A successful long-term recovery commonly begins with a physical detoxification. The level of care for detoxification can vary from a hospital stay with 24-hour medical supervision to regular doctor visits for observation.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says, “Addiction medicine has sought to develop an efficient system of care that matches patients’ clinical needs with the appropriate care setting in the least restrictive and most cost-effective manner.” Many substance addictions are responsible for severe withdrawal symptoms that are agonizing at best and deadly at worst, requiring continuous care and monitoring by a medical doctor in a hospital setting throughout the detoxification process.
A hospital inpatient addiction detoxification not only provides constant medical supervision, but it also facilitates an environment devoted to the patient’s emerging improvement in physical health without the distractions of one’s previous life of active addiction. Each day is carefully constructed to provide the support of credentialed addiction medicine professionals during the patient’s stay at the facility. In addition, the procedure prepares him or her for the transition to an addiction treatment center.
Inpatient detoxification has a higher success rate with less potential for relapse, as symptoms are controlled in the medical environment when needed. The duration of an inpatient detox varies on the substance’s withdrawal characteristics and is tailored to every patient’s medical needs.
