It’s often said that we get out of our body what we put into it. Or simply, you are what you eat. Our bodies are amazing in how they operate. Everything we eat or drink gets broken down for the purposes of feeding our muscles, strengthening our bones, and pumping vitamins and minerals throughout. When we eat right and exercise, our bodies work like a finely tuned machine. But when we allow addiction to take hold, whether it’s food, drugs, or alcohol, it starts to disrupt the natural processes that take place. It’s the chemicals and toxins we become addicted to. We become addicted to the ‘feel-good’ side of addictions while ignoring the consequences, and dont realize the need to detox your body until it might be too late.
The Danger Of Drugs
Drug abuse is extremely taxing on the human body. Whether the drug is being used for the first time, or an abuser is taking drugs for the thousandth time, each hit harms the body in one form or another. Of course, the longer drug abuse takes place, more damage is done to the body. Think of drugs as synthetic chemicals. It’s all about chemistry. They trick the brain into releasing certain hormones that make us feel good, but our blood pumps the toxins throughout the entire body. They hit nearly every organ, impacting the heart, the liver, your lungs, causes cancer, and increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes. And worst of all, it rewires the way the brain works. Drugs have been known to completely change a person’s personality. It impacts their sleeping habits and impairs their decision-making. They become much more impulsive and often find themselves at higher risks of committing violence, mostly to stay high. In a lot of cases, drug abusers find themselves on the outside looking in. Their whole life becomes all about chasing the high. They lose interest in relationships, push away love ones, end up doing worse at work and/or school, and find themselves spending time with enablers rather than people they’ve known their whole life.
The Desire to Get Clean
When a family member is lost in addiction, loved ones will try everything they can, including intervention, to bring them back. In the cases where intervention works at convincing the abuser it’s time to stop, that still leaves the huge task of overcoming the addiction itself. It’s not as easy as just quitting the drug of choice. The brain has become so dependent on those chemicals for so long that the body will react harshly to life without the drug. This often leads many to attempt to get clean, but end up running back to what made them feel good. It can be a hopeless feeling that makes you think you cannot survive or be happy without the drug. When someone commits to wanting to be clean, there should be a detoxification period to rid the body of all the harmful toxins and chemicals that have burdened it for so long. In some instances, to detox your body from major addictions is too dangerous to attempt on your own and require medical supervision. Do not attempt to get off any drug without talking to your doctor first. People have died by not taking seriously the effects of drugs and alcohol on their system. As often as addicts tell themselves they can quit any time they want, they really can’t. Not without help, guidance, and a plan on how to move forward.
The Detoxing Process
Naturally, the body already does a great job at removing toxins. It’s the constant reintroduction of that toxin which creates problems for the body. But when you decide to get clean and stop doing that drug, it allows the body to catch up and clean out the nasty chemicals that have plagued it for so long. It’s not uncommon for withdrawal symptoms to be accompanied with diarrhea, sweats, chills, vomiting, headaches, and muscle soreness, among other issues. It can often be compared to getting a bad flu, so it’s best to be prepared for the symptoms ahead of time. The symptoms might last anywhere from 3 to 14 days. This is also why it’s important to have someone in your corner. Have them help you with any cooking or cleaning that might need to be done and to check in on you to make sure your eating right and staying hydrated.
Getting Back to the Basics
Other than anticipating the withdrawal symptoms and preparing to treat them, the rest of our nutritional needs should be obvious. It’s about getting back to the basics of good, clean eating. Think of our bodies like a car. When we start adding in the wrong types of fuel, that’s when the car sputters and doesn’t work properly. The engine breaks down. When we add the right type of fuel, the car runs smoothly. By giving your body proper nutrients, you will heal faster. This means eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, as they contain all the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive. Over time, your heart, brain, muscles, lungs, and any other organ affected will heal itself. In some instances, the damage is too great and there will be some lingering health issues. Therefore, it’s important to your success to have a team of experts behind you. It’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to do this on your own. You will need medical supervision and support in many key areas of your life to kick your addiction. Even as the worst of it passes, you should have a plan for life after the addiction. Many people believe detoxing on your own is the way to go. The detox process is very complex and should be handled catering to your own medical needs.
Next Steps
This is where Landmark Recovery can help. We help addicts every single day by customizing treatment plans around the needs of our patients. Landmark will walk you through the detoxing your body from drugs and get you back on the right track. We take care of everything from counseling, therapy sessions, and a wholesome diet, to family networking, spiritual health, workshops, and aftercare planning to ensure victory against addiction. After detox a great recommendation is to look into a residential treatment program. Contact Landmark Recovery today for more information about our 30-day residential program.
