Can Free Detox Centers Help Me Recover?

If you have been struggling with substance abuse and you want to begin your recovery, a detox clinic could be the perfect way to start. Many people feel that detox centers are not available to them unless they have the proper funds, but free detox centers can help you if you are having financial problems as well. However, it is important to understand the limitations of any type of detox centers in helping you toward your recovery and to know what the next step should be in order to achieve a full recovery.

Why Choose a Free Detox Center?

There are plenty of detox centers available. Most of them provide some type of payment assistance but many are private facilities with no payment assistance where individuals who can afford them are mostly paying for comfort and privacy. However, free detox centers exist where patients can receive the same types of pharmacological and therapeutic treatments that can help them through drug withdrawal.

Free detox centers are beneficial to those individuals who:

• Do not have jobs or have lost their jobs as a result of their drug abuse
• Are from low-income families
• Are covered under Medicaid which, “for many eligibility groups, income is calculated in relation to a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level” (Medicaid.gov).
• Have large families and are struggling to make ends meet
• Otherwise have financial issues that might keep them from being able to attend proper treatment

If you are in one of the situations listed above, you might qualify for free detox treatment. Research centers in your area to find out if any could be beneficial to your situation.

How Do Free Detox Centers Help?

A free detox center can get you on the road to addiction recovery!

• They provide treatment to people who, otherwise, might not have been able to receive it because of monetary issues.
• They can help patients “safely manage the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal” with the use of prescription medications and medical supervision (NIDA).
• They teach patients strategies to help them stop abusing drugs, fight triggers, and otherwise fight against problematic behavior in therapy sessions.
• They can, “for some, pave the way for effective long-term addiction treatment.”
• They can protect patients from medical emergencies which can sometimes occur from unmanaged withdrawal.
• They can help patients learn more about the drugs they are abusing, the health effects, the possibility for addiction, etc.
• Free inpatient detox centers are especially beneficial toward patients who are severely addicted to drugs or alcohol and will not be able to abstain long enough from these substances if they are in outpatient detox treatment or not in detox at all.

At free detox centers, many patients receive the kind of help that starts them off with a strong basis for eventual recovery. Many individuals go into detox and are encouraged to continue with addiction treatment afterward. Others who may have relapsed if they tried to go through withdrawal on their own will be able to abstain and end their dependence on drugs, alcohol, and other substances because their withdrawal symptoms are better managed in detox.

The Limitations of Free Detox Centers

Detox makes withdrawal less traumatic, painful, and dangerous and allows patients to focus on the idea of their eventual recovery. This means that, yes, free detox centers can help you recover. But they are not the only step toward recovery.

The NIDA states, “Medical detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.” This issue is the same whether you attend free or paid detox treatment. It is important to remember that, while detox centers can help you through the difficult time of withdrawal and free facilities can do so for many individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford it, detox only starts your road to recovery. You must attend formal addiction treatment in order to learn the true ways to fight your addiction and receive the kind of behavioral treatments you will need in order to maintain a strong recovery after treatment has ended.

Many detox facilities help patients transition into formal addiction treatment, and it is usually a large part of the detox process that patients are knowingly prepared for the next stage in their treatment plan. But some individuals still choose to attend only detox centers for their entire treatment, and this can be dangerous.

The Dangers of Stopping Treatment After Detox

According to the NLM, many opioid addicts who choose not to continue with addiction treatment after they have detoxed from opioid dependence are in danger of a “return to drug use.” In fact, most of the deaths caused by opioid overdose “occur in persons who have just withdrawn or detoxed.” This is because they no longer have the tolerances they once did for the drug, and their addictions themselves they have not fully recovered from.

Then, these individuals have a high chance of relapsing and take more opioids but in the dose they used to take when they were dependent and much more tolerant of the drug’s effects. This dose, because their body could not handle it, often causes overdose and death.

Many other substances cause the same type of effect. Because detox does not completely rid someone of an addiction, there is still a high danger factor for recently detoxed individuals. And if someone leaves one of these free facilities without then seeking further treatment, it can be even more dangerous.

Can Free Detox Centers Help Me Recover?

Yes, free detox centers can provide you with many benefits and be a part of your overall recovery. When you attend a free detox center, you receive help and guidance during a difficult time as well as medication that curbs your withdrawal symptoms, but do not believe that you are cured or recovered just because your withdrawal symptoms fade or you leave detox treatment.

The road to recovery is a long and arduous journey, and even after years of abstinence, a former addict can still stumble. Think of free detox centers as the first step in your affordable and healthy treatment plan the will start you on that right path. We can help you begin this journey; call 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) toady!