About Drug Detox Programs

Finding the right detox program can be a daunting task. Search the Internet and it could take hours to scroll through treatment options. Some treatment programs specialize in prescription drug recovery while others admit only patients addicted to opiates or heroin. One commonality is that the real work doesn't begin until an addict's body is drug-free. Currently, detoxification treatments are the only way to accomplish this cleansing.

History

• There's nothing new about drug dependence. You need only look to China's opium trade to understand how many lives these drugs destroyed in the early 20th century. Native Americans experimented with peyote and mushrooms, and South Americans became so dependent on coca leaves they used the vegetation to stave off hunger when food was scarce. Detoxification was an unknown concept. Abusers often died of their addictions, an outcome today's medical community is working hard to end.

Types

• Most U.S. hospitals offer drug detox treatment. For indigents, municipally funded facilities can start the recovery process, while private "designer retreats" care for those to whom money is no issue. Regardless of your socioeconomic standing, you currently have only three treatment options for getting clean: In-patient, outpatient and rapid detox. Whichever you choose, pick an institution sanctioned by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). If the staff physicians hold American Society of Addiction Medicine certification, you'll know you've found a good place to recover.

In-patient or Oupatient?

• If you're given a choice between in- and outpatient care, opt for the first. Treatment at home, rather than in a clinical setting, subjects vulnerable addicts to temptation and creates serious risks. In-patient confinement means 24-hour on-site care and monitoring for potential life-threatening reactions to the detox treatment. Additionally, in-patient treatment programs reputedly offer the best family recovery assistance. That stated, if there are no other options, choose outpatient care.

Rapid Detox

• It's new and risky, but rapid detox sometimes provides the only way to end the downward spiral of addition. This process puts the patient into an artificial coma for 10 hours while the body withdraws from drugs. The patient suffers no pain or side effects while the coma persists, but serious physical repercussions can result during and after treatment. Rapid detox costs a lot of money ($7,000 to $15,000) and full recovery isn't guaranteed. Consider this experimental treatment as a last resort.

Looking Ahead

• To meet the epidemic of drug usage that continues to plague people around the globe, medical science is seeking safer methods of withdrawing from addiction. Some people would like to see an end to rapid detox because it's dangerous and has a high recidivism rate. For patients who come through detox healthier and wiser, counseling, psychotherapy, support group interaction and twelve-step meetings have been proven to ease the transition from addict to clean and sober for good.