How to Ease Withdrawal Symptoms
Individuals who have gone through addiction and are looking to get back on track with their lives may find it difficult at first. It is rare for people to quit cold turkey overnight, especially if they are quitting substances that they used for a significant amount of time. It takes a strong mental fortitude to do so, something that not everyone is capable of accomplishing on their own.
Withdrawal symptoms are quite common in these cases, and the struggle of those who are going through withdrawals may be overwhelming. While using withdrawal patches can help, some people say that using such patches and other medications may shift individuals’ addiction from one drug to the other. A holistic approach to rehabilitation may be an uphill climb, but once you reach the peak, the rewards may be significant and long-lasting for both the body and the mind.
What are withdrawal symptoms?
When an individual becomes dependent on a particular drug and abuses it, the drug may affect the individual’s body and mind in various ways. In time, your body may become so accustomed to having a drug in its system that cutting off its supply may produce abnormal physical and mental side effects that may be harrowing.
Symptoms attributed to withdrawal from use of certain drugs may vary. People who were addicted to opioid drugs may experience withdrawal symptoms in the form of muscle pain, anxiety, and insomnia. Withdrawal symptoms will vary depending on the drugs used by individuals, how much of the drugs they used, and whether people have other medical or mental health conditions. Despite the differences among symptoms, one common denominator is that they are often unpleasant.
How long do withdrawal symptoms last?
Withdrawal symptoms may occur in as few as six hours after individuals last use short-acting drugs such as opioids. People who are addicted to opioids for a considerable period may endure withdrawal symptoms that can last up to a month. In some instances, people were still suffering from symptoms six months after they stopped using the drugs. Simply put, drug rehabilitation is a test of one’s mettle, but determined individuals may succeed.
The first week of withdrawal is often the most difficult. This is the period when most symptoms are at their worst. From muscle pain to insomnia, the first week of rehabilitation is where emotional support is vital to people. Of course, emotional support may help people throughout the course of their recovery, not just the early stages of detox and withdrawal.
What are some types of withdrawal symptoms?
Symptoms and the length of withdrawal symptoms depend on the type of drugs that were abused as well as how long people were addicted to the substances. Below is information about particular substance addictions and the withdrawal symptoms attributed to each type of addiction:
- Alcohol – Symptoms such as body tremors and seizures. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms may last from a few days to several weeks.
- Cocaine – Depression and anxiety, symptoms that may last a week or two.
- Benzodiazepines (benzos) – Seizures and anxiety, symptoms that may last for weeks to months.
- Heroin and opioid painrelieving medications – Flu-like symptoms. Withdrawals to opioids may last an average of a week.
What are withdrawal patches?
Withdrawal patches come in a variety of forms. One of the most well-known is the fentanyl patch withdrawal treatment. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that is between 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, which makes fentanyl dependency or addiction a possible effect of using this withdrawal patch. This is why people should use these types of withdrawal patches under close medical supervision and should only be used in certain scenarios.
There are benefits of withdrawal patches in addiction treatment. Withdrawal patches may help ease a person back into a normal and healthy lifestyle. Medication patches have their advantages, but one cannot rely on them solely.
For example, a nicotine patch (NRT) may be beneficial to assist people in quitting smoking. But withdrawal patches should never be considered a cure-all solution to addiction. They are aids, nothing more and nothing less. Their success will still be based on your actions.
Utilizing holistic addiction treatment techniques
One of the safest rehabilitation treatments that a person can use is the holistic approach. Holistic treatment focuses not only on the root cause of problems but the entire well-being of the individual. Holistic treatment is divided into multiple parts: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. By focusing on all the facets of an individual, rehabilitation may be achieved.
A significant difference of holistic rehabilitation centers is that they refrain from using certain medications when rehabilitating their clients. The main focus of such facilities is to help clients figure out and address all factors that contribute to their addictions.
Holistic rehabilitation centers may be good alternatives to standard rehab centers. They approach the process of rehabilitation using different points of view, but are still highly effective and deliver results. If you are considering going to a holistic rehab center, some features that you may encounter include:
- Physical holistic treatment – Physical holistic treatment facilities employ the use of holistic detoxification methods and are supervised to ensure that the person’s condition is stable throughout the process.
- Mental holistic treatment – An essential aspect of holistic addiction treatment. Clients will be introduced to several therapeutic techniques to help them cope with withdrawal symptoms that affect their mental functions.
- Emotional holistic treatment – Clients will undergo therapy to help them pinpoint issues that led them to dependency on alcohol or drugs. By facing the emotional causes of their addiction, they have a better chance of seeking recovery and preventing any relapses in the future.
- Spiritual holistic treatment – The final cog in holistic treatment improves a person’s spiritual approach to life. Spiritual exercises often include meditation and yoga, practices that rejuvenate the body and the mind. The practices may help provide positivity, expel negativity, and create brighter outlooks. Hence, this is a process that may be important to produce long-term results.
Final Thoughts
Think of withdrawal patches as aids in recovering from addiction but not your entire treatment approach. Remember that success will occur because of you, not because of medication aids or any other tools. This is why incorporating a holistic withdrawal treatment approach to rehabilitation may improve the chances of success. By training both the body and the mind, people may experience more success in overcoming their addictions and better themselves in the process.
Holistic rehabilitation clinics offer long-term results by not only focusing on physical symptoms but also on the emotional and spiritual issues of recovering addicts. By incorporating different aspects of treatment, holistic treatment may increase the likelihood of success and prevent clients from relapsing in the future.
If you are suffering from addiction and want to turn your life around, remember that it is not wrong to ask for help. Fighting addiction requires support from your family and friends. Take it one day and one step at a time, and you may manage to find your way out of the darkness.
