Fear of the unknown is what keeps some people from getting the treatment they need when they are dealing with a drug or alcohol addiction. If fear of the unknown is all that stands in your way, that should be easy enough to eliminate by providing you with information to help ease your concerns.
One of the things you might not be clear about is how long it’s going to take you to get through a medically monitored detox program. For that matter, you might not be clear about why you would even need to go through a detox program at all.
First, we would like to address your concerns regarding the actual process. What you need to be aware of is the possibility you are going to encounter some significant withdrawal issues at the time you decide to stop taking your drug of choice, be it narcotics or alcohol.
Three main factors will play into the possibility and depth of your withdrawal. These three factors include the length of time you have been abusing your substance of choice, the amount you are consuming with each dose or drinking session, and the frequency with which you are abusing your substance of choice.
To give you a clearer picture of what withdrawal might be like, here’s a list of withdrawal symptoms someone addicted to opioids might be subject to:
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Severe muscle cramping, especially in the abdomen
- Problems with nightmares and hallucinations
- Inability to concentrate and control motor function
- Tremors and body convulsions
- Great difficulty with the respiratory process
- Increase in heart rate and blood pressure
- High levels of anxiety and depression
These are some very scary symptoms. What you need to keep you safe is time to withdrawal in a safe and secure environment. That’s what you would get from a medically monitored detox program where medical professionals will be constantly monitoring your withdrawal process. Should you encounter significant pain or sleeping issues, they will have the option to prescribe relief medications to get you through the rough spots.
How Long Do Programs at a Medical Detox Center Typically Last?
Again, the amount of time it will take you to get through withdrawal will depend on the same three factors as we stated above.
From a timeline perspective, you can expect to start showing signs of withdrawal within 6 to 10 hours of your last dose of drugs or drink of alcohol. At first, you can expect to feel a bit uncomfortable as your body rebels against your attempts to deprive it of that which it craves. You;ll start sweating a little and likely encounter a little nausea.
After the first 24 hours and over the next few days, the real problems will begin. First, your discomfort will become a bit more apparent as you start to experience vomiting and loss of the ability to concentrate. You might also find it difficult to sleep and start experiencing muscle cramping in your stomach regions. This is the point where relief medications might do you some good.
Into the fourth and fifth days of withdrawal, the bad stuff takes center stage. You should start having difficulty breathing and see a rapid increase in your blood pressure and heart rate. This is also the point in time when you could start having nightmares and disturbing hallucinations.
Once you get through the fifth or sixth day of withdrawal, you should start normalizing. In all, you can expect to spend about a week in a detox program. Of course, there is one major exception. If your addiction is quite substantial, the medical staff might determine you need more time to get through the entire withdrawal process. This might include the staff’s use of drugs like methadone and suboxone to slowly wean you off your substance of choice.
We hope this information has put your mind at ease about medically monitored detox programs. We would like the opportunity to help you get past your withdrawal and start you moving towards recovery. We can do this if you pick up the phone and contact one of our reps at 833-846-5669.