Does Rapid Detox Work?

The most feared aspect of getting sober is usually the detox. A detox is your body's withdrawals from not having the chemicals that it has become dependent on. Detox's are at best uncomfortable, with an addict undergoing nausea and sickness. At their worst, Detox's can be deadly, especially with alcohol, and the addict can end up dying from a heart attack or stroke. Detox should always be done under the supervision of a medical professional.

It's no wonder that many people entering drug rehabilitation choose a rapid detox. A rapid detox has a lot of pleasant tidbits that make it an easy sell for addicts but it essentially consists of the patient being put to sleep during the symptoms of his detox until the body has completely gotten rid of the chemicals. A rapid detox is done under the careful supervision of many medical professionals because of the risky nature of the detox itself and also the powerful drugs used to keep patients under for the whole time.

The biggest problem with rapid detox is the perception people have of it. Most people might believe that rapid detox is a get out of jail free card when it comes to drug addiction. There is nothing further from the truth. Detox is a small minute part of becoming sober. Addicts will find that the cravings and urges are still present even after the rapid detox program, according to Reuters.

There is a number of underlying problems addiction treatment professionals consider when treating addiction. What kind of family history is present in the patient, if the patient suffers from any personality disorders, how long the patient has been using. Needless to say the detox never fits into the calculations of how to treat a patient. The detox is minutia compared to the difficult years of therapy and hard work needed to really overcome addiction and reach steady sobriety.

Money is really the biggest issue. If you a approach a rapid detox not thinking that it's going to work any miracles then you are still out thousands of useful dollars. Those thousands of dollars could have been spent at a sober living facility, which would have greatly increased your odds of becoming sober. In the end its how many resources you want to spend to bypass a few days of discomfort. For the vast majority of patients the money would be better spent in treatment.