Addiction Detox
Our addiction detox takes place in a home like setting, under the supervision of a licensed psychiatrist and/or physician who is ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) Certified. Addiction detox is the process of riding the body’s from the substance to which it is addicted. Chapman House sees to it that each client is individually cared for in order to monitor and minimize withdrawal symptoms and the associated pain.
Medical supervision is recommended because symptoms can often be severe when the body is experiencing withdrawal. This is the phase when the body’s cravings for the substance intensify to such a degree that the person can become violent, delirious, or physically ill. A person can experience nausea, vomiting, twitching, shaking, sweating, blackouts, hallucinations, and so on. It is a very unpleasant experience that reveals just how horribly dependent the body had become on any particular substance. Chapman House specializes in individualized care during this critical period of recovery. Each client is under the watchful eye of our staff 24 hours per day during this period of addiction detox.
One would believe the experience of withdrawal would be unpleasant enough to deter an addict from relapsing in the future. The truth is addiction is an obsession of the mind and an allergy of the body. The person suffering from addiction, particularly in the withdrawal (detox) phase is completely incapable of making rational decisions. The only decision an addict can make at this point is to find a drug to take away the pain. Nothing else matters. Nothing!
Different methods of addiction detox have been developed over time, ranging from harmless “substitution” medications like methadone, to help keep recovering addicts under control and wean them off the cravings. There are also sauna detox centers, where the toxic substances are literally sweated out of the addict’s body, thus speeding up the detox process. This may be done safely under close supervision, but is not recommended by Chapman House. Depending on the type and intensity of the addiction, a more rigorous addiction detox may be required. Ultimately, addiction detox and withdrawal, unpleasant though they may be at the time, represent a “passing through” to a better, healthier life.
