Detox can be problematic, and some lower cost facilities will not accept patients who need medically supervised detox. They simply don’t have the facilities or personnel to ensure your safety during this period.
Most drugs do induce a period of withdrawal and detoxification after cessation of use. Detox is never pleasant, but the detox off of most drugs of abuse is rarely dangerous, and in many cases you can get into treatment without any need for a medically supervised period of detox.
Which Drugs are Dangerous?
The exceptions are alcohol, opiates (heroin, pain pills) and sedative hypnotic drugs (xanax, ambien). These drugs can induce serious withdrawal and detox symptoms, symptoms so severe that they can be fatal, and no one with a real dependency to any of these drugs should attempt an unsupervised detoxification.
If you need to get into a treatment facility that does not offer detoxification services, you can attempt medically supervised outpatient detox, or you can enter into a detox clinic for a few days. Either option ensures safety and optimal comfort during the process, and will get you into needed treatment soon.
The detox off of drugs like cocaine, marijuana, meth and others can be quite unpleasant, but the detox symptoms do not present a danger to you, and you do not need a medically supervised period of detox.
You may not qualify for state funded rehab but may qualify for low cost detox. Alternatively, and a likely quicker option, is to pay for detox, and get into a more affordable long term residential rehab.
You just have to get through it, and the sooner you do, the sooner you can start the real process of recovery.
Page last updated Aug 05, 2010
