According to many treatment experts, the Houston area has hundreds of thousands of people using illicit drugs annually. Unfortunately, only about half of people seek treatment. When you finally decide to give up drugs or alcohol, you may feel buoyant and strong. However, quitting drugs and alcohol is not merely a matter of will. Quitting cold turkey can be dangerous.
Substance abuse disorder is a disease that impacts your mind and body, as well as your thoughts and emotions. Some of the cravings associated with withdrawal include intense side effects that make it more challenging to quit independently. At Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston, our dedicated team of medical professionals and licensed therapists are ready to help you through the drug detox process. To learn more, contact us today at 866.516.8356.
What Is Quitting Cold-Turkey?
When you quit cold turkey, you stop using drugs and alcohol without an addiction recovery program or drug detox. Quitting cold-turkey increases your risk of intense withdrawal symptoms, including going into a coma or death. At this point, your body and mind depend on drugs or alcohol to function. Therefore, medically-assisted alcohol and drug detox programs are typically better options to purge these toxic substances from your body.
There are two main reasons quitting cold turkey doesn’t work. Intense cravings often cause those with substance use disorders to relapse to using drugs and alcohol. Withdrawal symptoms cause pain and discomfort and can also trigger a relapse. That’s why we recommend going through addiction recovery tailored to the specific substances that you used to. Our addiction drug detox programs include:
- Heroin detox center
- Opioid detox center
- Opiate detox center
- Prescription drug detox center
- Benzodiazepine detox center
- Marijuana detox center
Why Is Quitting Cold-Turkey Dangerous?
When you want to quit but don’t want anyone to know, you may stop using drugs by quitting cold-turkey. While this method gives you the privacy to stop using drugs from the comfort of home, it creates other dangers. Specifically, quitting cold turkey puts your health and long term sobriety at risk.
Both alcohol and drug addiction have high relapse rates. Detoxing on your own without professional guidance can increase the likelihood of drinking or using drugs to alleviate the signs of withdrawal. At Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston, therapists, doctors, and nurses are available 24 hours a day to assist your psychological and physical addiction recovery.
Factors Affecting Drug Detox Success
Many factors impact your chances of success when it comes to addiction recovery. The drug you take may have higher or lower pain and discomfort levels. For example, alcohol, benzos, and opioids have severe withdrawal symptoms.
If you also have mental health disorders or underlying medical conditions that complicate your recovery, you should consider a residential detox treatment center. Additionally, you will need the help of a qualified therapist through a dual diagnosis treatment program.
Physical Impacts of Drug Detox
It takes significant amounts of courage to reach out for help for your alcohol or drug use disorder. However, quitting cold-turkey puts your health and life at risk. Instead, consider attending a qualified addiction recovery program such as the one available at Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston.
Physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal include the following:
- Vomiting
- Irregular heart rate
- Delusions
- Tremors
- Pain sensitivity
- Coma
- Changes in blood pressure
Cold turkey withdrawal from drugs can also include dangerous side effects like:
- Seizures
- Sleep difficulties
- Anxiety
Seek Addiction Recovery in Houston
At Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston, we focus on drug detox for clients in Houston, Dallas, and Ft. Worth. Come to us for assistance with withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Our medical and therapeutic staff will support you throughout addiction recovery. Contact our team at 866.516.8356 for more information on our services.
