Detox is used to get a person safely off of drugs or alcohol and remove the toxins from the body. Detoxification is not long term rehabilitation, though many have the idea that detox is drug rehab. Detoxification is reached when a person no longer has trouble sleeping, or has physical pain, and can eat food regularly. Individuals with a long history of drug use and relapse may need more intensive detoxification treatment and may need medications to assist in detox. A new medication just approved by the FDA is buprenorphine also known as Sudoxone. Medications ease the withdrawal symptoms and in some cases eliminate pain and suffering from the withdrawal process. Rapid detox is performed with the addict under anesthesia and the addict never feels the withdrawal process. It may take a few hours, but this is in comparison to cold turkey which took several days to over a week of withdrawal. Effective detox programs take away most if not all of the physical cravings for a substance, whether drugs or alcohol. Addiction detox in Massachusetts has improved due to progress in the understanding of how drug abuse can alter the brain functions.

Many addicts assume detox is addiction recovery, but it is only the first step. When handled without medical care, detox can be severe enough to be crippling. Repeated self detox tries can incapacitate an individual. Symptoms have been shown to become stronger with repeated detox efforts when the addict has kept returning to abuse of the substance. Drug detox programs that are medically supervised and offer after care solutions can lower the risk of relapse that may result in more detox center visits. Effective detox programs will take away nearly all of the physical cravings for a substance, be it drugs or alcohol.

There are detox programs that probe for the underlying cause of drug abuse and dependence. These programs use physiology and psychiatry to help the recovering addict on the addiction recovery program. Counseling is available to those in detox programs for their families as well. Some of the treatment centers offer a residential style center for those who are enrolled in an inpatient program. The detox programs that offer this use community style therapies to allow the recovering addicts to share their recovery and addiction detox and rehab success with other patients. Other options include outpatient detox programs and rapid detox. The success of any addiction recovery process is reliant on the recovering addict and their determination to meet their goals. Following through with drug rehab after detox will help the patient reach their goals and maintain them in the long term.

Before choosing among treatment centers in Massachusetts, the addict or their family can find more information by researching on the internet or by calling treatment centers. Discreet handling of sending information can eliminate embarrassment of the addict or their family. Some individuals refuse to allow others to know of their condition, so taking the step to admit that they need help is an important step in addiction recovery.