Going through a Colorado alcohol and drug detox is the very first step anyone in the state should take for recovery. To some, it may seem like an unnecessary step, but because it addresses the physical side of the addiction, it is actually critical.
When you suffer from a drug or alcohol addiction, it can feel as though it consumes your entire life. You are constantly bargaining with yourself over when your actual quit day will be, but you feel as though you will never be able to stop. Maybe you have even tried to stop using for a period of time, but you have found that your withdrawal symptoms were just too strong. You went back to using just to give yourself some relief.
If you live in Colorado, you are fortunate to live in one of most beautiful states in the U.S. The Rocky Mountains are a sight to behold, and the communities that are spread throughout Colorado are filled with people from all walks of life. It truly makes living in Colorado a great experience. More than 5.4 million people call Colorado their home, but that does not mean that the state is immune from addiction problems that need to be addressed.
Home › Drug Information › Colorado Resource InformationGoing to drug detox or alcohol detox is the best way to overcome an addiction, regardless of what your history is. It should actually be the very first step you take. Even so, it is possible that reaching out for professional help makes you feel a bit nervous because you are not sure what you can expect to happen once you do. You might be wondering:
You are certainly not alone in your addiction to drugs or alcohol, and there have been many people before you who have gone to detox centers in the past to get help. Many of them have been successful as long as they were invested in their recoveries.
Alcohol and drug detox has been shown to be effective for so many in the past, and it can work for you as well.
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is yes. The drug and alcohol addiction problem in Colorado really is that bad. In fact, some sources even indicate that it is worse in Colorado than it is in other parts of the country. Consider these statistics:
The statistics are incredible, and research shows that Colorado has some of the highest drug and alcohol addiction statistics in the entire country. The issue is that so many people don’t realize that they can get help for their addictions. They may feel that it must be expensive, or they just do not know much about the help that is available to them.
Alcohol and drug detox is covered (at least in part) under your health insurance plan. We will talk in more detail about this in just a moment. Experts now believe that it may be the most important thing you can do when you are ready to recover.
Read great recovery stories, learn about the latest treatments, and find out how addiction affects yourself and your loved ones in our blog.
Read Our BlogMost people use drugs or alcohol as a way to dull their pain or to escape their emotions. One of the reasons they hesitate to get help for their addictions is because they do not want to feel those things anymore. While stopping your use of substances to go through a detox program will result in emotional experiences, there are so many great benefits to it as well. These include:
There are so many other benefits, and this is just a small list. In the grand scheme of things, stopping your use of drugs or alcohol and the feelings you experience is just a small, temporary inconvenience. The outcome is so worth it.
It is quite common for people to make the decision that they are going to quit drinking or using drugs on their own, without any outside assistance at all. This is generally a big mistake because it is so difficult to overcome the withdrawal symptoms that are sure to occur. Even so, they feel that willpower alone is enough for them to stop using. Most people who try to quit on their own fail, because they experience:
More serious detox symptoms are also a risk, and heart issues can result when you quit using drugs or alcohol abruptly. The biggest problem is the potential for complications, which can actually put your life at risk.
DTs, or Delirium Tremens are common when alcohol is stopped without the proper support. The death rate from DTs may be as high as 25% in some cases.
In one study, 436 patients were admitted to a hospital with alcohol withdrawal. Of that number, 71.1% of them were diagnosed with DTs. Twenty-nine of the patients died, which meant 6.6% of them did not survive this condition. Eighteen of them died after being admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Not everyone who stops drinking will experience DTs. But, it can be nearly impossible to tell if you are at risk. Some of the more common symptoms of delirium tremens include:
DTs are the most common within the first 12 to 48 hours following the last drink. But there have been cases when people experienced it as long as two weeks after the last drink.
In short, the safest way to quit using substances is to do so under the care of qualified professionals at a drug and alcohol detox center.
There are a few different ways you can stop using drugs, and they are through medical detox and natural drug detox or holistic detox.
Medical detox is the method most people are probably familiar with. It involves taking drug detox pills as a way to help with your withdrawal symptoms. While you are taking them, your body is still going through a lot of changes, but the toxins are being released from it. It is a method that is quite popular because it works relatively quickly, and it is viewed as being much easier because you are only taking medications.
Today, there are some excellent medications on the market that can help with withdrawal. For example, Vivitrol is a drug that can be used to help people recovering from both alcoholism and opioid addiction. Many people take Suboxone or Buprenorphine when they are addicted to painkillers or opiates.
It is very important to weight the risks and the benefits before agreeing to take medications to help with withdrawal. While they can be effective, some may carry addictive properties of their own.
Natural drug detox is a method that more and more professionals are moving toward because it harnesses the power of the human body to detox on its own. Research has shown that by improving your nutrition and by adding physical exercise to your daily routine, your body is much more capable of ridding itself of toxins. There are no terrible side effects when you choose natural drug detox, which is a wonderful benefit.
You will probably find that many drug and alcohol detox centers actually use a combination of these two methods. Of course, every patient’s individual needs should be taken into account prior to putting together their treatment plan.
When you compare a professional, rapid drug detox to quitting on your own, the timelines are very different. When you choose to quit on your own, you may go through various levels of detox for several months, and symptoms can return without warning. However, rapid drug detox, although it is different for everyone, can be completed in as little as several days to two weeks.
Once the body is effectively trained to rid itself of toxins, the process can happen rather quickly, compared to quitting cold turkey. Once the drug or alcohol detox process has been completed, it is always best to go to an inpatient rehab or some other type of professional treatment to address the underlying issues that led to the addiction.
The detoxification process is very important for many people who need addiction treatment. There are two basic types of detox, and they are inpatient and outpatient. We believe that when it comes to getting off drugs and alcohol, doing so safely should always be the highest priority.
It can be very tempting to choose to go to an outpatient detox center purely for the sake of convenience. Now more than ever, people are looking for more flexible treatment options during recovery. But even though it might be an inconvenience to go to an inpatient detox, this is not usually the safest way to recover.
There are a lot of complications that can accompany certain types of withdrawal. Depending on the drug, people can experience the following symptoms:
Some drugs even carry the risk of heart attacks or strokes. When detoxing at an outpatient program, people spend the majority of their time away from the facility. When they are not being supervised, if an emergency situation were to happen, they might not be able to get the help they need.
There is also the issue of a potential relapse occurring. Relapses are so common among people who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The beginning stages of recovery are when a relapse is most likely to happen. It is very easy to go back to using when the individual does not live in an environment where recovery is considered a priority.
Going to a Colorado inpatient detox center provides a lot of medical and therapeutic support to people as they recover. In the event of a complication, medical staff is on-hand to provide emergency care. There is also virtually no chance of relapsing because no substances of any kind are allowed at the facility.
It is very common for people to want to attempt to quit on their own at home before committing to a professional detox program. They may mention the cost or the time involved, and they want to see if they can do it without any type of intervention. It sounds like it makes sense, but this approach can actually be quite dangerous. Again, there can be complications that go along with quitting the use of drugs and alcohol. There are no over the counter products that can prevent them.
But there are still options that people try all the time. Drug detox kits are a perfect example. A drug detox kit is a product that can be found online and at many pharmacies and department stores. The kit has various vitamins, supplements and other products that are said to help with the detoxification process. But the reality is that these kits may not be as safe as they appear. They are not FDA-approved, and there is no proof that they even work at all.
Other options people may want to try include:
In theory, these options sound like they might work, which is why a lot of people are so eager to try them. But they do not protect against potential complications from withdrawal, and they may not work at all without additional support.
Even though drug and alcohol detox certainly has its place in recovery, it is no replacement for rehab. The two really go hand in hand, and rehabilitation is a step that no one should skip.
Sometimes people feel as though they have beaten their addictions after they go through detox. They feel better, and they may even be motivated to never use again. That is wonderful, but those feelings can quickly subside once the temptation to use strikes.
The physical component is a major part of any substance abuse problem. But the psychological part of it should not be ignored. Rehab should be an important part of your overall recovery experience. If it is, you will have a much better chance of experiencing long-term recovery.
For many people, the cost of treatment is the deciding factor for them. Many people do not realize that they have benefits to help them pay for both detox and rehab in their health insurance plans. They assume that they will have to pay for them on their own, and this could not be further from the truth.
Your health insurance company is required to provide you with addiction treatment benefits by law. Of course, this will look different for everyone. Some people may have full coverage, whereas others may have to pay a small co-pay to get the help they need. Either way, this makes it much more affordable for you.
It can be very confusing to try to understand what your insurance company will cover and what they will not. The best way for you to find out is to have your benefits verified. This will allow them to be maximized so that you pay as little out of your own pocket as possible.
There is no doubt that Colorado offers some excellent programs for alcohol and drug detox. In fact, according to the SAMHSA rehab finder tool, there are hundreds of programs available to help you right in your home state. But that does not mean it is the right solution for you.
Many people find that they experience many more benefits by attending a treatment center that is located away from home. This allows them to get away from their daily stressors, and possibly even escape people that might be making it harder for them to stop using. By making this decision, they are giving themselves the best possible chance for a fresh start.
Regardless of where you decide to go to detox, it is important to know that not all programs are the same. There are some qualities that you should be looking for, and they include:
Take one of our addiction quizzes to find out if you or someone you care about needs help today.
The SAMHSA treatment locator tool indicates that there are a total of 375 addiction treatment programs available in Colorado. Of that number, 54 provide detoxification programs. These are a mix of:
This is the question we hear most frequently, and it indicates that you are ready to get help for your addiction.
Here at Northpoint Recovery, we understand all that you are going through when you are struggling with an addiction. It is difficult to keep up with your responsibilities, and you struggle to even just get through the day. Getting professional help offers you the best chance of being successful with your recovery goals, and the most successful recoveries begin with drug and alcohol detox.
If you would like to learn more about alcohol and drug detox and how it can help you as the first step in your recovery, we would love to talk with you. Please contact us today.
Not all inpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs in Colorado offer detoxification services. But many of them do, and for good reason. It can be problematic for people who have to go through detox at a facility and then wait to get into rehab. The best results are usually seen with those who have a seamless transition between the two different types of treatment.
Any rehab program that does not offer detox should still recognize its importance. It is dangerous for people with some types of addictions to avoid detoxing. They should always offer those individuals referrals to programs in the local area that they know and trust.
Withdrawal symptoms can quickly become severe once a person has stopped using. It is important to address them early on. This gives the patient a much better chance of being successful in recovery.
People often hesitate to get any information about detox and rehab because they are unsure if they need treatment. Most of the time, this means that they are in denial about having an addiction. Certain types of drugs may require the individual to go through detox for safety reasons. But a person may need to go through the detoxification process if they have a drug or alcohol addiction of any kind.
Some of the most common signs of addiction include:
If you can identify with only a few of the items on this list, it could mean that you need drug and alcohol detox.
Not every addiction requires patients to go through the detoxification process. For example, someone who is addicted to marijuana may have withdrawal symptoms, but they tend to be rather mild. They are not dangerous at all, and are really only uncomfortable. But this is not the case for someone who is addicted to the following drugs:
All of these drugs can cause severe withdrawal, and sometimes the symptoms can even become fatal. It is critical for anyone who is addicted to any of the above to detox prior to going to rehab. This is the safest way for them to quit.
The length of time it takes to get through the detoxification process is very personal. It depends on a few different factors, such as:
It can help to look at some withdrawal timelines to see what the average detox time is. For example, when it comes to opioid withdrawal:
This is just an idea of what the average person might experience during opioid detox. But everyone is different. Some people might need to go through detox for a longer period of time, and others may not need to be there for quite as long.
The detoxification process should be personalized to meet each patient’s needs. When they are ready to move on, they should be evaluated by a medical professional and arrangements for the transition should be made, if appropriate.
Most Colorado detox centers do offer therapy while their patients are going through withdrawal. It can be very helpful for them to talk with others about what they are experiencing throughout this process. It is also nice to know that you are not alone and that others are struggling just as much. Therapy allows people to offer support to one another as they recover.
After detoxing, it is important for people to continue on to rehab. It is not enough to just treat the physical aspect of the addiction; attention also needs to be paid to the psychological side. That is the purpose of rehab. But having said that, not all rehab programs are the same, and not everyone will need an inpatient program.
A higher level of care is recommended for people who have just gone through detox. Most of the time, that means going to an inpatient rehab, but there are alternatives. For example, intensive outpatient treatment can be very effective, even for people who have never been to rehab before. It is best for people who have strong support systems at home.
But most people do move on to inpatient rehab because they need a higher level of care. Inpatient programs allow them to immerse themselves in treatment and they can let go of the cares of the outside world for a little while. This is what we always recommend.
After going to a rehab in Colorado, people often assume that their addictions are cured and they can go back to life as normal. But that is simply not the case. Science has yet to find a cure for addiction, but it has done very well at finding ways for people to remain in recovery.
After you go to rehab, you will be given an aftercare plan that you should follow. This is extremely important because those who do not get the necessary support are the ones who are most likely to relapse. That is what you want to avoid.
Our admissions coordinators are here to help you get started with treatment the right way. They'll verify your health insurance, help set up travel arrangements, and make sure your transition into treatment is smooth and hassle-free.
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