Some struggling addicts want to bring their addiction to an end themselves. They may not want to face the challenges of treatment or they may not have the money to afford the costly expenses of treatment. However, as you can imagine, creating a detox experience of your own can be incredibly challenging.
A couple of studies have researched the success rates of self-detox, using participants and monitoring their experience. In the general public, it is hard to assess the success rates of self detox because those who go through the experience often don’t show up in statistics. However, one study exploring the successes of self detox from opiate addiction (heroin and painkillers) found a success to be around 24%. Also, another study found that 41% of people who attempted self-detox were able to stay sober for a period of 24 hours. Also, many of those who enter treatment finally do so because attempts to get sober on their own simply did not work.
In fact, the detox experience is a hard one both physically and psychologically. In treatment and during a planned, medically assisted detox, all of the experiences listed below are tended to. They might be eased with medication, the right environment, trained staff, balanced meals, and more. If you’re attempting a self-detox at home you might encounter the following:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Shaking
- Muscle pains
- Fatigue
- Changes in respiratory rates
- Changes in heart rates
- Blood pressure changes
- Upset stomach
- Sweating
- Body aches
- Headaches
- Inability to sleep
- Intense cravings
- Suicidal thoughts
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Mania
- Hallucinations
- Negative thinking
- Fuzzy thinking
- Paranoia
- Anxiety or panic
- Irritability
As mentioned above, the advantage of going through treatment and undergoing a drug detoxification with professionals is that the above experiences can be tended to. You are more likely to feel safe within the right environment.
Furthermore, if you were to succeed at a detox while at home, there’s a chance that you may relapse because of the environment you’re in. Many recovering addicts need a change of environment. Being away from friends and family helps with sustaining the change they worked so hard to achieve. While at home, someone is more likely to run into an old drinking buddy, have a triggering argument with a spouse, or have a stressful experience at work that might lead to strong cravings and relapse. In addiction treatment, once detox is complete, the healthy environment helps to stabilize one’s sobriety so that he or she can return home with a certain mental strength.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, it might be best to find the money to enter addiction treatment versus handling self-detox alone. Besides, you never know when a complication might arise. If you’re ready to get sober, contact a mental health provider in your community today.
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