There are different side effects for different drugs. While some symptoms are easier to handle while improving the body and healing long-term drug use, other symptoms can be deadly. When you go to rehab, you’ll likely be eased off your drug of choice with medication—the reason for this is to ease dangerous symptoms and make for a more comfortable experience when undergoing detox. Without these drugs, you’re at the risk for uncomfortable or dangerous symptoms, and at worst, even death.
- Alcohol: The most dangerous drug to detox from, alcohol can produce many symptoms, such as tremors, nausea, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and to a more dangerous degree, tremors, seizures, stroke, and a symptom known as ‘delirium tremens’—or severe tremors that can lead to stroke, as well as hallucinations and disorientation. The potential for seizure and stroke makes alcohol one of the most dangerous drugs to detox from—in effect, alcohol detox can cause death.
- Opioids: Opioid withdrawal also causes dangerous symptoms of its own—diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pinpoint pupils, restlessness, anxiety, severe sweating, muscle pain and more. Opioid withdrawal can leave an addict in recovery feeling uncomfortable for days, even weeks.
- Benzodiazepines: Benzodiazepine withdrawal can produce anxiety, sleep disturbances, tremors, sweat, depression, irritability, palpitations, nausea, and other symptoms. Like opioid or alcohol withdrawal, benzodiazepine symptoms can last for days or weeks at a time.
This is why it’s crucial to undergo a medically-supervised detoxification process—easing yourself off of drugs is no cakewalk. It’s very common to combat the feelings of withdrawal by using again—it’s the only way to get rid of the symptoms.
The thing is, every addict goes through some form of withdrawal, painful as it can be. Medical professionals understand this, and know the safest ways to relieve symptoms and prevent dangerous health problems, including death.
