Detox Bliss

Rapid detox has grown significantly in popularity in the last few years. Many health professionals are even calling it a miracle cure to drug dependence. But a lot of skeptics are also asking – is rapid detox too good to be true?

Basically, what rapid detox does is speed up the withdrawal process of recovering drug dependents from the usual 5 to 7 days to just about 5 to 7 hours. This is done by placing the drug addict under general anesthesia during the earliest and toughest parts of the withdrawal period.

Only the most qualified anesthesiologists are allowed to do this due to the dangerous nature of the procedure. Highly trained doctors and nurses will then administer drugs that are said to eliminate the narcotics and other chemicals stored in the body during the addiction period. These medications will also help speed up the withdrawal process. When the patient regains consciousness, the most painful stages of the withdrawal process should be over.

Typical withdrawal symptoms include nausea, severe headaches, harsh seizures, anxiety, high blood pressure, and frequent hallucinations. If you have ever seen a recovering drug addict go through these symptoms, then you know that it is not a pretty sight. After a rapid detox treatment, the patient will still experience these symptoms upon waking from the anesthetic but at milder and more tolerable levels. Because of the medications that were injected into his body, the patient will also have a significantly diminished longing for drugs and illicit substances.

Admittedly, rapid detox procedures have helped hundreds of drug dependents get back on the path to recovery. However, it is also important to note that there have also been a number of deaths involved with rapid detox treatments. Many of these deaths are due to cardiac arrest or other heart complications in the middle of the procedure.

Despite this high risk in the process, there are still many advocates of rapid detox treatments. They believe that this is the only way a drug dependent can get past the agonizing withdrawal symptoms associated with extended exposure to drugs and other substances. Also, people today have gotten used to getting instant gratification, which is why the almost immediate result from this kind of treatment is very appealing to most people.

Rapid detox treatments, however, are not to be considered as substitutes to a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Patients still need to be admitted to a rehab center following their rapid detox treatment. Contrary to what many people believe, rapid detox does not cure people of their drug dependence. All it does is help them get past the withdrawal symptoms and gives them a head start on the road to recovery.

So is rapid detox too good to be true? Many still say it is. But doctors and researchers are continuously trying to improve the process and reduce the risks involved. If they can perfect this treatment, it could very well be the miracle cure to drug addiction that we have been looking for all these years.