What Is the Typical Length of Detox in Rehab?
Getting help in a drug or alcohol rehab center often isn’t the first round of treatment that someone struggling with an addiction will get – and, more often than you might expect, people will first start with a brief but crucial period of time detoxing as their bodies get used to no longer having their drug of choice anymore. Many patients greatly benefit from this help before starting their rehab treatment program, and it’s been shown to make drug rehab even more effective. Still, it’s natural to wonder how long is detox in rehab and why it’s so important as a crucial first step in the overall treatment plan to a better, brighter future.
Table of contents
» What Happens During the Detox Process?
» Why Is Medical Supervision Important During Detox?
» What Factors Influence How Long Detox Takes?
» How Is Withdrawal Managed During Detox?
» Key Takeaways on How Long Is Detox in Rehab
» Resources
What Happens During the Detox Process?
To understand what happens during the detox process, it helps to understand how long is detox in rehab, and its overall purpose in the grand scheme of treatment plans to combat drug or alcohol addiction. During this vital part of the initial addiction treatment process, patients are supervised and assisted with getting through the worst of the potential problems that can come about when someone suddenly stops taking a drug.
While some addictive substances will cause only uncomfortable but not life-threatening problems during withdrawal, others can lead to serious medical emergencies and even death. Without the proper assistance and support, people can be much more likely to give into intense cravings and relapse on the drug, or even face a medical crisis as their body crashes without the substance it’s addicted to.
There are several standard components to a medical detox process that can significantly affect the success rate of drug rehabs, including:
- Intake: Medical professionals thoroughly assess new patients to determine an individualized treatment plan. During this assessment, they’ll consider factors such as the patient’s substance use history, overall health, and other relevant factors.
- Withdrawal: Abruptly quitting can cause withdrawal symptoms for many different addictive substances. Without help, people who are addicted to certain substances, such as alcohol, can be at risk of life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly quit on their own. Other drugs can cause distressing, uncomfortable, and even long-lasting withdrawal symptoms without professional treatment.
- Medical Support: When a patient is in rehab, they’ll rest assured that they have round-the-clock medical supervision and assistance whenever needed. Medications and medical monitoring can help keep people much safer and more comfortable as their bodies adjust to the change than if they quit on their own at home.
Why Is Medical Supervision Important During Detox?
Withdrawal symptoms when quitting drugs or alcohol can range from uncomfortable to dangerous, painful, and even life-threatening in some circumstances. That’s why it’s so important to stop using substances under the supervision and assistance of medical professionals who can make the overall process much safer and more comfortable.
Some drugs won’t necessarily threaten the life of the person when withdrawing from them. Take, for example, opioids, which can cause withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, sweating, and minor aches to stomach problems, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms can be quite unpleasant, starting just hours after the last use of the drug, but they won’t kill the person as their body begins to acclimate to not having opioids anymore.
Alcohol, on the other hand, can quickly cause life-threatening problems as someone who is used to heavy drinking for long periods no longer has alcohol in their system. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can start just hours or a couple of days after the last drink and can include:
- Anxiety or depression
- Mood swings
- Feeling irritated or jumpy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sweating
- Headaches
- Fatigue or insomnia
- Nausea or vomiting
- Tremors or shakiness
In some cases, severe forms of alcohol withdrawal can occur. Delirium tremens, for example, can cause agitation, confusion, delirium, fever, hallucinations, and seizures.
Patients who have the medical assistance they need to get through possible withdrawal symptoms at a drug detox center can receive medications and professional help as they start to get through the worst of withdrawal within days of quitting the drug. This can make the process much more comfortable and less distressing, and prevent life-threatening symptoms from occurring.
What Factors Influence How Long Detox Takes?
To answer how long is detox in rehab, let’s consider the many different factors that can affect how long detox takes. First, though, keep in mind that most patients will be in detox for just a short period – seven to 10 days in many cases.
The length of time will depend on how each patient is responding to treatment, as well as how their body is adapting to the absence of the substance. Factors that affect this duration of detox treatment include:
- What drugs or substances have they been using?
- How much of the drug were they using, and how long had they been taking this drug?
- The extent of their own withdrawal symptoms as their bodies no longer have the substance.
- How are they doing physically and mentally during this process?
By the time a patient leaves a detox center, they should be physically stable and ready to focus on overcoming their addiction with a comprehensive addiction treatment rehab program.
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How Is Withdrawal Managed During Detox?
During detox, patients are provided with round-the-clock medical supervision, and that means they can receive medications in some cases that can help ease or minimize possible withdrawal symptoms as they wean off the drug or alcohol. Several medications can assist in treating alcohol or opioid addiction, for example, as well as medicines to help people sleep, relax, or feel better as they get through withdrawing from their previous drug of use.
The goal of a medical detox program is to provide care and support to patients for several days or a week as they start to stabilize physically following drug or alcohol addiction. By the time they leave the medical detox center, they’ll be ready to work on the physical and mental aspects of addiction during their time in a comprehensive addiction treatment program, no matter if it’s an inpatient or outpatient rehab program.
Key Takeaways on How Long Is Detox in Rehab
- Detox frequently precedes starting comprehensive addiction treatment in a drug or alcohol rehab program.
- Many drugs can cause distressing, uncomfortable, or even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.
- Medical detox programs provide round-the-clock medical care and support to patients as they start to get used to no longer having the drug in their systems.
- The length of a detox program varies, typically averaging seven to 10 days.
- Detox duration can depend on things like past substance use history, as well as how the patient is handling withdrawal and any physical or mental problems they’re dealing with during this period.
If you’re wondering how long is detox in rehab or how to check someone into rehab, you’ll want to know about the critical role that a medical detox program can play as someone starts addiction treatment. The team at WhiteSands Treatment offers compassionate, effective detox services followed by evidence-based rehab treatment that can help people break the chains of addiction once and for all. Call us at 877-855-3470 today to learn how we can help.
Resources
- Priory – What Happens During Detox?
- National Library of Medicine – Overview, Essential Concepts, and Definitions in Detoxification
- MedlinePlus – Alcohol Withdrawal
- National Library of Medicine – Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.
About the Author
Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
