Drug detox

If you are ready to break the dangerous cycle of drug addiction once and for all, a crucial first step in this journey comes with drug detox, freeing your body of habit-forming substances and starting on a healthier path. At Liberty House, our clients typically undergo drug detox first, addressing their physical dependence so they can gain the clarity necessary to move on with their drug rehab programme.

What is drug detox?

Drug detox refers to the process of ridding your body of habit-forming substances, ensuring you are physically healthy and stable enough to explore your issues with substance dependence in a safe space. Prolonged drug abuse can alter chemicals in the brain, changing the way that users think and feel. For this reason, detox is an essential component in the rehabilitation process, returning your body to the state it was in before drug use initially began.

Medical drug detox

Depending on the severity of your symptoms and the drug you are reliant on, a medical drug detox may be necessary to break your habit safely and effectively. During medical drug detox, clients will undergo their withdrawal under the medical monitoring of trained staff, who are always on hand to monitor their condition and keep them comfortable. With this approach to detox, clients will be provided with a course of drug tapering to reduce their dosage gently, rather than cutting off their supply without warning. This way, some of the more unpleasant symptoms will be relieved, with discomfort greatly reduced.

What drugs can I detox from?

At Liberty House, we provide drug detox for a number of substances. Some of these include:

• Prescription drug addiction
• Cocaine addiction
• Ecstasy addiction
• Heroin addiction

Drug withdrawal

The nature of substance dependence is not just psychological. In fact, a chemical imbalance in the brain is the cause of this unhealthy reliance, with habit-forming drugs altering the way that it functions. For those dependent on drugs, their brain will operate in such a way that the user feels rewarded for their drug-taking. By flooding their body with bursts of feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, the person taking the drug feels compelled to keep taking drugs for these pleasurable effects, even if they don’t want to.

Due to the brain’s unhealthy reliance on drugs, suddenly ceasing your intake will result in withdrawal symptoms. There is no way of telling how each of us will experience detox, and the severity of symptoms will depend on certain factors such as:

• The type of drug you are taking
• How long you have been taking the drug
• Your general state of health

Some of the more common drug withdrawal symptoms include the following:

• Shakiness
• Insomnia
• Excess sweating
• Tremors
• Muscle pains
• Vomiting
• Depression

Can I complete my drug detox at home?

While it might seem like a good idea to complete your drug detox at home among all your comforts and familiar surroundings, this could hinder a successful recovery. As your body and mind begin to crave the drug you are coming off, the symptoms experienced can be incredibly severe and uncomfortable – a fact that so often leads to relapse.

In addition, some of the withdrawal symptoms associated with drug detox can be very risky and, in some cases, even life-threatening. Without regular physical and emotional support from well-trained staff and medical professionals, this can result in dangerous outcomes if not properly managed. The safest and most successful method for drug detox is to have around-the-clock care and medical intervention when needed. At Liberty House, our clinic provides a drug detox that is both safe and secure, with staff available day and night and CCTV installed onsite to ensure optimal client safety. This will enable us to monitor if any medical needs might arise.

What should I expect from the drug detox process?

At Liberty House, our team will devise your own care plan prior to treatment, and each client is assessed in relation to their own individual circumstances and treatment needs. This is because what may be suitable for one person could be entirely unsuitable for another, even if they are suffering from the same substance dependence. Factors such as length of time abusing the drug, general health, age, and mental state must be carefully considered when devising a drug detox plan.

Once your drug detox regime has been prescribed by our medical practitioner, our specially trained staff will then consider your welfare, working with you to ensure that you feel as calm and relaxed as possible as you move through your drug detox.

Your fears are recognised.

Our team at Liberty House understands just how frightening it can feel to recognise you have a drug problem, agreeing to undergo treatment in unpacking these issues and working towards a healthier life. You might feel underprepared for what lies ahead or perhaps wondering whether it might be best to hold off on drug detox until you are totally ready to stop taking them. However, we urge you to consider that there will never be a perfect time to detox from drugs, and every day that you continue to abuse these substances is another day that you are putting yourself in dangerous and unpredictable situations.

While it might seem bleak right now, our staff want to assure you that there is a safe haven waiting for you at our centre, with a team standing ready to help you kick your habit once and for all and start your drug detox in the caring hands of trained professionals. If you would like to learn more about drug detox or how to get started at Liberty House, do not hesitate to contact a member of our team right away.

Frequently asked questions