Detoxification: The Key To Overcoming Addiction
June 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Detoxification
In choosing a treatment facility, drug dependents and their loved ones should consider the detoxification programs that are being implemented in the facility.
Detoxification is very often the first step in a drug treatment program. However, it should be followed by treatment with a behavioral-based therapy. Detoxification alone with no follow-up is not treatment.
A drug detoxification program should be individualized with the length of the detox program dependent on the substance. In some treatment facilities, detoxification is required for approximately 14% of patients with alcohol disorders and 85% of patients with drug disorders.
Detoxification is the process of removing toxins or poisons. It is actually a normal 24/7 body process. In fact, internal detoxification is one of our body’s most basic automatic functions, and it eliminates or neutralizes toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin. However, as toxins build up, our bodies become less efficient at removing normally accumulated waste and toxins.
The toxins that are not eliminated through the body’s normal channels overwork and place a burden on the kidneys, colon, liver, skin, and lungs. The need for detoxification is more pronounced among alcoholic and drug dependents. Apart from accumulating toxins naturally occurring in foods and from the environment, their bodies are also accumulating large doses of chemical substances which are foreign to the body.
Detoxification allows drug dependents with severe physical addiction to avoid hospitalization. With an alcohol or drug detox program, they can be informed and be motivated to go for longer term treatment.
Detoxification is a non-invasive process of cleansing, nourishing and resting the body from the inside out with the intention of decreasing the impact of xenobiotics (chemicals and molecules foreign to biological systems) at the cellular level. By cleaning the blood of toxins, the body can then heal itself. Detoxification is done through acupuncture detoxification, chelation therapy or through detox diets.
See this related post on detoxifying your body.