Pros and Cons of Doing Morphine Detox At Home

Recovering from a morphine addiction is no easy feat. The effects of morphine on the body leave a person weak, confused and desperately dependent on the drug. When a person decides to stop using, a detox or cleansing period starts off the recovery process. Morphine detox at home can be done under certain conditions, though careful consideration should be taken before deciding on this approach. As with all things in life, there are pros and cons to undertaking a morphine detox at home.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Detoxing at home requires an extra amount of strength and willpower.

Once a person starts experiencing withdrawal symptoms from morphine use, a definite physical dependency has developed. Morphine detox at home leaves the body to fend for itself when it comes to maintaining normal functioning. That being so, detoxing in the convenience of one’s home is considerably less expensive than entering a treatment facility and offers the comforts of home during recovery.

Withdrawal symptoms result from the body’s weakened state and inability to regulate vital processes, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. A morphine detox at home means a person will have to experience the full effects of this process.

When considering morphine detox at home, the severity of withdrawal symptoms can greatly influence a person’s likelihood of success. With morphine detox at home, someone with a long history of morphine abuse will likely experience severe withdrawal symptoms that easily overwhelm his or her ability to stay drug-free. For this reason, many people opt to detox in a treatment facility. Treatment facilities offer certain medication therapies that can greatly reduce withdrawal symptom severity.

When detoxing from a less severe addiction condition, over-the-counter remedies, such as ibuprofen, Pepto-Bismol and Immodium AD can help provide considerable relief from the effects of withdrawal.

Detox Environment

A morphine addiction develops into a lifestyle of its own where a person falls into certain “using” routines in order to deal with everyday stressors and pressures. Morphine detox at home requires a person to stop using within the same environment where addiction took root.

As addiction in general encompasses both physical and psychological components, individuals must not only bear the physical effects of withdrawal, but also the psychological effects. Morphine detox at home leaves a person wide open to the psychological effects of withdrawal.

People dealing with a mild addiction or those at the beginning stages of addiction may be able to handle the psychological effects of withdrawal. In this case, having the support of friends and family can go a long way towards making it through detox.

Health Risks

People with a long history of morphine abuse will have a tough time coping with withdrawal effects since long-term use will result in severe withdrawal symptoms. As such, the potential for relapse is considerably high when attempting a morphine detox at home.

Whenever a person relapses after a detox attempt, there’s a high risk of overdose. Since a person’s tolerance level for morphine drops dramatically during detox, ingesting the “usual” dose of the drug can easily send the body into respiratory failure.

While detoxing at home can save a lot of time, money and inconvenience, the risk of relapse should be carefully considered beforehand.

For help finding detox centers in your area, search our directory or call 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) today!

Sources

1. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2016). Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal. 
2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Recovery and Recovery Support.