A Necessary First Step: The Detox Process, Explained

When it comes to detoxing from drugs or alcohol the fix is never quick. According to the Washington Circle Group, a coalition of experts in the field of alcohol and drug abuse, detox is classified as, “a medical intervention process that safely helps a substance abuser through the experience of acute withdrawal.” Detoxing from an abused substance, is exactly that – an experience. Nothing about the detox experience is either quick or simple, but it is that first most powerful step towards healing.

“When you are addicted, the body at first fights against it. We don’t want it, whether it is alcohol or pills or opioids, the body says, ‘this is foreign and this is no good.’ When you keep introducing [the substance] over and over the body goes, ‘okay we are fighting too hard, we are not winning.’ So the body then decides that this is the new norm,” said Corporate Director of Nursing, Melissa Callahan of Retreat Behavioral Health in a statement. This acceptance of the substance on behalf of the body, is where addiction starts. The strict removal of that foreign yet normalized substance from the body, is where detox starts.

“Addiction disconnects your head from the rest of your body, creating a barrier. Whatever substance is being abused, the body becomes dependent on it and therefore cannot send messages to its main center, the brain. When you detox, [the barrier] is pulled out. For example, patients detoxing from opiates can feel like the air hitting their skin, hurts. They don’t understand what a pain sensation is. They haven’t received a message from their body [to the brain] in the whole time they have been addicted. So now every message they receive is overwhelming, the central nervous system does not know how to process it,” explains Callahan on addressing her patients concerns over the detox process.

For many, the acceptance that your body will have to undergo an entire re-wiring of its system, but most specifically the brain, can be a challenge. Patients often believe that so long as the symptoms pass or the urine is classified as clear, detoxification of the body is over. That is not the case. Just as Callahan explains, the body has to re-learn how to communicate. This process is similar to when an individual first learns how to walk. The body has to form entirely new neural pathways.

Removing toxic substances from the body can be dangerous. Therefore, it is always recommended for proper patient care, that you seek medical assistance in your detox and recovery process. “Research shows that when treating addictions to opioids (prescription pain relievers or drugs like heroin or fentanyl), medication should be the first line of treatment, usually combined with some form of behavioral therapy or counseling,” say experts at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Through this powerful combination of medical supervision, appropriate medication, and time, do those in the detox process begin to experience safe, healthy paths to a holistic recovery. The journey is either short or easy, but it is so worth the fight. For those battling addiction, detox is that inspiring first step towards a new life of healing.