In Northern Illinois, Chicago is the hub of all major distribution of drugs in the mid-west thanks to its’ location. Drugs of every kind make their way into the state and eventually to Chicago to be distributed. Due to this, Illinois has many detox programs for addicts who are addicted to every type of drug. Drug abuse is high and drugs include cocaine, crack cocaine, MDMA, marijuana, heroin, club drugs, and prescriptions. Treatment centers in Illinois cater to every type of individual and specialized groups are available for men, women, children, and the gay/lesbian community. Quality detox programs have staff who are trained to deal with the issues of those groups specifically. Mental health problems, and counseling for those core problems behind the addiction should be addressed. Many treatment centers in Illinois and the Chicago area have such staff due to the huge drug problem in the area.

One of the most popular detox programs is rapid detox, which is the primary type of opiate detox offered. The popularity of rapid detox comes from the pain free withdrawal it gives many recovering addicts during detoxification. A person is placed under general anesthesia and given medications which purge the drug residues from the body, resulting in withdrawal at an ultra rapid pace. Withdrawal can be over in a few hours, instead of days as compared to non medicated detox. Medically supervised detox is also available for alcohol detox as well. Medically supervised detox is usually performed in an inpatient setting where twenty four hour medical support and staff are available. Some treatment centers have a hospital like setting, whereas others try to offer a homelike community for the patients.

Many people think of detox as the only step in addiction recovery, while it is only the first. The first step, but the most painful. If handled without medical care, detox can be so severe as to be crippling, in fact repeated detox tries can severely incapacitate a person. Symptoms have been shown to intensify with repeated detox efforts if the addict has constantly returned to abusing the substance. Drug detox programs that are medically supervised and offer proper after care can significantly lower the risk of relapse that may result in returned detox center visits. Effective detox programs will take away nearly all of the physical cravings for a substance, be it drugs or alcohol. Addiction detox in Illinois has improved thanks to constant study and progress in the understanding of how drug abuse can alter the brain and its’ functions.

For any addiction detox program to be successful the addict has to be determined to follow through on his or her efforts. Finishing a detox program, then following up with drug rehabilitation programs and carefully using the tools learned during both in their day to day life is the only way an addict will be able to be drug free in the long-term. Rehabilitation is a lifelong endeavor, with possibility of relapse each and everyday if the recovering addict is not a diligent participant in their own addiction detox.