Knowing How to get Detox and Rehab Services

Many Americans suffer from abuse of drugs or alcohol today, and many of them abuse drugs either to relieve pain (mental or physical), or for the sheer pleasure of it, and many such addicts take part in related crimes such as stealing money or items to fund their drug habit. What is more, drug or alcohol abuse can jeopardize nearly every aspect of someone’s life, often leading to social isolation from friends and family, loss of interest in hobbies and work, and bad spending habits that can even lead to homelessness. In short, drug and alcohol can severely compromise someone’s life, and that is not even counting the substances’s actual effect on the user’s body. Drug and alcohol abuse can even kill, and concerned friends and family members will often intervene to rescue someone from their drug or alcohol habit. Loss of a job, divorce, bankruptcy, homelessness, prison, and more may result from a bad habit like that, and detox is often the first step. Detox doctors are available to help someone break free of their drug habit, and detox doctors will help make this process safer and more effective for addicts and alcoholics.

Rates of Abuse

A family doctor search may be needed if a loved one is discovered to have an addiction, and detox doctors can act as the first helping hand for recovery at rehab detox centers. Just how often do Americans become alcoholics or drug addicts, and what substances are they abusing? Alcohol is a common substance of choice, especially since it is abundantly available and legal for anyone aged 21 or over in the United States to purchase. In fact, alcoholism is deadly; it ranks third where deadly diseases in the United States are concerned, and alcoholics become highly dependent on the depressant nature of these beverages. But alcoholism can badly damage the liver and thus poses a grave health threat, not to mention the risk of choking on one’s own vomit during sleep. Even if these do not happen, excessive drinking can cause violent and irrational behavior and quickly alienate friends, family, and employers alike, and alcoholism can also disrupt a person’s fiances, since they spend a lot on drinks.

Heroin is also a common culprit of substance abuse, and many Americans, both adolescents and adults, may be abusing it. Nearly 23% of those who use heroin develop an opioid addiction, and pain relievers are a common method of drug abuse. As of 2015, for a recent example, 20.5 million Americans aged 12 or over had a substance abuse problem, and among them, two million were addicted to prescription pain relievers, and 591,000 such users were using heroin in particular. Similarly, four in five heroin addicts today started out using prescription pain killers. This is a deadly habit; drug overdose ranks as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States today, and in 2015 alone, around 52,404 lethal drug overdoses took place. Heroin and opioids are common culprits in this. What can be done to help a friend or family member who is abusing drugs and alcohol?

Intervention

Often, an addict will be forced to openly confront his or her drug or alcohol problem when concerned friends and family members stage an intervention and remind that person that their life is at stake and that their substance abuse is negatively impacting everyone around them. If an addict or alcoholic agrees to get help, detox doctors are the first medical professional to see. Rehab and recovery cannot start until the person clears the substance out of their body, and this means visiting a detox clinic under the supervision of detox doctors and other medical staff. A lot can go wrong, and it may be dangerous to attempt detox at home, so an addict is strongly urged to do this with medical help. Symptoms will present themselves as the person allows the drugs or alcohol to leave their body. Aches, chills, vomiting, racing thoughts, insomnia, goosebumps, and even seizures may be expected, based on what substance was being abused. Once the system is cleared, a person can start rehab programs and kick their drug or alcohol habit for good. It is never too lat to seek recovery from substance abuse.