Question by ShrimpStew: Has Anyone Ever Undergone “Rapid Detox”?
Please advise if this treatment was beneficial to you or not and why…Thank you.
Thanks Jared. My spouse has not been successful yet at tapering down from Suboxone. He has been on the so called “Suboxone” treatment and is desperate to be free of the trap.

Best answer:

Answer by Jared
I have never undergone this treatment, but have assisted in the administration and know quite a bit about it.

Personally I think it is unwise to go through and moreover is misleading.

Especially regarding Opiates.

A Rapid Detox is the administration of a “Narcon” type agent to cause opiates to unbind from receptors and thus be flushed from your system.. while your are made somewhat oblivious to the process.

Now, this sounds great in theory,.. but in reality detoxing is just the beginning, and you WILL still feel the effects of the drug being out of your system after this is done.

It isn’t a magic way to get ‘clean’.

Why?

Your body has opiate receptors all across the brain and even in your intestinal tract, etc. These receptors have adapted themselves to the presence of the drug of your choice over time (hence the addiction you have, and tolerance).

The body ‘heals’ itself.. but it is in a constant battle to maintain homeostasis, that is the remain balanced. This , however, takes time.

72 hours, or even 1 week is not nearly long enough to down regulate the adaptations and upregulate your endogenous production of opioids.

So, after your ‘rapid detox’ — the active metabolites of the drug will be out of your blood stream, but your body won’t be ‘normal’.

You will still have to do the ‘time’ to allow the brain to readjust, and body. This can take anywhere from 6months to over a year in some cases. This is unique, but there is a strong correlation to how long it will take to fully recover and how long one has used the drug.

IE: If a person used/abused opiates for 10 years, they will likely require about a year to fully feel ‘normal’. I’ve seen many people 6 months clean that are still miserable and fighting every day not to use because of this feeling. But everyone DOES, eventually, re-regulate and feels emotionally, mentally, and physically well IF given enough time without using.

Now, some people who have used for say a year or less.. can feel quite normal in as little as 1-3 months, due to the body not having adapted to the extent of the former example.

The only way I would ever really advise rapid detox is with the following conditions:

1) You have never been successful in weaning yourself off the medication or going cold turkey. (And you have tried MANY times.. with help.)

2) You MUST have a plan for post detox. IE: Attending AA meetings (or NA) regularly. Getting clean is really the easiest part of the whole ordeal despite how agonizing it can seem to be. Staying clean, and working out how to fill the void and cope with life on lifes terms is something you have to work at, but it is well worth it.

3) The medically assisted Rapid Detox is done by a reputable clinic, preferably in an inpatient hospital setting. (There are some fairly shady and dangerous clinics that perform this procedure and there have been ‘deaths’ from it).

So ultimately I do NOT advise it. For the main fact that it is highly misleading to the patient and even family/friends. Most people think they go in, and in a few days they are miraculously done and clean. When the addiction and problem is still right there not dealt with. It can be a great first step, but there are many steps that follow and need to be planned before that step is taken.

Make sense?

Good luck,

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by Annie: Where did the expression “quit cold turkey” come from!?

Best answer:

Answer by Chey
cold turkey is fattening.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by heshootscocacola: CAN SOME ONE TELL ME WHAT THE CANDEO RECOVERY TOOLS FOR SEXUAL ADDICTION ARE?
I done have the 200$ to spend on the full version and would really appreciate someone telling me what these “recovery tools” that should be used daily to avoid masturbation while still having a healthy sex drive are? PLEASE!

Best answer:

Answer by oruboris
I see you can take a free mini-course from them, why not try that and see how you like it?

I have to say, I’m a skeptic. Porn, sex, masturbation are all voluntary behaviors, far less addictive than tobacco, which thousands of people quit cold turkey every day.

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Question by livitup11: Withdrawl from sugar/carbs?
I just found out that I’m hypoglycemic. Unfortunately, as a side-effect of this, I have been eating a TON of sugars and carbs in order to compensate for my condition. What I really need to do is regulate my blood sugar by eating less sugar and carbs- it would really be best to eliminate them altogether.

How do I do this? Sugar and carbs are like a drug to me- I’m emotionally attached and I feel like crap if I don’t eat any. If I decide to go cold-turkey, how many days would I have to avoid carbs/sugar altogether before I can expect to be rid of my addiction?

Best answer:

Answer by greenmay
going cold turkey usually doesn’t work for most people with addictions. why don’t u gradually cut down, that way ure body will be in less of a shock when u stop all together

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Alcoholism is a very powerful illness that can take over your entire body once it is constantly in your bloodstream. The body becomes so adjusted to having alcohol in the system that without it, it cannot function as it normally would. This is what causes withdrawal symptoms as someone attempts to quit drinking “cold turkey” and their body is no longer receiving doses of the drug it relies on so heavily. Withdrawal can be quite dangerous in fact because the body becomes so dependent on having alcohol in its system that it can shut down in ways that are fatal at times. With treatment at detox programs however, withdrawal symptoms can be minimized and in some cases eliminated.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to very severe depending on how long a person has been drinking and the quantity that they normally drink. Mild symptoms include nervousness, anxiety, depression, difficulty focusing and fatigue. More moderate symptoms include physical problems like vomiting, insomnia, tremor, sweating and loss of appetite. If a person has been drinking heavily for many years symptoms can become very intense with hallucinations, convulsions or black out. The more severe symptoms should be treated professionally but anyone that attempts to quit drinking should consult a doctor even if they have not been an alcoholic for very long.

In order to minimize and avoid withdrawal symptoms as much as possible, detox programs can provide different types of services depending on how intense your withdrawal symptoms will be. Mild symptoms can be monitored with a staff member to ensure that your heart rate, temperature and blood pressure are at a secure level and you have enough fluids in your body to be safe. For more moderate or severe symptoms you can be treated with medication or even be sedated if the symptoms become life-threatening. Detox staff are experienced in dealing with all the various stages of withdrawal and can make sure that your safety and health are intact throughout the entire experience.

Alcohol dependency and other types of drug addiction are diseases that progress through predictable stages. Accurately diagnosing these conditions, and developing a comprehensive treatment plan, requires the involvement of trained health professionals, often including a doctor who specializes in addiction medicine. A drug rehab  follow a series of steps through which addicted individuals rid their bodies of the drugs they have been abusing, address the issues that either led to or were exacerbated by the substance abuse, receive treatment for co-occurring mental health or physical disorders, and develop the skills and strategies that will allow them to pursue long-term sobriety.

Effective addiction  treatment centers will offer a variety of treatment programs to meet the specific needs of each individual client. Programs may include inpatient, residential, outpatient, and/or short-stay options. Depending upon the nature and severity of an individual’s addiction, therapies completed during drug rehab may include counseling, psychotherapy, group therapy, 12-step support groups and family therapy. Some drug rehab programs use expressive arts therapies such as music therapy and art therapy, while others employ more traditional therapeutic techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

Treatment can vary from a few days to many months. Research shows that the longer a person remains in treatment, the greater the likelihood that long-term sobriety will result. As with most aspects of treatment (such as therapy types and program structures), determining ideal length of stay involves an analysis of a number of personal factors. Treatment is a highly personal experience, and the costs associated with this process may vary considerably depending upon a number of issues, such as location, type of care (i.e. residential, outpatient, or partial hospitalization), specific nature of problem being treated, length of stay, presence of co-occurring disorders and whether rehab is conducted at a public treatment facility or private program.

The use of medications during rehab depends upon two factors: the needs of the client (you) and the philosophy of the program. Some programs use no medications whatsoever; others provide medically assisted detox services (as quitting some drugs “cold turkey” isn’t only difficult, but dangerous); while still others others provide medications to support long-term sobriety (such as methadone maintenance programs for recovering heroin addicts). Because addiction recovery often involves the treatment of co-occurring disorders such as depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, certain medications may be prescribed to treat these conditions during rehab.