One of the hardest parts of treating addiction and initiating rehabilitation is dealing with the effects of drug withdrawal. These are a series of symptoms that a person goes through once they’ve either decreased or discontinued a consistent intake of recreational or medical drugs. While these affect people differently depending on the effects of the addictive substance and the duration of the addiction, a detox retreat in Los Angeles can help reduce the general symptoms of the withdrawal period under medical supervision, allowing for safe and regulated ease into the rehabilitation process. Unsupervised drug withdrawal can be very dangerous for the subject, for their body is no longer equipped to deal with the lack of the substance by itself.
Effects of Drug Withdrawal
Withdrawal happens because extensive drug usage affects what we know as homeostasis, which is the body’s way of maintaining biological equilibrium. Basically, it is the amalgamation of processes by which the body regulates itself and keeps everything running normally. For example, sweating and shivering are methods the body uses to control its standard temperature. If it’s too hot, the body will release calories through sweat in order to cool itself down. If it’s cold, the body will shiver in order to produce heat. Homeostasis keeps the body running through abnormal situations and helps it adapt to different conditions.
Addictive substances deregulate the homeostatic processes, which means that they create a sort of “new normal” setting that the body is now striving towards. The symptoms caused by the withdrawal of, say, opiates can include anxiety, sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting, which alcohol withdrawal can cause fatigue, shaking, irritability, and nausea. Manifestations of withdrawal can be even more severe if prolonged addiction has resulted in disease, malnutrition, insomnia, or infections.
Managing the Symptoms of Withdrawal
When lacking medical attention, withdrawal symptoms can be very dangerous and even fatal. Since the body is no longer equipped to properly function without the intake of the drug, it’s important for a physician to oversee the discontinuation of drug intake.
In certain cases, suddenly cutting off the supply can cause such a shock to the body, that it could ultimately be deadly, which is why medical professionals tend to regulate a slowly decreased intake of the drug in order to ultimately cut it off in a more gradual way. This is why it’s ultimately so important to seek a detox retreat in Los Angeles, so that the addiction victim can have the proper treatment overseeing their withdrawal symptoms.
Find a Detox Retreat in Los Angeles
At Healthy Living Treatment, our focus lies not in treating addiction by itself, but as the result of a series of bigger issues and situations. It’s not enough to merely cut off the supply and get the patient through detoxification. We have to address all of the factors that led the patient to drug addiction and treat the whole of the case. Our detox retreat in Los Angeles aims at dealing with what got the person here so that they don’t have to land there ever again. If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction and is seeking treatment, call us at (661) 536-5562 and we’ll help you through the ensuing process.