Detox

Family Interventions are not a treatment for drug or alcohol problems. That is the responsibility of the treatment plan, a care and recovery management process that the Interventionist will have supported you all in matching to the known level of addiction or alcoholism.

Detox, detoxification. This is a medically supervised process delivered by skilled staff. The detox needs of a person with drink or drug use problems needs to be assessed. Everyone is unique, and whilst the drink or drug may be similar, no persons physiology or reactions are exactly the same.

A specialist detox doctor or nurse will use many diagnostic tools including patient history, patient interview, observation, examination, urine and blood test. Once the nature of the level of the problem is defined, then the care management plan will be agreed.

Detox is a supported process of moving to full abstinence from the problem chemical and / or alcohol in a manner that is as painless and risk free as possible for the patient.

Alcohol Detox

Supported withdrawals from alcohol are needed for some people due to very real risk of seizure. Traumatic alcohol withdrawals often result in the person picking up drink as the best way to relieve the physical, mental and emotional trauma of rapid unsupported withdrawal.

Alcohol withdrawals can be supported at home with a detox team. Success rates for this are clearly less than for a patient who books into a specialist program, detox unit or treatment environment.

Quality detox support address more than just the physical symptoms, it also provides skilled therapy staff, anxiety management, alcohol education.

Alcohol detoxification is not a treatment for alcoholism, it is just a detox. Without Primary Care, staying stopped is almost impossible.

In the past, alcohol detox was seen as a treatment for alcohol problems, yet proved to be a revolving door experience for many.

Drugs Detox

Drug detox is in many ways similar in process and management as the alcohol detox. Alcohol and all other drugs are primarily chemicals.

Some chemicals like alcohol and prescribed medication are a quality controlled item. Street drugs are not. Illegal drugs, legal highs, internet supplied versions of normal prescription drugs are a mysterious combination of ingredients and toxicity.

Combine this with the fact that very few persons in need of detox are able to deliver accurate quantity and frequency use history, the drug detox service has to be fully resource for all eventualities.

With all drug detoxification units the person is moved onto controlled detox medication and then taken through a reducing regime. This looks to balance speed of detox with discomfort, withdrawal risk and patient retention.

There is always a very real risk of a client leaving a detox treatment early. This is a factor that the detox team will be experienced with.

Heroin detox will use different withdrawal support medication than an alcohol detox, cannabis detox etc. Most detox patients with drug history are poly drug users (multiple drug combinations). This again puts the emphasis on a proven detox team and process.

The Intervention Service match treatment to the clients situation. With all forms of chemical dependency, that is a judgement call, where the true nature of a persons drug and alcohol use will rarely be fully known until they are in treatment.

Detox is the gateway to active recovery, not the end point.