Best Drug Detox in Florida – Insider Guide
Best Drug Detox in Florida – Insider Guide
If you’re looking for drug Detox in Florida than we’re happy you’ve made the choice to become sober. The fact that you’re here reading this signifies your commitment to overcoming addiction and we’re excited to help you make this life-changing transition to sobriety in a structured and safe environment. Rehab South Florida is an award-winning recovery center with a multi-disciplinary staff that understands the complexities and nature of addiction – and the treatment of it.
Illicit drug-use, addiction, overdoses… Such behaviors have become an epidemic in Florida. In 2014 alone a survey concluded that nearly 410,000 people had used drugs and/or alcohol within the past 12 months leading up to the survey.
Often times referred to as the best rehab center, Rehab South Florida offers a diverse range of treatment programs for all addiction types and severities and makes use of evidence-based treatments and holistic therapies to make the transition to sobriety as withdrawal- and symptom-free as possible. Nearly all detox centers claim to provide top-notch treatment and superior recovery care. However, this isn’t always true as Florida has one of the highest relapse rates in the country.
Detox is a fundamental part of achieving long-term sobriety and the addiction recovery specialists at Rehab South Florida are experts within their respective fields. Recovering addicts in our detox program are provided with one-on-one care and individualized treatment programs specifically designed for their particular recovery needs.
In this Florida detox guide we’ll be walking you through the process of detoxification, “our” detox program, how to get help for a friend or loved one, and our financial acceptance policies. We believe addiction education is a critical component to recovery and as such have published this detox guide to make your treatment options easier to understand. You’re not alone, our team is here to help face the challenges of addiction with you and will extend personalized care to make the journey to sobriety an enjoyable experience.
About one in every 12 people struggle with alcohol addiction and many depend on the substance as their outlet for coping with issues. Many times, depression is an underlying cause. Alcohol abuse immensely impacts the life of the abuser in ways that don’t promote productive thought processes and constructive habit-forming practices.
At Rehab South Florida we understand the constrictions that alcohol addiction can have on one’s life. When treating an alcohol addiction we take in to account multiple components of the alcohol addiction and merge our treatment experience and evidence-based therapies together to provide highly effective recovery outcomes that allow our patients to overcome addiction.
Choosing a Drug Detox Center – What you need to find out
The center you choose to detox at is an important decision. After all, not all centers’ offer recovering addicts the same quality of care. It’s important to take in to account things such as the track record of the center, the treatment programs offered, and post-treatment support options.
To help you get started we’ve outlined some important questions that you should ask the detox center prior to admission to ensure their treatment solutions are well suited for your recovery needs:
• Will I be receiving treatments that have a track record of working for past patients? This is an important inquiry to make prior to admissions as you’ll want to be sure that treatments (such as the ones at “Rehab South Florida”) are effective.
• Is my coverage accepted? Every detox center accepts different coverage providers. When researching a detox center for treatment you’ll want to ask up-front if your insurance provider is accepted by the center
• Am I joining a credible facility? Online reviews of the center will be a good indicator of how affective their care and treatments have been in the past. Research the center online, conduct due-diligence, read reviews of patients of that have attended that facility to see what kind of recovery outcomes have been achieved.
• Will I receive evidence-based treatments? At RSF, evidence-based treatments are at the core of the treatment approach. However, not all centers’ offer the same level of care. When inquiring about what treatment programs are available at your center of choice be sure to ask if the facility makes use of evidence-based treatments for patients.
• Call the detox center directly for any answers to questions that you were unable to find online. During this time you can take note of how helpful and friendly the admissions counselor is which will be a good indicator of how the treatment staff is as a whole.
• Schedule a tour of the detox center so you can have an idea of what to expect during treatment if admitted.
What is Drug Detox? Is Detox always needed?
Finally arriving at the decision to undergo professional detox can be overwhelming, especially for recovering addicts that have been struggling with dependency for an extensive amount of time. It is, however, a choice that will change your life forever; for the better.
• Will detox be painful?
• Will I achieve long-term sobriety?
• Is going to detox really worth the investment?
• Will I really receive the help I need?
• Can’t I just self-detox at home?
These are common questions that may be cycling through your head. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Help is here and we’ll be giving you the information you need to take your initial steps to recovery without the burden of worry.
At Rehab South Florida, patients undergoing detox treatment will receive individualized treatment plans, one-on-one support/counseling, and medication-assisted therapy. This allows those seeking sobriety to experience recovery while having the peace of mind knowing that any challenges that arise will not be faced alone.
This Florida detox guide will help to calm some of those fears down and will give you an insider look at what you can expect to experience during detox at a rehab center.
First and foremost, it’s important to understand what detox is and what the end-result goal of it is. The purpose of drug detox is to allow the body to begin healing after a long-term addiction through the removal of toxins in the body left over by the substance. This process allows the body to begin stabilizing itself which in turn allows the recovering addict to begin focusing on long-term recovery.
Depending on the severity of the addiction the recovering addict may receive treatment in either an inpatient or outpatient program. The severity of the addiction and the presence of another medical condition or mental illness greatly impacts whether or not the patient will be recommended for the inpatient or outpatient program. The addiction’s severity and co-occurring disorders (if any) will also determine the length of time detox/rehab will be required (which we’ll discuss further on).
In many cases, detox withdrawals can become unbearably intense, especially for struggling dependents that attempt to self-detox at home where proper medical supervision isn’t available. This is why detox is best received under the guidance of addiction treatment specialists at a qualified detox center that understands the complexities of addiction and the treatment of it.
As an example, undergoing detox for addictions stemming from alcohol or opioids can become a dangerous and sometimes life-threatening process. Persons’ struggling with addiction to such substances should seek professional intervention from a Florida detox center that provides a full continuum of care that can cater effective treatment for the addiction itself and the symptoms that follow. Detox centers such as Rehab South Florida has a patient-recovery success rate of over 90% and has made life-changing impacts for thousands of addicts that now lead drug-free, fulfilling, and purposeful lives.
One common question that’s asked a lot is “Can I self-detox privately at home?”. While you can, there are several good reasons as to why you shouldn’t, including:
• Self-detoxification may not be safe. Detox will cause the body to rid itself of toxins leftover by the abused substance(s) which can cause severe withdrawal symptoms leading to complications that should not be experienced outside of professional medical supervision.
• Detox at home isn’t always effective. Due to the withdrawals and urges that the following detox it’s very tempting for the recovering addict to relapse. In a professional detox environment recovering addicts will not have the option of relapse and won’t experience cravings nearly as severe due to medicated assisted treatment that is available to Rehab South Florida detox patients 24/7.
• Professional detox makes the recovery process more bearable. Not only is undergoing detox at a rehab more effective but it’s also more comfortable, safer, and enjoyable. At RSF, patients receive around-the-clock withdrawal-preventative care to ensure a smooth and comforting recovery experience.
Even though at-home detox kits claim to help you through the detox process without professional treatment intervention it’s not an option that’s advisable. The majority of today’s addiction cases are pretty severe which means that at-home detox kits are typically ineffective. Also, when detox at home you’re doing so unsupervised where help isn’t available to you if something goes wrong.
The better option is to consult a RSF admissions specialist at 561-933-5522 so your recovery options can be explained.
Drug detox is the first step in during recovery in a comprehensive rehab program. The tools needed for recovery are on-hand and at the hands of patients.
Detoxification can and will prevent unpleasant symptoms and fatal consequences that surface from the abrupt cessation of “use”. Professional detoxification will also improve the chances of a successful recovery outcome and will better enable the patient to sustain their abstinence.
The end-goal of detox at Rehab South Florida is physiological healing for patients that have been struggling with long-term addiction. This process is initiated through stabilization followed by short- to long-term detox which depending on the severity of the addiction can span anywhere from 7-90 days. This is determined on a case-to-case basis and will be judged based on the results of the medical examination.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the focus after stabilization begins to shift to monitoring of vitals and various internal bodily processes as it begins to deplete itself of the drug. Focus of detox at this stage also begins to focus on managing what are often times very unpleasant withdrawals.
Comprehensive Detox in Florida – Rehab South Florida
It’s important to keep in mind that detox alone is not enough alone to treat addiction; it’s only one component of the continuum of care required for most cases. Since addiction is both physical and psychological, recovering addicts immensely benefit from psychotherapeutic treatments of which will help to address the urges and mind-altering effects of the abused substance(s).
Detox can in face be effective and may help recovering addicts with remaining sober in the short-term. But, without post-detox care and therapy, the chance of the recovering addict encountering a relapse rises greatly. Post-treatment counseling, therapy, and support groups are excellent ways to maintain abstinence and can be found at Rehab South Florida.
First Stage of Drug Detox
The initial phase of detoxification can become quite intense for patients. This is why patients at our facility have access to psychiatric specialist and medical staff members that will provide around-the-clock support. The addiction treatment team at Rehab South Florida is on stand-by at all times to address withdrawals and manage challenges as they arise. Our empathetic team has years of experience in withdrawal management and addiction recovery and works closely with patients during the initial phase of detox to minimize any and all undesirable symptoms.
For example, within just a few hours after the last dose taken of heroin, those struggling with an addiction to the highly addictive opioid will usually encounter severe withdrawals, some of which including:
• Insomnia (restless sleep)
• Runny nose
• Watering of the eyes
• Physical aches and pains
• Abnormal agitation
• Anxiety/Stress
• Excessive yawning and tiredness
• Sweat outbreaks
While these symptoms aren’t necessarily life-threatening, they are quite uncomfortable to experience which is why psychiatric care in conjunction with medical care is beneficial for recovering addicts in treatment.
During the first few hours of detox there are a number of scenarios and issues that may present themselves to patients.
The most urgent of withdrawals and symptoms will be tended to first and will then be followed by treatment for other issues that may emerge. Tackling these symptoms one-by-one until complete stabilization is achieved.
Keep in mind that that during detox, your body is undergoing some rather big changes, both physically and mentally. During this time it’s easy to act out of character. As urges and cravings emerge they begin to influence the mental state of the patient which could cause a demonstration in behaviors that aren’t deemed to be “safe” (violence).
Some of the possible issues that may arise during detox could include:
• Symptoms of psychosis – Psychosis, a dangerous complication that can be brought on from addiction to various drugs, especially cocaine. If a cocaine addict uses an excessive amount of the drug they run the risk of becoming paranoid and could perhaps even experience full-blown psychosis. Some symptoms of psychosis include auditory and visual hallucination and delusional thinking. Psychosis may also occur if a co-occurring mental health disorder is present. An addict in recovery can begin to demonstrate erratic behaviors; they become unpredictable. Should such a scenario arise it’s important for it to be addressed before treatment advances.
• Violence – Violence is one of the most common symptoms caused from excessive drug use and withdrawals. Violent behaviors from those that have abused drugs such as synthetic cathinones (bath sales) would be more at risk of posing self-harm or harm to others. In detox, patients that pose a risk to themselves or others may require sedation or restraining in order to protect themselves and medical staff members. However, such measures are only taken if the patient begins to act physically aggressive and shows or makes an attempt to harm themselves or others.
• Injury – Before arriving to detox there’s a number of situations that the recovering addict may have experienced. In some cases, the patient may have inflicted self-harm while under the influence or may have been physically/sexually assaulted. As an example, phencyclidine (PCP) is a very strong dissociative drug that can cause the euphoria of having increased strength and invulnerability. Because of this common misconception, PCP users may subject themselves to harm as they believe their immune to pain/injury. PCP users are also more likely to contemplate suicide. Such behaviors, if demonstrated, will be addressed and needs to be before further treatment. Rehab South Florida counselors and therapists will also work with patients struggling with mental illnesses to help them cope with these emotions/urges.
• Medical conditions – Those that suffer from medical conditions that cause chronic and debilitating pain are often times prescribed painkillers. For these users, it’s possible to develop a dependency to the opioid(s) found in such medication. As the patient begins to undergo detox the pain that was once alleviated will begin to return which can cause severe pain/symptoms. While in detox at RSF, it’s important to be transparent about your prior prescription and drug intake so the treatment staff can administer effective treatment.
• Self-threat – Opioid withdrawals are associated with causing severe depressive symptoms that could be tied to suicidal thoughts/attempts. Patients that exhibit such behaviors will require continual supervision and protection during detox/treatment. Once these issues have been evaluated during the medical evaluation the patient will immediately receive treatment for that condition until it has been resolved or until the patient has reached stabilization.
• The drug’s half-life – Typically, if the abused substance is short-acting then withdrawal symptoms will emerge quickly after that previous dose. If it’s a long-lasting drug, in some cases, a withdrawal syndrome may not occur for up to 3-5 days following the last dose.
• The presence of a co-occurring mental or physical disorder – Should a patient at our facility suffer from a co-occurring physical or mental health disorder such as chronic pain and/or anxiety such symptoms are easily amplified from the withdrawals while undergoing detox. This can cause a significant amount of distress. At Rehab South Florida, our clinical treatment team closely monitors patient withdrawals and will administer medication-assisted treatment on an as-needed basis to ensure undesired withdrawals are kept to a minimum.
• The presence of drugs in the system of the patient at the time of entering detox – Persistent use and abuse of drugs and/or alcohol will ultimately cause the user to develop a tolerance to the substance(s). As such, users with a strong tolerance will usually result to “using more” of the substance in order to feel the “high”. Depending on the dosage amounts used by the recovering addict when entering rehab, withdrawals will vary from significantly. Often times referred to as the best detox in Florida; Rehab South Florida’s award-winning reputation was impartially earned due to the treatment team’s success in managing patient withdrawals to allow a comfortable recovery experience, even for severe addiction cases. Effective withdrawal-management is what allows the facility to have a patient recovery success rate of over 90%.
• The usage of multiple drugs/alcohol – A Comorbid dependence, or, an addiction to two or more substances, can cause a unique range of withdrawal symptoms to emerge of which can worsen each other. One thing that separates Rehab South Florida apart from other facilities is our teams understanding of the complexities surrounding addiction. Our multi-disciplinary staff has years of addiction recovery experience for all addiction types. This allows us to provide you with the care that your recovery will require.
• The length of dependency – The length of addiction will play a huge role in how severe withdrawals during detox will be. Daily use/abuse over an extended period of time can cause high tolerance levels and severe withdrawals.
Types of Drug Detox Programs
There are a couple of different options when it comes to professional medical detox programs. Depending on the types of substances abuse, the length of the addiction, and the withdrawal symptoms often tied to the abuse of that substance will determine which detox program is best suited for your recovery needs. Based on an in-house medical evaluation at Rehab South Florida, the recovering addicts dependency, health, and stability will be evaluated and a proper treatment route will be devised.
Those coming to Rehab South Florida for a new beginning in life will have the option of joining a couple of programs, including:
Outpatient detox program: While not commonly recommended, the outpatient detox program is well-suited for patients with non-severe addictions that won’t require check-ins with our medical team to achieve recovery. For non-severe dependency cases, prescriptions or treatment from a methadone clinic may be suitable.
In situations where finances may be an issue or if the recovering addicts is engaged throughout the day with either employment or running a household, the outpatient detox program may provide an acceptable level of care and adequate treatments.
Inpatient detox program: The inpatient detox program is commonly suggested for patients as it promises the best recovery outcomes and results in lower relapse rates. A residential detox program at Rehab South Florida will make it easier for patients to maintain sobriety and abstinence post-treatment and will also allow patients to receive around-the-clock medical care in the event of an emergency.
A majority of patients in detox are in an inpatient/residential program. Our staff also helps patents to seamlessly transfer to other ongoing substance abuse treatments upon the completion of detox. Post-treatment support and care will address psychological issues tied to addiction in addition to exercises that teach abstinence.
Opioid Detox:
Detox for opioid-based addictions will vary quite differently compared to the detox treatments rendered for addictions involving other classes of drugs and/or alcohol. Opioids, including synthetic opioids (heroin) are highly addictive in nature and can cause some rather severe withdrawal symptoms – especially for long-term abusers. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medications that were solely manufactured for the treatment of opioid-induced addictions.
These medications have changed the way detox and recovery treatments for opioids are facilitated.
Albeit an addiction to prescription painkillers or heroin, inpatient detox and professional intervention is always going to be the best treatment route as recovering addicts are able to receive the 24/7 care they’ll need to overcome challenges as they arise.
Medication-assisted therapy during opioid detox will help to alleviate withdrawals that may emerge throughout treatment. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs for the treatment of opioid addiction; methadone and buprenorphine. These two drugs are impartial-to-full opioid agonists.
They’re administered primarily to stabilize the patient. Over time, throughout treatment, the amount administered to the recovering addict will be reduced little by little until it’s no longer required. A common question asked before admitting to detox is: “how long do withdrawals from opioids last?”. The length in which withdrawals last will depend on whether or not the abused opioid was short- or long-acting one.
Heroin, a synthetic opioid, is considered to be short acting. Within just a few hours after the last dose of heroin the user can begin to experience withdrawal symptoms and may begin to subside within a few days in to treatment.
However, longer-acting opioids such as painkillers may not cause withdrawals for up to a few days since the last dose. For prescription painkiller addictions, withdrawals can last for up to a few weeks.
Alcohol Detox
Alcohol detox in Florida has never been easier than now to receive from a treatment center that has years of experience in treating alcohol addictions – Rehab South Florida! We understand the physical and cognitive effects that alcohol causes to one’s overall stability and willpower to practice abstinence.
Addiction to alcohol is an addiction that’s not all that simple to overcome alone. Our alcohol detox program focuses on building individualized treatment plans that focus on YOUR recovery needs. All alcohol-related addictions are unique in nature and as such as don’t believe in universal recovery plans.
The sudden cessation of alcohol abuse can result in distressing moments and even potentially life-threatening symptoms/withdrawals.
Some of the most common (non-fatal) symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
• Insomnia
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Clouded mind/Slow thoughts and physical movements
• Anxiety
• Shivering
• Sweating
Perhaps being one of the worst withdrawals, “Delirium tremens” is a severe withdrawal symptom that’s most commonly linked to prolonged daily alcohol abuse. If not treated, Delirium tremens can in some cases lead to death. This condition occurs in less than 10% of patients undergoing detox and for those experiencing withdrawals.
There are a few signs of Delirium tremens, some of which being:
• Extended periods of sleep lasting for more than a day
• Changes in thought processes
• Severe agitation
• Disorientation and/or confusion
• Hallucinations
• Seizures
Delirium tremens requires immediate medical attention. This is why most patients at Rehab South Florida are recommended and admitted to the inpatient detox program as medically supervised detoxification allows our team to safely monitor your stability while also allowing us to safely remove the substance from the body.
Benzodiazepines, a class of drugs that are typically administered to treat conditions such as anxiety, seizures, and insomnia, are usually given to patients throughout treatment as part of our withdrawal-management effort.
Psychological Withdrawals – Drug Detox
There are some drugs that will have very little physical withdrawal symptoms but may have intensive mental withdrawals. Detoxification from stimulant-based drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine can cause serious cases of depression and may even cause the recovering addict to become suicidal. For these reasons alone, patients benefit best in our inpatient detox treatment as it helps to ensure you’re safe during this transition. Unlike attending inpatient detox, in an outpatient treatment program, patients have the “opportunity” to acquire the drugs/alcohol outside of our treatment facility and could also hurt themselves.
Statistics also show that those in an outpatient program are more likely to no-show on treatment appointments which usually results in the incompletion of detox for the user. Alternatively, in our inpatient alcohol detox, patients receive around-the-clock monitoring, care, and treatment to ensure you’re never in danger.
Inpatient detox will also help recovering addicts struggling with depression to refrain from being suicidal; it’s a life-saving program for many.
Patients should be thorough and transparent with staff members about their addiction, medical history, and recovery goals so a detox program best adapted for your individual needs can be chosen.
At-Home Detox vs. Medical Supervised Detox at “Rehab South Florida”
Should I detox at home? Is self-detox a better option for recovery? Is medical supervised detox worth the investment?
These are very common questions among those that are weighing out their recovery options. Is it possible for you to undergo detox at home using a kit? Well, yes, it is “possible”.
However, there are a few good reasons as to why undergoing detox at home isn’t always wise:
• It may not be a safe process (some withdrawals depending on the addiction can be fatal)
• Self-detox doesn’t always work due to a number of reasons
• Professional/Medical detox is safer in almost ALL cases and will be more effective. It’s also a more comfortable recovery experience.
Once a person has developed a physical dependency to drugs or alcohol their body begins to expect the presence of that substance at all times. The body expects that you’re going to continue supplying the blood stream with a consistent supply at all times which causes that the body to naturally adjust the production of various chemicals accordingly.
Should the sudden cessation of “use” occur withdrawals will begin nearly immediately (depending on the abused substance). Underlying medical conditions (which the patient may not even be aware of), the dosage amount taken at the last time they took a dose, and the duration in which abuse took place determines the severity of withdrawals, and some can be deadly.
This is the main reason that at-home detox isn’t suggested. For one, medical supervision isn’t available at home which means withdrawals cannot be properly managed and if you required medical attention it wouldn’t be available.
What about Drug Detox Kits?
There are many off-the-shelf drug detoxification kits. All have wide pricing ranges and treatment philosophies. Some of these kits will require users to intake daily supplements, sometimes for months.
These kits also have the tendency to progressively increase in price as you advance. Some other kits will require the user to make life-changing adjustments altogether in order to conform their lifestyles to a particular set of standards.
However, self-detox kits are not advisable for most addiction cases for a few different reasons:
• They’re very impersonal and doesn’t offer any direct support
• They’re usually ineffective
• They’re unsafe as they don’t consider the recovering addicts personal recovery needs
One reason self-detox kits are dangerous is because they’re unable to take in to account the individual recovery/medical needs of the kits user. If a struggling addict that’s performing an at-home detox is struggling with a co-occurring mental health disorder or even a current dependence to a highly addictive drug then no medical attention could be offered in the event of a medical complication taking place.
Should the individual encounter a relapse, the chances of an overdose are always present. Should unexpected dangerous developments occur when doing detox at home you won’t receive the immediate medical attention you’d need as if you were undergoing detox at Rehab South Florida.
