The goals of drug and alcohol detox are to 1) safely control the symptoms of withdrawal in a medical environment. And to 2) ease the patient into a rehabilitation program. The methods of drug and alcohol detoxification vary based on the addiction, the individual and the medical professionals administering the treatment.

To start, we’ll see how addiction works. Then we’ll look at the various methods of drug and alcohol detoxification.

Alcohol Addiction

Not everyone who drinks regularly will become an alcoholic. For some, however, because of certain risk factors (genetics, environment, etc.), the chances are greater.

Most medical experts agree that alcoholism is a disease.

What is a disease?

According to one dictionary, it’s a “disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.”

Alcoholism has a number of these disease elements. For example, the children of alcoholics are more likely to become alcoholics than those of non-alcoholic parents.

And with alcoholism, the more a person drinks, the more the body begins to rely on it. This long-term drinking creates a dependency in the brain’s chemistry. This leads to a physical dependency much like the need to eat.

Continued long-term abuse of alcohol can lead to liver damage, cardiovascular problems, and even death.

If an alcoholic stops drinking for 1 to 3 days, the brain goes into withdrawal, adjusting its chemistry. These adjustments can cause hallucinations, nausea, seizures, delirium tremens, and eventually, death.

Drug Addiction

Like alcoholism, drug addiction is believed to be a disease. For example, when you smoke marijuana the chemical dopamine releases and surges through the brain. Dopamine is responsible for our pleasure and our reward systems. And because reward is part of our innate survival system, more marijuana equals more dopamine equals more craving for reward—it becomes a dangerous cycle for an addict.

In time, abuse of the drug decreases the brain’s natural production of dopamine. The user now needs more of the drug to get the same effect, leading to physical dependency.

Eventually, the brain’s motivational center changes. The brain’s (and addict’s) main priority becomes feeding the brain the drug to the detriment of everything else—food, family, friends, job, etc.

In effect, the addict ends up chasing their tail—consuming more of the drug, hoping to catch a high that they will never re-capture. This in turn leads to bigger problems that will ultimately snowball.

Long-term abuse also alters glutamate. This brain chemical influences your reward system and your ability to learn.

Drug Detox Methods

Drug detox takes place as either an inpatient or an outpatient process, usually in a hospital or rehab facility. A licensed physician, nutritionist and psychiatrist should be on hand to supervise each aspect—physical, nutritional and mental—of the patient’s detox.

Before detox is started, the staff reviews a patient’s medical history, which includes their addiction. Then while undergoing detox, the patient’s vital signs are monitored by medical staff.

Here are several common categories of abused drugs, their withdrawal symptoms and the basic detox treatments employed:

Opiates (heroin, morphine, Vicodin, Oxycontin, et al): Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, muscle aches, goose bumps, runny nose, teary eyes, yawning.

Detox consists of drug treatment with methadone and buprenorphine. Methadone and buprenorphine suppress withdrawal symptoms and relieve cravings.

Cocaine: Sleeplessness or excessive restless sleep, appetite increase, depression, paranoia, decreased energy.

Cocaine detox consists of several pharmacological options. Antidepressants such as desipramine, phentermine, and fenfluramine are used for anxiety and depression.

Bromocriptine decreases the brain’s craving for cocaine reduces mood swings.

Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Rohypnol, etc.): The most common symptoms are insomnia, gastric problems, tremors, agitation, muscle spasms.

Benzodiazepine detox consists of administering limited amounts of Clonazepam—a drug that mimics Xanax and Valium but is less powerful. Withdrawal from these drugs causes fatal seizures. Detox under medical supervision is crucial.

Alcohol Detox

Because of potential life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, alcohol detox should always be performed under medical supervision.

Whether you decide on inpatient or outpatient service depends on what stage of withdrawal you are in. Your level of alcohol dependence determines which stage you will fall under.

Stage 1: This minor withdrawal starts 5 to 8 hours after the last drink. Symptoms are anxiety, restlessness, agitation, mild nausea, decreased appetite, sleep disturbance, fluctuating heart rate and hypertension. Patients in this stage can attend outpatient detox.

Stage 2: Major withdrawal occurs 24 to 72 hours after the last drink. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe agitation, auditory or visual hallucinations and seizures.

Stage 3: Delirium tremens occurs from 72 to 96 hours after the last drink. Symptoms include fever, tachycardia, delirium and heavy shaking. Causes of death include cardiovascular complications, pneumonia, and electrolyte abnormalities.

To lessen the symptoms of withdrawal, patients are given drugs such as naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors that reward drinking and the craving for alcohol. Acamprosate reduces symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, and depression.

In addition, benzodiazepines (sedatives) are used to help with anxiety and stress. They also help reduce some of the symptoms and prevent seizures.

Summary

The methods of drug and alcohol detox used depend on the individual, their addiction, and the severity of the addiction. If you’re addicted and know you need help, detoxing is the first step to getting clean. Locate a treatment center from Recoverycorps.org’s database. Then make the call.