What Does Withdrawal Feel Like?

To anyone addicted to drugs or alcohol, withdrawal in some form is an everyday reality. It comes every time they are late with a hit or shot. Life as an addict is about keeping up with the addiction, ensuring that there is always enough on hand to keep withdrawal from getting out of hand. When you need to actually quit, though, what does withdrawal feel like?

At White Sands Treatment, experts in addiction work overtime to ensure that patients going through detox never need to truly know the full extent of what withdrawal does to the body. Many people addicted and hoping to quit, however, do try to quit cold turkey, hoping to steel themselves through the process, and make do with a few drug withdrawal remedies. They simply don’t realize how bad it can be until it hits them.

The movies always get it wrong

The movies tend to present withdrawal as a caricature. Since movies need to be interesting to watch, they often make their actors foam at the mouth, and go on trips of frenzied agitation. It’s what Hollywood showed in The Basketball Diaries and other movies like it.

In reality, withdrawal can be about deep, unending pain, a deep depression, or a desire to avoid all contact. Occasionally, however, these symptoms can get worse. It’s important to realize that withdrawal can be very different for different drugs, and for different kinds of addiction. The longer an addiction has lasted, the greater the quantities of drug involved, the worse the symptoms can be. In the worst cases, permanent brain damage and death are possible in the aftermath of the withdrawal symptoms involved in alcohol or heroin addictions.

One of the most interesting facts about withdrawal to remember is this: when withdrawal is done at home, where there is always the choice to give up on withdrawal and return to drugs, the cravings can be unbearable. Addiction being a psychological condition, the mind simply knows that when it truly craves those drugs, there is a chance of getting them. In the case of inpatient rehab, where the patient is placed in a drug-free environment and cannot easily leave, the symptoms tend to be not as pronounced. People withdrawing in prison tend to have it the easiest. The mind, knowing that leaving is not an option, simply doesn’t crave a hit as much. What does withdrawal feel like? The answer is, it’s relative.

Accepting rehab at a professional center, then, is simply the best way to address addiction.

Not being in a hurry to overcome those symptoms

Many people facing rehab tend to be interested in a question: how long does drug withdrawal last. While it does tend to take between two and four weeks, the slow, regular way is much better than some of the alternatives. Rapid detox is one. It is a fast rehab process performed under sedation. Unfortunately, such rehab is often dangerous.

Finding quality rehab

Whatever drug or combination of drugs you may be addicted to, finding high quality inpatient rehab is the best way to address withdrawal discomfort and pain. It’s important to realize, however, that not all inpatient rehab is created the same. At White Sands Treatment, for instance, there’s a great deal of attention paid to patient comfort. Each patient is given as much or as little relief from pain as they desire. There are qualified medical professionals on duty night and day to administer medications for pain relief and other symptoms.

The best way to determine that the rehab you go to does offer such sensitive treatment is to ask – both professionals at the rehab, and alumni who may write reviews on forums.

It may not be easy to quit in addiction, but it certainly doesn’t need to be as hard as it often is. Call White Sands treatment at 877-855-3470, and find out how safe and wonderful quality rehab can be.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.