Detoxification is the process of minimizing and eliminating alcohol or drug use and clearing the addictive substance from the body. It can be done in an outpatient or inpatient setting, depending on the facility as well as the patient’s preference. Detoxification, or detox, alone is usually not enough to cure addiction. That’s why treatment is done in combination with counseling and behavioral therapy.
What is detoxification?
Detox involves enduring the mental and physical effects of the body as it goes through withdrawal and adjusting to a lack of alcohol or drugs in your system. Each time you consume alcohol or drugs, your body gets more used to the presence of that substance. Your brain’s chemistry attunes to the ongoing influx of chemicals, leading to an addiction. Most addictive substances interact with the brain in various ways by changing its chemistry or causing its machinery to misfire.
Methamphetamine and cocaine boost the production and release of dopamine along with other neurotransmitters, causing a euphoric sensation commonly connected to a drug high. Heroin has similar structures as neurotransmitters, and its repeated use disrupts the neurotransmitters’ job of communication across the body. Alcohol, too, is known to affect the exchange of neurotransmitters in your brain.
To stop using alcohol or drugs and start recovery, you have to clear your system and deal with the effects arising from the sudden withdrawal. When you deny your body the substance for a few hours, you are bound to experience symptoms like sweating, shaking, vomiting, stomach cramps, depression, anxiety, and/or irritability. Since the withdrawal can be painful, some options may help ease your symptoms. Ibogaine is one such remedy.
What is ibogaine?
If you are hearing this word for the first time, you are probably asking yourself, what is ibogaine? It is a naturally occurring psychoactive alkaloid. It’s obtained from the roots of the West African rainforest’s shrub iboga. When used in small doses, ibogaine is just but a mild stimulant. However, larger doses produce a profound psychedelic effect. Traditionally, it has been used in healing initiations and ceremonies by members of the Bwiti religion in different parts of West Africa. Those with substance use problems have realized that using larger doses of the product can significantly minimize symptoms of withdrawal from opiates and temporarily clear substance-related cravings.
How it works
Anecdotal evidence shows that ibogaine alters brain chemistry to the point where you do not experience the withdrawal-related symptoms or suffer from carvings. But still, scientists looking into the potential of ibogaine in addiction treatment don’t believe that the drug completely clears addiction. If anything, it only disrupts the process.
The addiction model of the disease shows the condition as chronic because of the long-term alterations to the brain’s reward centers. When you take ibogaine, it’s converted into noribogaine. This new compound targets the areas of the brain affected by addictive and drug-seeking behaviors. It then rewires these areas, enabling the brain to restructure itself to the same state as it was before addiction.
Success rates
According to reports from medical professionals who use the drug to treat methamphetamine patients, there’s about a 50 to 80% success rate. However, relapse avoidance and long-term recovery depend mainly on going through a rehab program after using ibogaine with the supervision of a doctor.
Treatment after detox
As mentioned earlier, detox is a critical start to recovery, but it is not all you need to attain sobriety. In fact, detox only lasts for a while – usually 5 to 7 days, after which you will need to go to a rehab center to proceed with your recovery. Although your stay may be short at a detox facility, it will help you start your recovery and set you on a sobriety path.
Cravings are most likely to come back after detoxification. Usually, they are triggered by emotions and situations, and sometimes, sounds and smells. Anything that your brain links to alcohol or drug use can potentially be a trigger. Since these triggers can appear after the initial detox, further cognitive behavioral therapy and treatment are crucial to prevent a relapse. Your body may not display immediate symptoms of substance abuse, but the mental, physical and emotional effects are still there. You’ll need to deal with them to complete your recovery and lead a drug or alcohol-free life.
