Do you or a loved one suffer from addiction? With the annual overdose numbers now over 70,000 and rising each year, you should not let this go. Those who do not die from their drug of choice often survive in agony as they lose control over their own life.
This disease consumes their thoughts, alters their behaviors, and hurts the people they love. Most people need some degree of professional treatment to overcome addiction.
The process begins with detox. For success in this first step, you must know what often causes people to fail.
Keep reading to learn how to avoid seven common drug detoxing mistakes.
1. Going Cold Turkey
Many people make rash decisions without planning them through, thinking that they can quit drugs or alcohol cold turkey. This means stopping everything all at once and not using any medications to help.
While you do want to stop using completely, you should not try this at home on your own. Stopping alcohol and some other drugs this way could cause serious side effects. Seizures, delerium tremens (DT), and heart failure can even take their life.
Talk with a medical professional if you plan to detox at home so they can guide you through a safe process. Better yet, find a detox facility to help you through with appropriate medications.
2. Detoxing Alone
Even with medications to help you through, you will want somebody to help whether you decide to detox at home or in a facility. Trying to do this alone can put your health at risk and end abruptly by you giving in.
Your detox symptoms may include:
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Cold sweats
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fever and chills
- Muscle and joint aches
- Generalized pain
- Blackouts
As mentioned above, you may even experience more serious symptoms. Ask a close friend or family member to help you through if you decide to stay home.
They can monitor your symptoms and help you stay clean and comfortable. If you feel like you cannot keep going, the moral support will help.
3. Neglecting Nutritional Needs
Detox can feel very traumatic for your body. Do not make it worse by ignoring your nutritional needs if you choose to do it on your own.
Ignoring what your body needs can make physical symptoms worse. It may also increase your anxiety and mood swings.
Think of how it feels to be “hangry” even on a normal day when you feel well. Now throw it through a multiplier.
First and foremost, keep yourself hydrated. You will most likely lose a lot of bodily fluids through a number of symptoms.
Dehydration will only make you sicker and put your life in danger. Keep ice chips, ginger ale, and Gatorade handy.
Second, try to eat. Drug abuse often leaves people malnourished. Food will help you keep up your strength and start to feel better.
Items like crackers, plain mashed potatoes, and toast may help with nausea. Frozen fruit or hot bone broth may also ease symptoms while providing nourishment.
4. Not Preparing
Prepare ahead of time for your detoxification process. You can sabotage your home detox simply by not preparing and making it seem too difficult.
Plan ahead with your boss. Suddenly fearing getting fired mid-detox could cause you to use.
Leave the time open-ended and be honest about why. They legally can not fire somebody for drug recovery.
Ask somebody to take your children, at least during the most difficult first few days. You cannot care for them properly and the experience could traumatize them.
If you’re not sure how detoxing works, here are items you may need:
- Prescription medications from your doctor within reach
- Extra clean and comfy clothes
- Extra sheets and blankets
- A puke bucket
- Baby wipes
- Mouthwash and mints
- A journal
Going into this with everything in its place will help ease your anxiety and make this a smoother process.
5. Self-Sabotaging With Temptations
When you use a drug detox in Pennsylvania, they remove all temptations. At home, you may find this more of a struggle.
Do not sabotage yourself by making a relapse easy. Create a sober space before you begin.
Many people will keep something on hand in case they cannot take it. All this does is make it easier to back out. Remove all drugs and alcohol not prescribed to you by your doctor.
Cleanse your phone as well. Delete any contacts associated with drugs and drinking, whether they sell stuff to you or do it with you.
Take anything that you associate with your addiction out of the house. This might be paraphernalia or even clothing you wore to get high in.
6. Expecting to Fail
If you go into something expecting to fail, then you will not succeed. People often allow fear to take over their minds and drive their decision-making.
Start your detox with the expectation that you will live a sober life. Mindset makes a major difference.
To help you, create daily affirmations in your journal. Write things like:
- I am capable
- I am resilient
- My mind is stronger than the drugs
- Today will be better than yesterday
You can do this like so many people before you have. It may not come easy, but a positive mindset will get you through.
7. Quitting the Quit
Too often, people will start detox and then quit when it gets intense. Some even go through some of the most difficult symptoms and then decide they cannot take anymore.
Stay strong and remind yourself that these symptoms will end. If you use, then it only tacks on more time that you will experience withdrawal symptoms because next time you start back at square one again. Know the withdrawal timeline so you can track your progress.
Avoid Drug Detoxing Mistakes
You made it to the point that you’re considering detox, and that’s a big milestone in your journey. Keep moving forward, because a better life lies ahead. Do not allow these avoidable drug detoxing mistakes to deter you from your path to sobriety.
We want to help you take back your life! Get started in one of our programs.
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