Drugs and alcohol when used indiscriminately potentially change the structure of the brain especially the ones responsible for judgement, decision making, compulsions, habits and emotions. Continued use of the drug makes the drug sought after for its pleasure making the addict feel like they can’t live without it.

To restore the normal functioning of the brain, the addict needs to be purged of all addictive substances in the system. This process is called detoxification. It is the first step in recovery and crucial for complete treatment.

It is believed that someone who is physically unwell will struggle to tackle any underlying mental health problems.

Hence, detoxification tackles the physical side of an addiction as a first step, so that patients are better prepared to address the psychological features of their addiction, as part of an intensive addiction rehab programme.

During the process of detoxification, the brain adjusts to the sudden drop in these addictive chemicals. This typically causes people to experience a set of unpleasant symptoms known as withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms could be nausea, shaking and shivering, sweating, high temperature or chills, hallucinations, anxiety, confusion, depression, extreme mood swings and so on.

These withdrawal symptoms can be fatal hence it is advised that detox is carried out under medical supervision with trained specialists preferably a medical detox centre where the symptoms can me managed carefully and adequate and proper care can be administered.

On average, the detox process typically lasts for between 7 and 10 days. However, this can vary for different people. Following detox, patients will be ready to progress to an alcohol or drug rehab programme, where they will receive intensive psychological therapy.