How To Locate A Method For Medical Drug Detox

Withdrawal from a medication in the absence of supportive intervention can last for several days. The symptoms can be very unpleasant and painful, to the point that this puts people off going 'clean'. Rapid detox, which involves placing the patient under anesthesia so they don't feel the severe pain and other symptoms, is reputed to affect complete clearance in as little as two hours. This is expensive and the safety of this approach remains to be proven. It is also a very extreme way of passing a laboratory test.

A person may be asked to submit to a laboratory drug test for any one of a number of reasons. Insurance companies sometimes ask for them before issuing a life insurance policy. Students, probationers and parolees may all be asked to provide a sample for testing from time to time. Athletes in competitive sports are often required to take urine tests. Many employers require them prior to making an appointment or a promotion. There is only one sure way to be sure of passing one of these tests and that is to abstain completely, at least for the duration of its detection time.

The detection time, the amount of time that a medicine or a metabolite remains detectable in urine, depends on the drug that is being tested for. Some substances like cocaine, short-acting barbiturates, amphetamines and opiates may clear the system in less than seven days. Others like LSD (acid) or benzodiazepines (valium, lorazepam, etc.) may take up to a week and a half. Cannabinoids (derived from marijuana), steroids and phenobarbital (a long-acting barbiturate) can remain detectable for weeks or even months.

There is a substantial market for personal drug tests so that casual drug users may monitor their levels. For those facing an impending drug test, it is possible to buy special 'detox drinks' over the Internet that act long enough to get through a test successfully. These may also be bought over the telephone or at special retailers.

Simply passing a urine test may be good enough for casual users who just want to keep their jobs and blow the odd joint over the weekend. For people with a serious addiction problem who want to put it behind them and get clean for good, a longer, more structured program of detoxification and rehabilitation may be in order. These focus on social, psychological and behavioral issues associated with addiction, as well as clearing the substance physically out of the system.

Residential crack rehab programs are promising because they remove the individual from the environmental and social influences that encourage the drug using lifestyle. They also allow residents to gain confidence in forming relationships with non-drug users. When the patient is released back into the community, a successful program will provide follow up to prevent backsliding.

It is a fact that not everyone with an addiction problem to alcohol, phenobarbital or other substances has the resources available to enroll themselves into crack rehab. Fortunately, they can get support from their general practitioner or family doctor. They will be able to prescribe drugs for pain relief and to ease them through medical drug detox. They can also provide access to counseling and self-help groups.