Outpatient Drug & Alcohol Detox Centers Near You

What to Expect From Outpatient Detox

Detox is often the first step in addiction treatment. It involves medical supervision while someone experiences withdrawal.

In outpatient detox programs, the team of professionals guiding treatment will come up with a personalized plan to meet each client’s specific needs. An individual’s entire medical history needs to be considered as well as their history with substance use and attempts at recovery.

Patients with moderate to severe dependence on alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, often require inpatient detox since withdrawal symptoms can be very unpleasant and sometimes dangerous.

Medications may be prescribed to ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings. This keeps the patient comfortable, allowing them to focus on therapy and reducing the likelihood of relapse.

Medications are also given to address specific withdrawal symptoms, such as anti-nausea medications for intestinal issues or over-the-counter painkillers to ease aches and pains. Alternative forms of pain and symptom management may also be provided during outpatient detox, such as balanced nutrition, adequate hydration, and massage therapy.

It is important that patients continue treatment after detox. Detox primarily addresses physiological dependence to substances and, without continued treatment to address the social and behavioral aspects of addiction, relapse is likely.

The Withdrawal Process

The length of the detox process and the specific symptoms experience depend on the individual as well as the substance used. Someone who is withdrawing from alcohol will have a different experience than someone who is withdrawing from opioids. While individual differences, such as a person’s age, gender, metabolism, history of substance use, and physical and mental health status, will determine specifics of the withdrawal process, there are some things you can expect when withdrawing from certain substances.

1. Marijuana withdrawal: The general symptoms are typically mild and resolve within a few days to two weeks. The person might feel anxious, tired, and irritable. Their appetite may be affected as well.
2. Alcohol withdrawal: These symptoms can be severe and life-threatening, depending on the patients health and the severity of their dependence. Nausea and vomiting are common. In addition, the person might experience an elevated heart rate, tremors, anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. Because of the risks involved, patients often need medically managed detox in an inpatient facility.
3. Opioid withdrawal: Opioid detox can be intense with symptoms such as excessive sweating, muscle cramps, hot flashes, chills, diarrhea, anxiety, and nausea. Individuals shouldn’t quit opioids cold turkey. Medications such as buprenorphine, may be prescribed to ease the withdrawal process.
4. Benzodiazepine withdrawal: Medical detox is required for benzodiazepine withdrawal due to the severity of symptoms. Usually, doctors prescribe a tapering process where the dosage of benzodiazepines is slowly lowered over a period of time until the person is eventually fully weaned off the drugs. Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, irritability, muscle aches, poor concentrations, and insomnia. In some instances, life-threatening seizures can develop.
5. Stimulant withdrawal: Withdrawal symptoms include increased fatigue, depression, sweating, muscle aches, and irritability. If psychiatric symptoms are severe, the individual will be referred to inpatient care. In both inpatient and outpatient stimulant detox, individuals are monitored for signs of depression.

Is an Outpatient Detox Program the Right Choice?

The supervising physician must determine if an outpatient detox program is appropriate. Again, those withdrawing from alcohol are not good candidates for outpatient detox. In most cases, those withdrawing from opioids and benzodiazepines will be recommended to inpatient detox; in all cases, those detoxing from these substances should be under medical supervision if outpatient detox is selected.

Research published by the Journal of Addiction found a correlation between increased relapse rates and outpatient opioid detox programs. Those in outpatient detox programs were more likely to encounter triggers to use opioids that led them back to opioid use. Since clients don’t reside at a facility during detox, temptations to return to opioid use are present and access to the drugs isn’t restricted. As a result, relapse is more likely with outpatient detox versus inpatient detox.

This doesn’t mean that outpatient detox can’t be successful. If someone has a strong support system, a safe home environment, and life responsibilities they can’t take a break from, outpatient detox may be the best choice. The key is to develop a plan of action before the process begins to limit access to substances as well as opportunities to encounter triggers.

How to Choose an Addiction Treatment Program

Here are the questions to ask about prospective treatment facilities:

• Does this program suit my needs? Different programs are tailored to address withdrawal from different substances. For example, a program may have the capacity to prescribe medications for substance use disorder.
• Do you feel comfortable? You should feel comfortable with the staff members and other clients in a detox center. You don’t need to surround yourself with people who like you, but you do need to feel that you can be yourself. Certain treatment programs cater to specific demographics, such as programs that specialize in LGBTQ individuals or young adults.
• Can you afford it? Many detox centers accept insurance, so make sure you choose one that will work with your provider. An outpatient program is often much cheaper than inpatient options, and many programs offer payment plans to finance the portion that insurance doesn’t cover.
• Do you have transportation? Choose a clinic you can easily get to every day. The recovery process has to be manageable for your lifestyle.

Call an admissions navigator to discuss options or to begin the admissions process at an AAC treatment center.