Addiction, as usually defined, is a physical dependence on a substance, in the case of drug addiction. Once an individual gets dependent on a substance, he or she is not able to function well and may feel physical pains when he or she doesn’t take in the drug. This is because the drug has by now affected the chemical balance in the brain allowing the person’s structure to crave for the certain drug in order to obtain sense of balance. This gets worse when the body starts to tolerate the drug that enters the system, thus, resulting to a higher amount requirement the next time the drug is taken to achieve the desired result.
From its very classification, addiction is the situation of being enslaved to a habit , such narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. This trauma can range in intensity from intense cravings to life threatening illness (depending on the drug), making it virtually impossible for an addict to quit without aid. Because the majority withdrawal symptoms can be relieved instantly upon use of the drug that the body is withdrawing from, the craving to use that drug is exceptionally high in this stage, often resulting in defeat of the recovery before it can even begin.
As the addict recognizes the problem, the treatment process is another cross to carry. Curing addiction means taking away the dependency on the drug. This would mean that the person had to stop taking the drug. However, inhibiting the body of an addict from taking in the drug would lead to withdrawal symptoms. It is never easy to deal with these symptoms. However, symptoms will always depend on the type of substance being used. Detoxification should be done to stop pains of withdrawal symptoms.
The process of detoxification is the cleansing of the toxins in our body. In the case of drug addiction, it is the removal of the drug residues from the body and controlling the symptoms of withdrawal. Detoxification is not the whole treatment process but it is the first step towards recovery. Taking away the toxins that have been controlling the body system of the patient should be done first before any behavioral based theraphy which would treat the underlying factors of addiction.
Drug detoxification can be referred to as the stage of withdrawal during which the person’s body eventually returns to balance after long-term use of an addictive substance. Depending on the addiction, the process will vary.
Detoxification can be done on both inpatient and outpatient basis. Inpatient detoxification will agree to close monitoring on the patient. Also, the contact to the substance of abuse could be avoided. On the other hand, outpatient detoxification allows greater social support. In comparison to inpatients, patients in outpatient treatment retain greater freedom, continue with their day-to-day activities with fewer disruptions. However, with outpatient treatment, there is an increased risk of relapse since the patient is more likely to be exposed with the substance of abuse.
This drug detoxification process seeks to lessen the severity of the trauma associated with the body’s withdrawal from dependence on a particular drug by medically alleviating and monitoring the intense physical symptoms associated with stopping drug use. When the drug is cleared from the system and the pain and discomfort associated with ending its use have been alleviated, the other factors contributing to the addiction, such as the emotional and psychological issues, can be taken cared of.
Addiction is a very serious problem among the many people in all walks of life. This problem requires serious treatment that requires self-determination, and self-will to be able to overcome the first phase of recovery. The treatment procedure is to be deal very hard everyday.
