Home Drug Detox

If you are addicted to Drugs you will know all too well that going cold turkey is a painful and fruitless exercise. Drug withdrawal symptoms are deeply unpleasant, and they can become unmanageable within only a few hours.

There is no shame in succumbing to drink when you have an addiction. As an addict your brain has a physical dependence on the endorphin release that happens when you drink, so drinking is not a lifestyle choice. It is a physical one.

To stop taking drugs, you will need help and support, and a home Drug detox is an effective treatment option available to you.

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What Is a Home Drug Detox?

A home Drug detox is a treatment for Drug addiction.

With a home Drug detox, you undergo a detox at home and your withdrawal symptoms are managed with medication prescribed by a doctor.

This can be a useful treatment option if you need to maintain your lifestyle to support yourself or others. For example, if you have a job that you cannot take time off from, then a home Drug detox could work for you.

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What Does a Home Drug Detox Involve?

The first stage of a home Drugs detox is a consultation and clinical assessment.

A clinical assessment will assess your physical and mental health to determine if a home Drug detox is a safe treatment for you.  

The examination will include:

• BMI tests
• Blood pressure
• Oxygen level
• Heart Rate
• Blood analysis*
• Liver and kidney screening*

*these items are only necessary if required.

Providing your health is sound enough for a home Drugs detox to be safe, the next step is enrolment onto a home Drug detox programme.

This will include:

• Vitamin and electrolyte tablets
• Dietary and nutrition advice
• Physical exercise advice
• A prescription for sickness medication
• An Drug substitute medication*

*these items are determined on a personal basis. 

Most home Drug detoxes are focussed on resolving the physical aspect of your addiction i.e. to get you Clean. They do not typically focus on the psychological side of addiction, so in most cases, therapy is not necessary.  

To find out more about what a home Drug detox entails, you can speak with our experts by calling 0333 444 3420.

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What Medications Will I Be On?

A common misconception with home Drug detoxes is that they always involve a substitute medication. This is not always the case.

While substitute medications can be useful for people with moderate dependence and a risk of life-threatening withdrawal symptoms like seizures, low dependence can sometimes be treated with medications that merely ease withdrawal symptoms.

Medications that can treat and ease Drug withdrawal symptoms include sickness medication, electrolyte tablets and normal painkillers.

There are no medications on the market that are prescribed for people who are using Drugs. However, there are medications that are prescribed to help people medically detox stay clean as part of a home detox programme. These include:

• Naltrexone
• Antabuse (Disulfiram)

Whether or not you will be on a substitute depends on the extent of your drug using and whether you want to take drugs less or give up drugs altogether. A substitute is only suitable for people who want to give up drug taking altogether.

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How Long Does a Home Drug Detox Take?

A home Drug detox typically takes two to four weeks.   

If you have moderate to high Drug dependence, it is likely that you will be on a substitute medication such as Disulfiram at a high dosage for one to two weeks.

This will help ease your worst withdrawal symptoms, while giving your brain the time it needs to disassociate Drug with pleasure. Your medication will then be slowly reduced to wean you off it, with your withdrawal symptoms monitored by your detox clinic (this will be online or phone-based, you won’t have to visit your clinic).

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What Happens After The Detox?

After completing your detox your addiction should be under control.

At this stage, your craving for Drug will probably be minimal and your withdrawal symptoms should have alleviated considerably. You will still think about your drug addiction, but you will be able to exercise self-control and stay Clean.

After your detox, you may stay on a very light course of a substitute medication to help you maintain abstinence. This will typically be over 1-2 months. By month 3, you will be weaned off your medication and be completely Drug-free.

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What About Therapy?

A home Drug detox does not typically include therapy, however, it’s important to recognise that there’s more to some addictions than the physical side. In addictions of this nature, therapy can be very useful.

For example, some people have underlying mental health problems such as anxiety, worries and depression that lead them to taking drugs.

Some people use drugs because of psychological trauma or bereavement, leading them to using drugs to dull the pain and get away from their feelings.

Psychological and mental health triggers should always be addressed as part of a rehab programme if they are triggers for Drug abuse.

If you have any psychological or mental health triggers, you might also want to consider therapy as part of your home Drug detox. Therapy will be provided privately, in the safety of a private hospital or your nearest detox centre.

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Is a Home Drug Detox Right For Me?

Perhaps the most important aspect of a home Drug detox is you having a home that is secure and safe for your detox.

One of the most common aggravating factors of addiction is the social and housing situation of the patient. We often find that people with an addiction to Drug live in an environment that fosters and fuels their addiction.

If you can relate to this, a home Drug detox probably won’t work, unless you can take yourself away from your normal social environment (for example, you could stay with family or friends, if they are able to accommodate you).

If you have somewhere that is secure and safe for your detox – and also where there will be no pressure to drink – a home Drug detox could work for you. The success of your detox will be determined by your environment and willpower.

If you have a Drugs problem, a home Drug detox could get you sober and help you turn your life around. Call us on 0333 444 3420 to get started.