasizing how important benzodiazepine detox near me is to intercept withdrawal symptoms and create a clear path to treatment. After moving through the different early, acute and subacute phases of withdrawal, your cravings and symptoms will begin to subside as you ready yourself for renewal with treatment.
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Detox
Within the context of detox and addiction treatment is medication-assisted treatment, or MAT. MAT combines the prescription of medication with behavioral and talk therapy to augment your treatment plan, addressing both the physical and psychological aspects of addiction.
The type of medication you might be prescribed as part of medically-assisted detox depends on the nature of one’s substance abuse.
MAT for Alcohol Detox
Some medications have been proven indispensable during the alcohol detox process:
- Acamprosate helps assist restoring the natural balance of chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters) to prevent cravings that may lead to relapse and maintain abstinence from alcohol (but does not prevent withdrawal symptoms).
- Disulfiram treats chronic alcohol abuse through negative reinforcement. That means it actively triggers uncomfortable sensations throughout the body if alcohol is consumed, which may include flushing of the face, headache, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, weakness, blurred vision, and others.
- Naltrexone effectively binds to the endorphin receptors in your body, blocking the effects and feelings of alcohol.
MAT for Opioid Detox
For opioid detox, medications help ease withdrawal symptoms and block the effects of opioids, allowing one an unfettered focus on recovery:
- Buprenorphine was the first prescription medication to treat opioid use disorder, working to produce low-grade euphoric effects that reduce cravings and alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
- Methadone is what’s known as a long-acting full opioid agonist, which means that it reduces and blocks the effects of opioids to minimize the impact of withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Are you struggling with drug and alcohol abuse?
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How Long Does Detox Take?
The detox process can vary from person to person depending on numerous factors. Some people may have an addiction that calls for an 8-day medical detox, whereas others may only need an observational detox lasting half as long.
Upon starting at a detox center (like the one at the Haven), clinicians will conduct a customary assessment to determine the level of care you or a loved one may need. From there, a personalized, individualized treatment plan and drug detox schedule is planned, outlining the length of your own detox timeline.
Factors that Affect the Detox Timeline
The Substance Abused
One of the key factors in detox length is that different substances have different withdrawal management timelines depending on the nature of the substances abused, their potency and the way they interact with the body and mind. For example, alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically peak within 24 to 72 hours, while acute benzodiazepine withdrawal may take from five days to about a month to subside.
How Long Someone Used For
Chronic and heavy substance use may result in more severe withdrawal symptoms necessitating a longer detox period. For instance, because meth doesn’t leave the body as quickly as other stimulants, it continues to show its effects for a longer period. Likewise, where short-term users of meth may only experience cravings and changes in mood, sleep or appetite, those who have abused the drug for longer may experience more severe symptoms after parting from the drug after prolonged use, like hallucinations or paranoia.
Other addictions lessen their hold through your own efforts to maintain sobriety after leaving treatment. Following periods of abstinence, withdrawal and repair, the growth stage following alcohol use disorders may start three to five years after one has ceased drinking.
Method of Use
How a substance is consumed — whether it’s injected, smoked or ingested — can impact the intensity of withdrawal symptoms and the duration of your detox. Using meth again as an example, smoking or injecting the drug produces a quicker high compared to snorting or swallowing it, but will take longer to flush from the body during detox since its effects on the brain lend more potency and immediacy.
Age and Genetics
Just as our own individual factors, such as age, metabolism and genetic predispositions, play a role in the likelihood of becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs, they also factor into determining how long detox will take. Studies show that as one ages, their ability to detoxify internally becomes more complex, just as genetics can partly determine how quickly the body can detoxify a foreign substance.
Why Is Detoxing an Important Part of Recovery?
Detoxing is a necessary piece of the puzzle, imparting value in the continuum of treatment because when drugs or alcohol remain in the system, or when withdrawal symptoms haven’t been resolved, it can compromise the start of treatment.
In your treatment plan (which is always tailored and personalized to one’s situation), detoxing essentially gives you a clean slate, freeing you from the lingering influence of drugs and alcohol, so you can attend a one-on-one or group therapy session with a clear mind and body. Without professional detox at a treatment center near me, withdrawal symptoms may overwhelm, increasing the risk of relapse or medical complications.
The Benefits of a Professional Detox Center in Washington State
Instead of attempting detox at home, take a leap of faith and place trust in a professional detox and rehab center. Here’s why:
Skilled and Experienced Treatment Specialists
Imagine addiction and sobriety exist on two ends of a chasm — and through their licensure and expertise, a detox center’s clinical staff builds a bridge and guides you across with a helping hand, offering support and stability the entire trek across. This start-to-finish promise from the Haven’s clinicians is one that remains unbroken in seeing you to recovery.
Medication-assisted Treatment for Addiction
There are three main components of MAT for addiction: medication, counseling and behavioral therapy. As part of an initial detox phase, medication (like those outlined earlier for alcohol and opioid abuse) offers relief in staving off the effects of withdrawal symptoms and cravings. All MAT medications are FDA approved, and federal law even mandates that MAT medications for opioids must go hand in hand with other treatments.
Evidence-Based and Holistic Therapies
A detox center like the Haven extends services beyond managing physical symptoms. There, you’ll find access to therapies like:
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
These therapies are evidence-based and proven effective to helping people conquering addiction because they enable you to make peace with a substance abuse disorder, reframing your perspective on your relationship with drugs and alcohol and arriving at a place where it’s no longer a part of your newly sober life.
Holistic therapies also play a big part in the recovery healing process. Through yoga, meditation, breathwork and more, uncover the underlying causes of your addiction, explore emotions, reframe negative thinking patterns and build coping skills.
Aftercare and Relapse Prevention
Treatment is only the first step to recovery; the rest is on you. Once rehab is complete, there’s an opportunity to enroll in 12-step and alternative recovery support meetings, sober living options, job placement assistance and other wellness activities. The goal: equipping you with the necessary coping skills to re-enter the world, maintain sobriety and avoid relapse.
Finding a Detox Center Near Me in Washington State
A detox center near me, like the Haven in Lacey, WA, is built upon honesty, respect and humanism — a trio of promises upheld to give anyone struggling with substance abuse a fresh, new start. The full-service drug and alcohol detox and rehab center’s residential inpatient campus, in full view of the Cascade Mountain range and evergreen forests, offers a serene, reflective and naturalistic environment to begin anew, to start a truly transformative experience from drug abuse to sobriety — whether it’s a dependence on alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, methamphetamines, cocaine or other mind-altering drugs
The right help is right around the corner. One phone call holds the power to change everything. Harness that power by contacting us today, where we’re available 24/7.
- National trends and characteristics of inpatient detoxification for drug use disorders in the United States – PMC
- Predicting Relapse After Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment in a High-Risk Cohort: The Roles of Anhedonia and Smoking – PMC
- Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
- Opioids | Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Addiction: Part I. Benzodiazepines—Side Effects, Abuse Risk and Alternatives | AAFP
- Acamprosate (oral route) – Mayo Clinic
- What is Naltrexone? Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Risk | SAMHSA