Consuming drugs can have a severe impact on our minds and body. People’s dependence on drugs can make it very difficult for them to stay away from them. However, with the right help, a person can stay clean and away from drug dependency.
The first step you need to take when you decide to stop using drugs is a complete detox. It will be very difficult to manage and overcome drug dependency’s extensive physical and mental effects without drug detoxification. Baton rouge detox center is one such center that offers many services to help a person deal with and fight drug dependency issues successfully.
What is drug dependency? How do you know if you are dependent on drugs?
Drug dependency is a condition when a person depends on drugs to function. Drug dependence is a significant cause of morbidity and loss of productivity. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) distinguishes between dependence and abuse, considering abuse as a mild or in the initial phase of unregulated drug use, which eventually leads to dependence, which is severe. However, this perception was changed in 2013, and “dependence” and “abuse” were replaced with “substance use disorder.” Addictions in humans are characterized by chronic disorders characterized by relapses, compulsive drug intake, the inability to limit the intake, and the withdrawal syndrome due to restricting the use of drugs. Dependence can be a physical and mental response to a substance.
A drug-dependent person displays a significant change in cognitive performance, behavior, and psychomotor impairments in their activities due to dependency on drugs. However, the patterns of drug dependence differ from one person to another. A person can determine if someone has developed dependence by observing their behavior. These symptoms develop when the body is stressed without the drug. These include:
- Anxiety and depression
- Muscle weakness and Body aches
- Nightmares
- Sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
What Is Detox? Why do we need it?
Every time a person uses drugs, their bodies grow accustomed to the presence of such a substance. The brain’s chemistry changes because of the continued influx and presence of chemicals in our body, thereby creating an addiction. Various addictive substances, including drugs, interact with our brain and alter its chemistry or make it misfire. Substances like heroin, cocaine, etc., increase the production and release of a substance that leads to a euphoric sensation and alter the chemical signals sent by the brain and interfere with the functioning of neurotransmitters’ in sending messages throughout the body. To restrict the intake of drugs and start the recovery process, you need to remove the present drugs from your system and face the physical and mental symptoms of withdrawal, as the body will develop some symptoms as a result of being deprived of drugs. This is where detox comes into the picture. The detox process includes going through the physical and mental reactions that the body goes through when withdrawing drug use. It involves adjusting to the lack of drugs in your system.
For the proper functioning and wellbeing of human beings, the body requires maintaining a very delicate balance of chemicals. If this balance is disturbed, it is likely to emerge in some other forms of mental or physical disorder. With continued drug usage, the balance of these chemicals is altered, leading to a physical change in the brain’s structure and the way it functions and regulates hormones.
Dependency leads to the person feeling normal with the presence of the drugs in the body and makes you feel sick and irritable in its absence. Detox forces the human body to function without drugs and enables the brain chemistry to get back to its normal ways of functioning. Detox allows people to deal with temporary feelings of irritation, anger, panic, etc., associated with withdrawal. Since addictive substances like drugs affect our mind and body in a very severe and complex way, a complete detox is necessary as part of recovery.
What to expect?
Detox helps in breaking the hold of drugs over a person’s mind and body. However, doing it alone is very challenging and rarely successful. Therefore it is vital to have access to a proper detox facility to help you manage the symptoms and offer a complete detox. A person can choose between inpatient or outpatient treatment and weigh all their options. Although the detox process differs from center to center, however, there are a few basic things that generally occur during detox treatment:
1. Assessment:
In the first step of detox, the expert at the detox center understands and analyzes the physical and mental severity of the addiction; they understand and evaluate the amount of physical and mental toll addiction has taken on your body. The therapists interact and work with patients extensively to develop a comprehensive and elaborate plan for detox and recovery.
2. Physical detoxification:
At this stage, the physical symptoms of withdrawal emerge, which may be moderate or intense depending on the level and severity of addiction of each patient. Medications are offered to patients with intense withdrawal symptoms that interact with the brain and offer the same effect as drugs without the negative side effects. The patients may not be allowed to interact with family to focus on recovery. These restrictions are relaxed as a person progresses with their recovery.
3. Individual or group therapy:
After the physical symptoms associated with drug withdrawal are under control, the focus shifts on the process of healing, the person going through the process of detox can participate in therapy and similar treatments to keep their mind and body distracted and occupied. These activities will help patients to detox and experience the benefit of sobriety in the long run. People can opt for individual therapy, family therapy, or group therapy as per their condition and needs.
A final word
Drug dependency can take a significant toll on the mind and body of a person. Furthermore, it is not just a single person who suffers at the hands of drugs but also the people around them. Drug dependency leads to a systematic physical, mental, financial, and social deterioration of a person’s existence and wellbeing, so it is essential to fight this evil as soon as it emerges. In order to successfully maintain sobriety, a person must accept their addiction, choose an appropriate detox program and commit to it. A good detox program is the first crucial step towards recovery and the first step of a journey towards a healthy and balanced mind and body.
