What is Withdrawal Management?

When you decide to cut out frequently used drugs, you will need to help your body adapt to...

Sep 05, 2024 by Arista Recovery Staff

When you decide to cut out frequently used drugs, you will need to help your body adapt to the new development. Have you ever wondered why people who strongly desire to break their addiction to certain substances suffer such terrible blows to their health? Recreational drugs, opiates, alcohol, and other substances trigger the release of dopamine in the body, causing pleasurable feelings.

Taking these drugs for a prolonged period creates a condition where the brain becomes addicted to these substances, causing it to crave them incessantly. When you suddenly cut off the supply, you put your body in a state of distress, and it struggles to maintain a balance. The symptoms that occur as the body adjusts to this new development are referred to as withdrawal symptoms.

Arista Recovery is a Midwest drug rehab center offering comprehensive medical detox in Kansas City. Contact us today to learn more.

What is Withdrawal?

The term withdrawal refers to a range of physical and mental manifestations that arise from suddenly stopping the use of an addictive substance like nicotine products, caffeine, opiates, and alcohol. You can view withdrawal as the body’s attempt to adjust to the sudden loss of supply of dopamine-stimulating agents that were previously ingested often and in large quantities.

Depending on the duration of drug use and the type of substance being used, withdrawal symptoms can be life-threatening. This is why attempting to break a substance addiction on your own may not be successful and could lead to devastating consequences. Different types of substances cause specific withdrawal symptoms. In people who use a mix of substances, various withdrawal symptoms are expected. If you need to break your addiction to any substance, it is highly recommended that you seek professional help for withdrawal management.

What Causes Withdrawal?

To fully understand what happens to your body during withdrawal, it is necessary to understand what these substances do to your body. Different substances affect the body’s normal physiology in various ways—the effects of addictive substances affect all systems in the body.

Alcohol, for instance, has a depressive effect on the body. Chronic alcohol exposure decreases the response of neuro receptors to signals transmitted throughout the body. Prescription painkillers and other opioids trigger the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine release is associated with the feeling of extreme pleasure and happiness. Constant stimulation from these drugs becomes addictive, and the brain begins to depend on these drugs after a while. Withdrawing from these drugs can result in symptoms like depression.

In the withdrawal state, the body tries to maintain balance without the drugs. Initially, the system attempts to demand the substance, leading to intense cravings and psychological manifestations. Other symptoms arise from the imbalance created by stopping the substance.

What Are Common Withdrawal Symptoms?

You can experience specific withdrawal symptoms depending on the type of substance involved. These symptoms are generally not dangerous, but they may become severe and life-threatening in some cases. They are also some of the significant reasons for relapse. Some of the common withdrawal symptoms include;

  • Nausea, Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Muscle aches
  • Sweating
  • Anxiety
  • Delirium
  • Seizures
  • Hallucinations
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Tremors
  • Insomnia
  • Poor concentration
  • Nervousness
  • Decreased appetite
  • Irritability

What is Withdrawal Management?

Withdrawal management involves medical and psychological interventions to aid a person previously dependent on addictive substances through withdrawal by increasing comfort, managing unpleasant symptoms, and achieving a complete break from the substances.

Withdrawal symptoms often cause failure to become sober in people trying to break away from substance use. Treating substance addiction can become frustrating without professional help. Withdrawal management is a critical step but does not cover the entire treatment procedure for substance addiction. However, it helps those who use drugs to manage the consequences of ceasing the use of addictive substances and places them in an optimal state for the entire treatment process.

Public and private facilities offer medical withdrawal management services for patients who need help. However, depending on the substance used and the duration of use, patients might expect a wide range of psychological and physical symptoms. Therefore, it is essential to back up treatment with professional services to resolve these symptoms as they arise.

There are approved guidelines for medical withdrawal management. They include guidance on medications that relieve common withdrawal symptoms like insomnia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, anxiety, and so on. However, medically managed withdrawal does not guarantee sustained abstinence from addictive substances.

How to Find Withdrawal Management in Kansas City

Are you looking for a great facility that offers medically managed withdrawal services in Kansas City? Then, you may want to look us up at Arista Recovery. Our facility is committed to providing a safe, program-oriented setting where our clients can enjoy a peaceful and comfortable transitioning journey from a life of addiction to hope, freedom, progress, and improved health of mind and body.

Our detox withdrawal program includes medical therapy, psychological therapy, and carefully selected activities that provide accountability, fun, personal development, stability, community support, and recovery opportunities. Contact Arista Recovery today to learn more about our full continuum addiction treatment center in Kansas City.

Recent blog posts