You’ve bravely decided to get help for your drug or alcohol abuse. Understanding the process can seem a little bewildering. It might even raise an important question: should you really detox before rehab? The answer can be tricky, given differences in various drugs.
Often, detox before rehab is the best sequence to follow for long-term success in drug and alcohol treatment. Drugs and alcohol act on the chemicals in your brain, often causing uncharacteristically poor judgment. Keeping those effects in place during drug counseling makes a long road even harder. Once you clear drugs and alcohol from your system, you’re better able to concentrate. At Atlanta Detox Center, we offer a carefully supervised rehab program in GA that provides both a drug detox program and an alcohol detox program.
What is Detox?
Detox is a start, not an end, to the process of recovery from substance abuse. During detox at a drug and alcohol detox center, you flush the drugs or alcohol from your system under the supervision of doctors.
When you stop using drugs or alcohol, you begin a period of withdrawal, marked by sometimes painful or harmful symptoms. That is your body reacting to the fact it is no longer receiving its “supply.” Some elements of withdrawal can be damaging to your health. For instance, you may experience severe vomiting or diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration.
During detox, doctors monitor your condition to help you manage your symptoms carefully. That’s the primary reason why it is best to always detox before rehab, particularly when you are using drugs.
Detox Before Rehab
Everyone’s experience with drugs or alcohol is different. And certain drugs can be eliminated from your system easier than others. But the safest approach is to detox before rehab. The reason for that is simple: Detox is not the end of the line. Once you complete detox, you move on to the next stage of treatment, which is a series of counseling sessions. You’ll meet with a therapist individually and in groups to explore your story and relationship with drugs. You will also work on building coping skills.
Our residential addiction treatment program in GA is built around the idea that detox comes before rehab, and for good reasons, too.
Moving on to Aftercare
Just as the process is detox before rehab, so, too, does rehab lead to aftercare. Aftercare is an important stage of recovery that provides ongoing support through life. Remember that addiction is managed, but never cured. Aftercare involves counseling and other resources that help lower the risk of a relapse, which happens at a high rate in the first year.
Aftercare is different for everyone, but generally involves these services:
- Ongoing counseling sessions with therapists
- Participating in additional group therapy
- Attending “anonymous” programs that focus on the 12 steps, such as Alcoholics Anonymous
- Developing new hobbies or interests to distract you from the urge to use
- Continued progress on new coping skills
- Learning from the successes of others
Atlanta Detox Center also offers an alumni program for support. Take advantage of aftercare as it gives you the support you need from ever having to wonder about detox before rehab again.
From Detox to Rehab at Atlanta Detox Center
The advice from the professionals is consistent: detox before rehab. It makes sense, given the impact that drugs and alcohol have on your brain. At Atlanta Detox Center, we favor detox before rehab, and our team of specialists is experienced in the latest science around addiction medicine. Trust us to steer you through the challenges of treatment.
Our goal is your goal: To provide a safe and healing environment that allows you to fight the battle of substance abuse and find peace and hope for the future. We offer both men and women-focused detox centers and individualized counseling. Call Atlanta Detox Center at 470.450.2355 today for an initial confidential counseling appointment.
