Drug Withdrawal in Bryan, TX
Drug withdrawal occurs when you stop using a substance of abuse once a dependence has developed. Drug withdrawal in Bryan is best undertaken through a medically supervised drug withdrawal treatment program, known as medical detox.
Why Withdrawal Sets In
Drugs and alcohol act directly on your brain. When you chronically abuse a psychoactive substance, your brain changes the way it functions chemically in order to compensate for the presence of drugs or alcohol. This produces tolerance, which means that you need increasingly larger doses of the substance to get the desired effects. Tolerance is a warning sign that a dependence may be developing.
The heavier your drug use becomes as you use larger and larger amounts, the more your brain function changes. At some point, the brain may reach a tipping point, and it will begin to operate more comfortably when drugs are present than when they're not. Then, when you stop using the drug, normal brain function rebounds, and this flurry of chemical activity causes withdrawal symptoms.
How Drug Withdrawal Treatment Programs Help
Treatment for drug withdrawal is supervised by medical and mental health professionals who administer medications as needed to reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms, prevent dangerous shifts in body function, and even shorten the length of time it takes to detox.
Experts cite two reasons why drug withdrawal treatment programs are essential for successful detox:
- People who try to detox on their own usually go back to using very quickly to end the intense cravings and other uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
- Withdrawal from substances like alcohol and some central nervous system sedatives can be extremely dangerous or even fatal and may require swift medical intervention.
- Drug withdrawal in Bryan undertaken in a supervised medical detox setting increases your comfort during detox and ensures your safety.
Symptoms of Withdrawal
The symptoms of withdrawal vary from drug to drug, although intense cravings are a universal withdrawal symptom no matter what the substance of abuse. Withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe, and in some cases, they can turn dangerous or fatal. Not everyone will experience all of the possible withdrawal symptoms associated with a particular drug.
Alcohol withdrawal produces nausea, vomiting, insomnia, tremors, and anxiety. In some cases, dangerous symptoms like seizures, intense hallucinations, and spikes in blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate may occur. Medication can prevent seizures and other dangerous symptoms or successfully treat them on the spot. This is why it's essential for those suffering from drug or alcohol withdrawal in Bryan to seek treatment immediately.
Opiate withdrawal from heroin and prescription drugs like OxyContin or Vicodin produce flu-like symptoms that are generally excruciating. These include cold sweats, nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, body aches, and anxiety. While opiate withdrawal isn't considered dangerous, its severity can quickly send you back to using. Medications help reduce the intensity of these symptoms.
Stimulant withdrawal from meth, cocaine, and prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin causes a deep depression, insomnia, agitation, and intense cravings. Medications can reduce the depression and agitation, ease cravings, and help you sleep.
Sedative withdrawal from barbiturates like phenobarbital and benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium can produce dangerous shifts in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, which can be dangerous or deadly. Since no medications have been approved to treat these symptoms, detoxing from these substances is generally a matter of reducing the doses over time to prevent the onset of withdrawal symptoms altogether.
Treatment for Drug Withdrawal in Bryan is Not Addiction Treatment
Addiction and dependence are not the same thing. Dependence is characterized by withdrawal symptoms that occur when you stop using, while addiction is characterized by being unable to stop using drugs or alcohol despite the negative consequences it causes in your life.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse stresses that while treatment for drug withdrawal takes care of the physical dependence on drugs or alcohol, it does very little to treat the addiction and promote long-term recovery. Treating an addiction requires a variety of intensive therapies that help you:
- Understand addiction.
- Identify your triggers and develop skills and techniques for coping with them.
- Address the complex issues underlying the addiction, which may include family dysfunction, a history of trauma, or a co-occurring mental illness.
- Improve your self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-awareness.
- Learn to have fun and enjoy life without drugs or alcohol.
- Find purpose and meaning in a life of sobriety.
Addiction treatment should immediately follow medical detox in Bryan to offer the best chances for successful long-term addiction recovery.
Treatment works. It helps you restore your life, improve your sense of well-being, repair relationships, and develop good physical and mental health. Most people who engage in treatment recover from addiction for the long-term, and you can, too. Call us today at (877) 804-1531 to speak with an addiction specialist.