Can skipping Medical Detox raise the risk for Relapse?
Making the decision to choose sobriety is a huge step toward a happier and healthier future. The path you choose during the earliest days of recovery can highly influence and shape your recovery journey. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that, if left untreated professionally, could lead to a dangerous cycle of relapse and drug use. There are many different factors that can cause relapse when clients skip professional medical detox.
When coming off a mind-altering substance, a person can experience intense physiological and psychological shock. Without a medically managed detox and professional support, a person’s brain and body can be left vulnerable to withdrawal symptoms, intense cravings and a higher risk of returning to drug use.
Relapse doesn’t necessarily mean a failure in your treatment. In fact, relapse is a very normal part of the recovery process. Relapse can occur at any stage of recovery. But a person is especially vulnerable to relapsing during the early stages before, during and right after detox.
What is Medical Detox?
Detoxing is the removal of drugs and alcohol from the body and safely managing withdrawal symptoms that can occur. Contrary to popular belief, detoxing isn’t always necessary in every single drug addiction case. In cases of addiction to nicotine, marijuana and cocaine, detox isn’t always required. This is because the effects of these drugs are minimal and the addiction is primarily psychological. There is very little risk of physical dependency.
Cocaine rarely requires detox due to the fact that the drug is often processed so quickly and by the time a person checks into rehab, it has most likely already left their system. Cocaine is rarely physically addictive. When a cocaine addiction occurs, it is typically psychologically problematic.
Detoxing is most effective for those who have become physically dependent on a substance. Drugs like alcohol, opioids and benzodiazepines can physically alter brain chemistry. They can cause an intense physical addiction that requires the help of professional medical detox.
Benefits of Medical Detox
- Professional support and guidance with 24/7 monitoring
- Medication support through MAT
- Professional and personalized treatment planning for detox, residential, outpatient and aftercare
- Helps to break physical dependency on addictive substances
- Helps to maintain focus on health and wellness during rehab to maximize treatment benefits.
- Helps to treat and manage life-threatening withdrawal symptoms
Dangers of skipping proper medical detox
- Detoxing without professional medical support can increase the risks of health consequences. This is because withdrawal from certain types of substances can put a person at risk of life-threatening complications.
- Without help for managing withdrawal symptoms, users can experience a wide range of physical and mental side effects. Symptoms like anxiety, depression, nausea, vomiting and hallucinations are all common withdrawal side effects.
- Dehydration can be a dangerous side effect. Detoxing causes severe dehydration, which, if not managed properly under medical guidance, can lead to extreme fatigue and confusion.
- Malnutrition is a risk factor when skipping medical detox. Detoxing can lead to the patient being unable to eat, loss of appetite and therefore leading to weakness, fatigue and even anemia.
- Aggravation of co-occurring mental health conditions that are common in people with a substance or alcohol addiction.
- Increased risk of relapse may be one of the biggest risks of skipping medical detox. Due to the intensity of withdrawal symptoms, it is normal to develop cravings for the Drug. Without professional support during the detox phase of treatment, a person is more likely to fall back into substance use.
Relapsing: Risk factors that can trigger a Relapse
What is relapse? Relapse is returning to substance use after abstaining from it for a period of time. Relapsing can look different for each person. In some people, relapse can mean resuming alcohol or drug use after avoiding them for a certain period of time. Relapse can also mean using different substances after avoiding drug use for a period of time. Either way, relapse is an event that occurs when you don’t want it to.
Relapse is not a sudden out-of-the-blue event. It is a gradual process that begins long before physically consuming substances. The stages of relapse fall into three categories:
- Emotional relapse. This is when you aren’t actively thinking about using but your emotions and behaviors are setting you up. You may start keeping your feelings to yourself, skipping support group meetings or eating and sleeping poorly.
- Mental relapse. This is when you begin to have thoughts of using again by glamorizing drug use.
- Physical relapse. This is when you engage in the act of returning to substance use.
Check Your Insurance Coverage for FREE
Find out if your insurance covers addiction treatment in minutes. We accept most insurance!
Relapse Triggers
- Being around people or places that remind you of or are associated with your addiction.
- Changes in health. Finding out you have a health condition can trigger relapse.
- Important dates like holidays, birthdays or celebrations can trigger relapse because they may be associated with when you used drugs.
- Life changes such as starting a new job or a death in the family can trigger release and return to drug use as a coping mechanism.
- Stress or intense emotions can trigger relapse because you don’t know of any other effective ways to manage strong emotions.
- Withdrawal symptoms may be too intense and too much to handle both physiologically and psychologically. Returning to drug use may seem like the easiest way to dull the pain.
- Mental health conditions that are left untreated can cause relapse and a return to drug use.
- Boredom and loneliness
- Lack of self-care
- Conflict with others and peer pressure
- Having a limited support system
Why Medical Detox works to help prevent Relapse
The most effective way to protect against immediate relapse is to get the help of professional, clinical care. A medical detox facility can help support patients and administer taper medications when needed to manage withdrawal symptoms. Cravings for drug use are especially strong during the early days of treatment and can be very difficult to resist without psychological and emotional support.
Medical detox provides evidence-based treatment protocols during the beginning phase of treatment to help patients effectively manage and navigate triggers and emotions that may lead them to relapse. Substance relapse can happen at any time. It can last a single day, or it can last an entire month. Either way, the benefits of detox care cannot be overstated when it comes to helping to prevent relapse.
Reach out to Hotel California by the Sea
We specialize in treating addiction and other co-occurring disorders, such as PTSD. Our Admissions specialists are available to walk you through the best options for treating your addiction.
Treatment for Substance Use Disorder
Medical detox during rehab addiction treatment is an important step. It helps to remove toxins from the body as well as help the body resist temptations for drug cravings, preventing relapse.
Professional behavioral treatment program Hotel California by the Sea provides treatment for all types of substance use disorders. We provide treatment at all levels of care including detox, residential, PHP and IOP. We utilize evidence-based methods including CBT, DBT and family therapy. Hotel California by the Sea is dedicated to helping clients reach their goals in sobriety and overcome their addiction.
References:
https://stjosephinstitute.com/blog/detoxing-without-medical-supervision
https://www.woodlandrecovery.com/is-detox-always-required-before-inpatient-treatment
https://www.addictioncenter.com/treatment/drug-and-alcohol-detox
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/treatment-centers/detox-before-rehab
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/relapse-return-to-substance-use
