DETOX - What to expect?

[Groundhog]

Hi, just wanted to ask if anyone from experience can tell me what to expect when going to in-patient detox?

I've been told that i am going to be referred to an in-patient detox facility, I dont know when, where or for how long yet just that i'm going to be referred, which I am very pleased with, but I'm also anxious as I haven't done anything like this before and don't know what is going to happen there.

I'm a bit scared really, but it's what I need and have been hoping for, I don't expect for it to be easy but i'm just worried how I might react to withdrawing and how they will help me to get through it. I'm on high amounts daily of stimulants and get extreme physical and mental withdrawal when I don't maintain those amounts.

Does anyone know what I have to take with me? I know this might sound a bit silly, but are you allowed to smoke at these places, or is that part of the detox?

Any advice will be much appreciated

 

[Missykins]

You should contact the facility about what you can take with you. You may not be allowed to smoke on the grounds, but they will give you a nicotine patch. If it's anything like rehab, bring some books (not drug-related) to read, and leave your laptop at home. You can bring your phone, but it will be held and you probably won't be able to use it, so bring a list of numbers and lots of quarters for the pay phone. People visiting you cannot bring you food or drink. Bring only cosmetics (shampoo, etc.) that do not contain alcohol. They will take most things from you to hold, and give to you when you shower, etc. Bring comfortable clothing that does not have any slogans on it, or have drawstrings, including sneakers with laces.

I posted this on another thread:


A brief detox will only help you through withdrawal, it will not help you address the larger issues related to your addiction, and it will not provide you with the tools you need to stay clean. Detox facilities have only one mission, and that is to help you physically, but not emotionally or spiritually. There's nothing wrong with that per se, that's simply what they do. That's why you need to develop a strong network of close, sober friends, and NA/AA can help you with that.

The real work happens after your detox.

 

[RaZkaL86]

Hi Groundhog!! Well as a 43 y.o. guy with a 25 yr. heroin habit I've been in detox too many times to count. I don't know what you're using but in my case the last time I went I was in the midst of a 10 bag/day habit IV (intravenous). Usually they do what's called an intake where they ask you a ton of questions about your drug use; how long have you been using, how much, what's your current home situation like, are you depressed/ think about suicide, stuff like that. They also want to know if you have a plan after you detox(you really should have one so you don't just slip back into using again...trust me!!!) You'll be in a unit where you are going to be around others who are detoxing from various substances, and lots of different personalities; I would try to keep to myself but usually there may be a person or two who may try to befriend you. You should be careful with who you hang around with. There are addicts who may want to just be friendly so they're not going through it alone and they're OK but there are also some who are just there to make new contacts or they may smuggle drugs in to sell to the other patients; steer clear of those jokers, they just want to sabotage your attempt at sobriety to make a buck off of you or use you for some nefarious purpose.

Your days are very structured, for example: 7am -- Wake Up
7:30am-- breakfast
8:00am --Meds
9:00am Morning Meeting
and believe me there will be LOTS of groups and meetings!!! They may be boring to some, but it's better to go and PARTICIPATE!! You may learn something or hear something that helps you in some way; and also the time will go faster than if you just stay in your room and stare at the ceiling... usually they're mandatory and if you start skipping the groups, you'll probably have to see your counselor(which they assign to you at the intake) who will ask why you missed the group and give you a warning...too many of these or you break some rule or rules and they pretty much give you the boot!!

Depending on the drug or drugs you're using, they will be medicating you(in my case, methadone) to keep you comfortable and ween you off the stuff you were using. Lots of addicts will exaggerate how much they were using to get more meds, which I think is dumb cause if you're there to get clean, why try to get more and more? 8( Your counselor will talk to you probably midway in your stay to find out what you want to do after you leave and set up appointments for aftercare (which I highly recommend!!) cause sometimes a week or so which will probably be the length of your stay (a week to 10 days) isn't enough. If you feel it isn't, try to get into a 30,60 or 90-day long-term residential sober living facility if possible!! There's always a few weeks or months wait to get into these programs(at least in my area) and attend as many N/A or A/A meetings as possible to keep your mind set on recovery. That's about it in a nutshell... I hope it works for you and if it doesn't, don't give up...try again!!! I've been in detox around 15 times and I keep trying... Good Luck to You!!!

 

[deaf eye]

dont know about detoxing from stims, sorry but i really dont know, i know somebody who went into detox for coke and crack and they pretty just monitored him gave him vitamins , and a place to get clean for a few days ,

good luck

 

[theartofwar]

Most detoxes I've been too do basic evaluation and intake. Then you meet with the doctor and your counselor / any other staff to prepare an after care plan. It takes a lot of time to re-wire the brain from active addiction, if you can try for 90 days in residential treatment where you can have a chance to plan as safe a return as possible to your normal life. Im into the 20s as far as number of detoxes I've been too and tried so many times to just rough it out, long term treatment helped me a lot and I highly recommend it if possible, good luck!

 

[Vaya]

You should contact the facility about what you can take with you. You may not be allowed to smoke on the grounds, but they will give you a nicotine patch. If it's anything like rehab, bring some books (not drug-related) to read, and leave your laptop at home. You can bring your phone, but it will be held and you probably won't be able to use it, so bring a list of numbers and lots of quarters for the pay phone. People visiting you cannot bring you food or drink. Bring only cosmetics (shampoo, etc.) that do not contain alcohol. They will take most things from you to hold, and give to you when you shower, etc. Bring comfortable clothing that does not have any slogans on it, or have drawstrings, including sneakers with laces.

I echo all of Missykins statements here, as they thoroughly reflect both of my experiences at in-patient rehabilitation facilities!

The real work happens after your detox.

QFT (quoted for truth) x 1,000. Detox is merely a convenient way for your brain to detoxify for the time sufficient to allow you to take the next steps towards continuous, long-term recovery from addiction. Please, please be aware that once you leave detox, the drugs will have left your body - but they are but a mere symptom of fundamental errors in thinking that lead to compulsive drug-taking in the first place. These errors in thinking usually present in the forms of fear and resentment, amongst a host of other possibilities.

If these issues are not confronted and dealt with, I can almost assure you that your time spent in detox will have been time wasted.

I am in recovery from polysubstance (primarily opiates) abuse, by the way.

The very best of luck to you as you courageously traverse the road ahead of you. The destination? A type of existence you may never have imagined possible!

~ Vaya

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Definitely contact the specific detox facility to find out what to expect, different detox facilities can be vastly different. Not all detoxes let you smoke, not all give you meds, you really need to ask them for details. Also most of the posts in this thread seem to be talking about rehab and not detox. They can be quite different. Rehab centres have more scheduled programming and sometimes stricter rules than detox.

If it's anything like rehab, bring some books (not drug-related) to read

Some rehabs don't even allow books! I was looking into one in my area and was rather horrified that they have a huge list of banned items, including magazines, books and music Pretty much the only things you were allowed to bring were specific items of clothing and a limited list of toiletries.

 

[weekday warrior]

you will most likely see a shrink at some point while you are depressed from withdrawing, one thing to remember is never tell a psychiatrist that you might kill yourself once they can establish that you are a 'danger to yourself or others' things could possibly go very bad for you.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

^Well it might be a good idea to tell someone if you are truly serious about suicide! But we all think about suicide ("suicidal ideation") when going through withdrawal, which is different from actually intending to carry it out (and in that case it's not necessary to tell a shrink who might have you committed).

 

[weekday warrior]

^I would have to respectfully disagree, if you are suicidal being confined to a mental hospital probably wont help your will to live. It would be better to simply say that you are depressed and recieve treatment for that instead of recieving treatment for being suicidal. If you are commited you basicaly become a nonperson with no rights and are subject to whatever treatment they deem necessary, they might decide that a labotamy or electric shock therapy is the best way to treat you. I'm not saying it's likely but it is entirely possible.

 

[Vaya]

Correct me if I am wrong, but i do not believe that a rehabilitation psychologist can 302 or 303 a drug-dependent individual at all, especially under the conditions that the SI was not pre-existent and is likely due to withdrawal mechanisms.

~ Vaya

 

[weekday warrior]

youre probably right but would it really be worth risking your freedom and your civil rights by telling the therapist that you are suicidal? At the very least they would put it in a log to be used against you later, you would then have a 'history of suicidal ideation' and it would be really easy to recieve a life sentence in a mental hospital at a later time.

 

[Vaya]

At the very least they would put it in a log to be used against you later, you would then have a 'history of suicidal ideation' and it would be really easy to recieve a life sentence in a mental hospital at a later time.

if someone is actively suicidal and has an extensive history of suicidal ideation, plans and/or intent, it is possible that they might be 302'd (involuntarily committed for a short period of time), but this is typically accomplished when a concerned member of the family files a petition requesting this action to a court and the patient is further evaluated by a clinician.

Unless one is chronically violent and/or schizophrenic and non-compliant or unresponsive to medication, there really is no such thing as a "life sentence" to a mental institution. This is really important to understand, because the threat of a life sentence anywhere would be enough to prevent nearly anyone from seeking the treatment they need.

~ Vaya

 

[Groundhog]

Hi everyone, thank you all so much for the advice, encouragement and loving support that you have contributed to this thread, I have sincerely felt touched by all of the replies that you have given your time to help me.

I want to apologise that I haven't replied sooner, I checked the thread a few days after I had started it and saw some of your posts. Before I had the chance to reply I landed myself into a 6 day continuous run where a lot of crazy, paranoid and psychotic madness ensued, which I believe some of you may understand without going into full detail and I have felt more guilty as the days went on that I hadn't replied after you had all taken the time to do that for me.

I have found all of what you have said to be very helpful, the drug recovery service that I registered with have been less than helpful, actually quite useless to be honest and I wasn't aware of a lot of the things that have been mentioned, I wasn't even told the name or location of the detox until the other day and I don't know if they are going to accept me yet. My GP informed me they have requested my medical records so I am assuming that some action is taking place.

I actually knew nothing about all of this until I read your replies and realised actually how much more the service I have been getting has been lacking. I knew nothing about a counsellor or aftercare although an aftercare package had been mentioned, they have failed to actually explain what that will be, I don't think they even know what it will consist of themselves actually. I have felt totally disappointed with how they have dealt with things (more like how they haven't dealt with anything) and I have felt completely desperate with the situation which just gets progressively worse.

So, it's a good thing that TDS has been there to explain the things that they haven't and to tell me what should be happening and what they should offer.

I agree with you all when you say that after the detox that attending meetings etc is vital to maintain recovery, I started attending CA meetings a few months ago but I couldn't keep them up as my usage progressed further out of control and I wasn't able to stop using without treatment, I started on the steps and after following the daily disciplines and tasks quite well, it would slip in an instant when i got "taken"'by the fiend inside and lost any consistency with sticking to the program. I haven't been able to attend a single meeting without being under the influence as i have been using daily and it took a lot out of me to attend them due to agoraphobia, anxiety and well, just fear basically. Although at one point, I really enjoyed it and was my main goal and focus of the days that the meetings were held.

I attended Tuesday night this week for the first time in a while and I really enjoyed seeing everyone again, I have just wanted to be clean and not have drug use getting in the way of any progress before I get properly involved with it. Aside from those reasons I've seen it and some of the people differently over the time and the inconsistencies within which made me drift away too but that's another story.

I am concerned of the possibility of relapse, I was confident a while ago that I would maintain sobriety if I got a chance to detox the shit from my system but I have been waiting for help for so long and my usage has gone through the roof in this time I don't know if my mind will cope as I started using stimulants as a self med for depression and if I don't get some proper help with it I can see myself relapsing or worse because I can't tolerate any more years of living with it that I have, but relapsing cannot be an option, if i don't succeed this time i don't think i'll get the chance at it again or have the strength to do it, 15 years has been long enough already.

I'm worried that having just a short time in detox is not going to be sufficient, that it is going to be a short, sharp, shock when my body has been cleared from the ton of shit I've put through it and what further issues will be unmasked as I haven't had a single break in 6 months to realise the extent of the damage it has caused, it has got to the point that I don't experience the withdrawal symptoms, physical and mental that used to occur daily as I rarely allow my body to go long enough without for it to happen. However, that has of course inevitably caused other issues, paranoid delusions, psychotic episodes and extended periods without sleep..........

Thanks again
Peace, love and happiness to you all

 

[Zarathustra1313]

I'm sure there are myriad detox centers with myriad treatment plans/methods.

I just got out of heroin detox today at 11am. I hadn't used for ~2days prior to being admitted and was sick as a dog (puking/crapping myself/hot/cold/sweats/indescribable mental and physical discomfort, nose and eyes running like usain bolt, you get the picture). My detox was actually at a local hospital. I was in a private room and was administered meds as they prescribed. I was still very sick Monday, Tuesday I felt better but still wasn't smiling, Wednesday I started being myself and felt decent and today I was released and feel like an Effing' champ! Wish I would have done it a long time ago, really!

So detox gets younthroughbthe physical withdrawals.

Some places (like you see on intervention) couple detox with rehab/a sober living community. That can last I believe as long as you want or as long as it can be afforded.

GL, make the best of it, life is way too short to be controlled by ANYTHING!!!

 

[xburtonchic]

I went to detox recently. It was the easiest kick of my freaking life! They give you meds based on your symptoms. It's not like you can go ask for more Subutex, or more benzos, or Phenobarbital, or whatever every five minutes... but trust me, they keep the withdrawal verrryyy comfortable. I hardly had any symptoms.

We were allowed to smoke once an hour at my detox, and then the patio closed at 11 pm as did the rec room. You can sleep, watch movies, read, chill in your room, talk to the other patients... basically do whatever you want unless there's an AA/NA meeting going on, which were mandatory to attend in the facility I was at. We only had one a day though, the rest of the stuff we had were groups a few times a day that we didn't have to show up to (although I always did... I think it's a good idea.) There are also social workers, drug counselors, etc. you can request to speak to who will help you fight the cravings and help you look for something to help you with the mental part after you leave the facility.

The schedule at my place went like this (along with smoking breaks at the top of every hour haha):
6:00 am - they wake you up to take blood pressure and shit, and then you can go back to sleep if you want.
8:00 am - wake up and eat breakfast (that's just me though.. I always woke up super early while I was there because I always wanted to go to sleep early. Also, they bring your meals into your room on a tray and the food is actually REALLY good... and they give you A LOT of it. I ate sooo much while I was in detox, I swear I lived from meal to meal lol)
8 - 10:30 - Free time
10:30 - Snacks
10:45 - 11:45 - Group
11:45 - 12:30 - Free time
12:30 - Lunch
12:30 - 2: Free time
2:00 - Snacks
2:00 - 4:00 - Group
4:00 - 6:00 - Free time
6:00 - Dinner
6:00 - 8:00 - Free time
8:00 - 9:00 - AA/NA Meeting OR H&R Panel
9:00 and beyond - Free time until you decide you want to crash out... and then you wake up the next morning and the process repeats itself. It gets a bit repetitive, but honestly, it was the EASIEST withdrawal I've ever gone through. I felt little to no symptoms, at all. Throughout the day, social workers and drug counselors and other people will pull you to the side to talk to you and whatnot, the nurses will take your vitals to make sure you're alright, and they'll medicate you if one of your symptoms starts getting bad.

It's really a great experience, IMO. I would definitely do it again.

 

[Groundhog]

I'm sure there are myriad detox centers with myriad treatment plans/methods.

I just got out of heroin detox today at 11am. I hadn't used for ~2days prior to being admitted and was sick as a dog (puking/crapping myself/hot/cold/sweats/indescribable mental and physical discomfort, nose and eyes running like usain bolt, you get the picture). My detox was actually at a local hospital. I was in a private room and was administered meds as they prescribed. I was still very sick Monday, Tuesday I felt better but still wasn't smiling, Wednesday I started being myself and felt decent and today I was released and feel like an Effing' champ! Wish I would have done it a long time ago, really!

So detox gets younthroughbthe physical withdrawals.

Some places (like you see on intervention) couple detox with rehab/a sober living community. That can last I believe as long as you want or as long as it can be afforded.

GL, make the best of it, life is way too short to be controlled by ANYTHING!!!

Very pleased to hear that you got through it all and that you have come out the other side and won! Just like the champ you are feeling! well done!

There are probably lots of treatments available but not really for my current addiction, stimulants, the drug service and doctor I have seen have never come across a case like mine before and they don't really know what to do to treat it. There are no subsitute medications, officially anyway, they are "if its not in the text book" it cant exist doctors that I have had.

I have defied all what has been written in these text books so I hope they do actually take notice at some point and help with a substitute.

I hope the road ahead leads to the life that you have wished for without drugs to hold you back, all the very best

I went to detox recently. It was the easiest kick of my freaking life! They give you meds based on your symptoms. It's not like you can go ask for more Subutex, or more benzos, or Phenobarbital, or whatever every five minutes... but trust me, they keep the withdrawal verrryyy comfortable. I hardly had any symptoms.

We were allowed to smoke once an hour at my detox, and then the patio closed at 11 pm as did the rec room. You can sleep, watch movies, read, chill in your room, talk to the other patients... basically do whatever you want unless there's an AA/NA meeting going on, which were mandatory to attend in the facility I was at. We only had one a day though, the rest of the stuff we had were groups a few times a day that we didn't have to show up to (although I always did... I think it's a good idea.) There are also social workers, drug counselors, etc. you can request to speak to who will help you fight the cravings and help you look for something to help you with the mental part after you leave the facility.

The schedule at my place went like this (along with smoking breaks at the top of every hour haha):
6:00 am - they wake you up to take blood pressure and shit, and then you can go back to sleep if you want.
8:00 am - wake up and eat breakfast (that's just me though.. I always woke up super early while I was there because I always wanted to go to sleep early. Also, they bring your meals into your room on a tray and the food is actually REALLY good... and they give you A LOT of it. I ate sooo much while I was in detox, I swear I lived from meal to meal lol)
8 - 10:30 - Free time
10:30 - Snacks
10:45 - 11:45 - Group
11:45 - 12:30 - Free time
12:30 - Lunch
12:30 - 2: Free time
2:00 - Snacks
2:00 - 4:00 - Group
4:00 - 6:00 - Free time
6:00 - Dinner
6:00 - 8:00 - Free time
8:00 - 9:00 - AA/NA Meeting OR H&R Panel
9:00 and beyond - Free time until you decide you want to crash out... and then you wake up the next morning and the process repeats itself. It gets a bit repetitive, but honestly, it was the EASIEST withdrawal I've ever gone through. I felt little to no symptoms, at all. Throughout the day, social workers and drug counselors and other people will pull you to the side to talk to you and whatnot, the nurses will take your vitals to make sure you're alright, and they'll medicate you if one of your symptoms starts getting bad.

It's really a great experience, IMO. I would definitely do it again.

Do you know what? It was a fucking relief to read that! I havent got a date for the detox yet but I have been quite worried, fucking scared actually, but what you experienced sound like just what I need, I sure need the food, I am severely malnourished and need feeding up!

Was you detoxing from opiate?
The thing with stims is they don't give you a substitute as far as i know, which is one of the reasons I've been anxious, because i know the withdrawals i get and they need to understand how to deal with me because i'm worried to give myself to their responsibility and end up fucked because they won't know what to do.

I'm still hanging on for an actual date so I'm sure there will be time to let them know what they are in for.

Good luck on the road ahead mate

 

[vibrantj]

Im going into detox next week with my best friend and was quite nervous. So relieved reading this thread. Can't wait to get this monkey off my back. I already go to meetings so i plan on keeping up with them afterwards.