As you search the web for options for the addiction treatment, you come across many new terms and types of programs. Among these are detox and rehab treatment. So what are the differences between these types of programs? Do you need drug and alcohol detox or rehab?

What type of treatment do I need?

At AM Health your individual needs come first. This means you go through an initial addiction assessment, to determine whether you need drug and alcohol detox or rehab. The typical course of treatment starts with detox and continues through rehab treatment. Am Health provides all levels of residential and outpatient drug and alcohol treatment in Los Angeles, California.

Addiction ravages your body and mind. Even when you try to stop using your substances, doing so causes you to suffer physical and psychological distress ranging from mild to severe. Learning about the symptoms you suffer in this early withdrawal helps your treatment team understand the severity of your condition. In turn, this helps them plan the best detox treatment for your unique needs.

Some people realize they suffer problems with drugs or alcohol before becoming fully addicted. Others use these substances for years before seeking help. Where you fall on the spectrum of addiction helps professionals determine the specific treatment you need.

That said, the vast majority of people suffering from addiction need to start their treatment in a residential detox, followed by quality follow-up care, including individual and group therapies. Below you can learn more about detox and rehab to understand how they differ and why you need both.

What is drug and alcohol detox?

When you stop using your drugs or alcohol and suffer withdrawal symptoms, these ill feelings indicate you need drug and alcohol detox. Withdrawal is the process of cleansing the substances and other toxins from your body and brain. This is hard work for your whole system. So you experience a wide range of effects, such as nausea, vomiting, tremor, blood pressure changes and mental symptoms like depression or anxiety.

No matter how your withdrawal feels at first, these symptoms can quickly grow in severity. You can expect to feel uncomfortable at best for a week or more, especially if you try to go cold turkey or detox at home. Some physical and psychological effects even put your life at risk.

Drug detox and alcohol detox helps you get through withdrawal more comfortably and safely than detoxing at home or through other services. You start your detox program with an intake exam, so your treatment team can understand what to expect from your withdrawal. This exam includes blood work and other tests. You also discuss your drug or alcohol abuse history with a caring counselor.

As you settle into the residential detox program, you start receiving helpful support needed to feel as good as possible throughout your withdrawal. This support usually lasts about a week to 10 days. It includes helpful medications for your symptoms, to ease ill feelings and help you feel comfortable, calm and rested during your stay. The support also includes regular checks of your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

The Importance of Nutrition during Detox

One of the problems associated with trying to detox at home is inability to maintain proper nutrition during withdrawal, even when other people try to take care of you. During this time of extreme physical and mental adjustment to not using your drugs or alcohol, you need quality nutrition and hydration throughout each day. In a licensed and medically supervised detox, you get nutrition support you need for your healthiest entry into sobriety.

At  Novo Detox & Rehab Treatment Center in Los Angeles, California we provide mindfully crafted cuisine designed to help you feel better through your symptoms. This nourishment lifts your mood to help you stay mentally strong in your first days without substance abuse. You also start feeling physically stronger as your spirit lifts and your body receives nutrients it has long missed.

The results of your nutrition struggles seem clear as you start to sober, particularly when you look in the mirror. You see effects of your drug or alcohol use, such as brittle or thinning hair, pale skin, dull eyes and a general look of poor health. You also suffer internal changes, such as a compromised immune system, more frequent illness, dental problems and poor digestion.

But when you receive quality nutrition during residential detox, your look changes rapidly. Your appetite increases, mood improves and digestion settles. Soon, you look in the mirror and start seeing a healthier person emerging from under the shell of poor health from addiction. The farther you get from active drug or alcohol abuse, the better you look and feel.

What happens after detox?

One of the most important phases of your detox treatment is planning for the next phase of early recovery, rehab. Entering a rehab program is crucial for building lasting recovery and preventing relapse. After all, one of your biggest risks in recovery is relapse, especially since this often leads to deadly overdose. We at AM health provide drug and alcohol rehab at Hovo detox and 310 Recovery Residential center. Our outpatient rehab is also available to your convenience at 310 Recovery Outpatient Center in Los Angeles, California.

Your detox treatment counselors help you understand the importance of a quality therapy program. Rehab treatment includes an array of therapies and other services designed to help you understand your addiction, including why you became addicted in the first place and how to avoid returning to substance abuse. There, you build coping skills, relapse prevention and life skills in these therapies. You also build a stronger sense of self with new sober interests and a strong support system.

All of this learning, building and change starts in detox at AM Health drug and alcohol facilities. You can take advantage of the opportunity to extend your treatment through outpatient ambulatory care after withdrawal ends and your health stabilizes. Outpatient treatment takes place during scheduled daytime hours during which you receive continued support, therapeutic guidance and appropriate medications.

Outpatient care enables you to return home after detox, to go back to work, school or family responsibilities. Or if you must await entry into a longer-term residential rehab program, outpatient treatment bridges the gap between detox and your next residential environment.

Do I need outpatient care after detox?

Remember that you started abusing drugs or alcohol without expecting to suffer addiction. You either self-medicated mental or physical conditions, or used substances as an escape from other root problems. Triggers and temptations of your past substance abuse do not go away just because your body cleaned itself of toxins. Being sober actually means you must find healthy ways to cope with your past issues, especially the ones continuing to arise.

Without therapies and other methods, you do not simply wake up to a new set of coping skills. You must learn these skills, as well as how to enjoy a sober life. Not knowing how to cope or even just exist in sobriety causes a great deal of stress. This is where outpatient care comes in, to help you learn how to live in recovery.

Attending an outpatient care program, such as 310 Recovery’s ambulatory care, extends the support and learning of your detox process. You work with caring professionals to develop a post-detox action plan that helps you keep your eyes on sobriety with understanding of what to expect during early recovery.

Your Individual Path to Healthy Recovery

By talking to detox treatment professionals at Novo detox, you learn about your individual needs for healthy recovery after addiction. Whether you need drug detox, alcohol detox, detox followed by outpatient care, or another rehab treatment program, you can achieve lasting sobriety in Los Angeles.

Novo Detox’s services include:

• Medically supervised residential detox
• Outpatient ambulatory care
• Holistic methods and nutrition
• Individual counseling
• Group therapy
• Family participation
• Relapse prevention

To find out whether you need detox, rehab or both types of programs for strong addiction recovery, call AM Health at (844)584-5477 and find the right level of care for your needs.