Oxycontin Detox at an Alcohol & Drug Rehab

A drug treatment center with Oxycontin detox programs too
Oxycontin has quickly become one of the most abused prescription drugs out there, and Oxycontin detox programs are now becoming a must as a first measure in treating this addiction. However, even though the need is there, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Oxycontin detox program at a drug treatment center or alcohol drug rehab. The cause? Oxycontin is a relatively new drug. An alcohol drug rehab has a lag period when new drugs arise because it usually takes a few years before anyone presents to a drug treatment center with an addiction to this drug.

Alcohol drug rehab programs offering Oxycontin detox & treatment
While some alcohol drug rehab programs are now offering treatment for Oxycontin addiction, there are still precious few available for Oxycontin detox programs. The problem also stems from the fact that Oxycontin is an opiate, and opiates are classically difficult to detox from. So, a patient needs a very strong and skilled Oxycontin detox team watching over him and monitoring his progress or else things could get tricky for his health.

An alcohol drug rehab program should have detox programs
Most drug treatment centers have detox programs of some kind, even if these are outside their walls at a different center that is detox specific. An alcohol drug rehab without any kind of Oxycontin detox is not safe for an Oxycontin addict to attend, because of complications that can arise from unsupervised abstaining cold-turkey style. Oxycontin is a potent opiate just like heroin or morphine.

Drug treatment centers monitor your health & safety
There can be serious health consequences if you undergo Oxycontin detox on your own without medical supervision. As a central nervous system depressant, Oxycontin pushes your body into perpetual stupor, so much so that your body becomes used to this state over the ensuing weeks and months you’re addicted to it. When you try to come off it on your own, your body snaps back the other direction, full-speed ahead. This is why it’s not uncommon for long-term opiate users to experience serious cardiovascular and cerebral problems from opiate withdrawals.

No One "Chooses" Addiction

Remember the public service announcement in the nineties that said, “No one ever says, ‘I wanna be a junkie when I grow up’”? Well, that’s entirely true. No one chooses addiction, just as no one chooses leukemia or Parkinson’s, or any chronic, fatal disease for that matter. But because addiction is a mental illness that warps your thinking and your actions, addicts start to do horrible things to people around them as a result of addiction. It’s hard to always remember that it’s not the addicts who are causing the harm, but rather their disease-addled brain. Addicts are suffering from a mental illness, and they need all the help they can get. To think that someone actively “chooses” addiction is absurd.

A rehabilitation program at a drug treatment center
Addicts no longer have to live that way if they realize they have a problem and they accept treatment at an alcohol drug rehab. An alcohol drug rehab center can do wonders for an addict, especially when a rehabilitation program is specially tailored to the individual patient. While in a drug treatment center, addicts learn all about the disease of addiction and how it manifests itself in their lives. As part of a rehabilitation program in an alcohol drug rehab, the bonds that were once broken between addict and family are restored with the help of licensed therapists and addiction medicine staff.

For the addict, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. Neither are you evil, broken, stupid or weak. You are simply suffering from a disease that requires a rehabilitation program in a drug treatment center as a course of action. A short stay in an alcohol drug rehab will teach you the exact causes and conditions of your addiction, while the rehabilitation program works to fix the social and personal bonds that were damaged by the disease. For those who want it, there is help at their fingertips.

FAQ Series: What’s the timeline of a drug treatment center?

How a drug addiction program works
While each drug treatment center varies in the specifics, a typical drug addiction program lasts about a month. There are also detox programs recommended for some patients that last from a few days to a week. Detox programs occur at the drug treatment center either before or during the first part of a drug addiction program.

Some alcohol and drug treatment centers adhere to strict time schedules, enforcing move-out days for each patient, while others are more lenient on the time requirements/limits of their inpatient drug addiction programs. After the month at a drug treatment center, patients go home or enroll in various aftercare programs—including sober living homes—to help with their recovery.

Detox programs: a sensitive undertaking
Detox programs must be under the supervision of medical professionals because the body can react violently to drug and alcohol withdrawals. Having a doctor on hand for detox programs ensures that the patients’ safety is monitored while their bodies cleanse themselves of addictive chemicals.

Detox programs can be traditional—lasting about a week—or they can be rapid, which involves doctor-administered medications to lessen the severity and symptoms of withdrawal. Some people choose to feel the symptoms of withdrawal because they feel it will be a helpful deterrent against future substance abuse. Others, especially people in outpatient drug addiction programs, choose rapid detox so they can return to work or family as soon as possible.

Inpatient and outpatient drug addiction programs
Some drug treatment centers have the staff and resources available to also offer outpatient drug addiction programs in addition to their inpatient, residential drug addiction program. This is an especially popular choice amongst executives, professionals, and homemakers, or anyone else who can’t responsibly take a month away from their professional lives or family. Think of an outpatient program like a night school, where you attend a rigorous schedule of counseling and therapy sessions to help you understand and defeat your addiction.