When you or a loved one begin to look at treatment options for addiction, you are likely to hear a lot about interventions and detox programs. In this post, we take a closer look at these two programs to provide you with more information to assist you in choosing the best road of recovery for your situation.

DETOXIFICATION

Detox, short for detoxification, is a word that gets thrown around a lot, in contexts ranging from substance abuse to “cleanses” and diets. Detox simply means “abstain from or rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances”.  In the context of addiction, it can also refer to a program where an individual refrains from the abused substance for a certain period of time, often in a residential setting at a treatment center.  The long-term process is generally known as “rehab”, with the detoxification being the first step. During the detox period, an addict is often closely monitored by medical staff or addiction specialists to minimize the negative symptoms of alcohol or drug withdrawal, which can both cause severe physical consequences. Attempting detox without medical supervision may have very adverse health effects and, in certain cases, can be fatal. As a result, addicts in a controlled detox program are more likely to continue the course of action than those who attempt to go “cold turkey” on their own. While detoxification does not cure the underlying addiction, it puts an addict in the position to approach long-term treatment options from a place of sobriety, greatly improving the odds of continued success. In fact, here at BRC Recovery, we’ve helped hundreds of people achieve and maintain sobriety through our residential rehab programs, with many of them beginning their recovery with a medically supervised detoxification. INTERVENTION Intervention is not a treatment like detox or a long-term rehab program, as it neither cures an underlying addiction nor rids the body of the harmful substances. Despite that, intervention often serves as the first, and most critical, step in the treatment process – it gets the addict to recognize that he or she has a problem and needs help. Addiction, whether it is to alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription drugs, is very often accompanied by an addict’s denial of his or her addiction. If an addict is in denial about their addiction, they will not seek treatment. Often, it takes the help of an addict’s family and friends to get an addict to see the problem and the impact that his/her addiction has, not only the addict but also on those who care about them. While there are multiple models of intervention, in its simplest form intervention involves the family and friends of an addict confronting the addict about his addiction and the consequences of his continued substance abuse. In some cases, hearing a loved one speak, in an intervention setting, about the pain the addict is causing may be enough to get the addict to admit that there is a problem. That outcome may lead to the addict seeking treatment. At BRC Recovery, we have helped many people through interventions. If you have a loved one that is suffering with an addiction, and want to learn more about how we can help him or her, please call (866) 461-1759 or email us at admissions@brcmultisitede.wpengine.com for a confidential consultation.