When you are facing the uncomfortable period of withdrawal it can be helpful to know how long detox will take. However, giving a specific answer without knowing your individual case is impossible because it depends on a number of factors. Drug detox can take 2 days or 2 weeks with psychological symptoms lasting for months.
Factors Influencing How Long Detox Will Take
Addiction requires both a physical detox and a psychological one but normally the term detox refers to the actual time it takes until the substance you are leaving behind is out of your system. Once that happens, your body can begin to heal and it is time to start on the psychological part of the healing journey. The actual physical detox is the shortest part of the process, but it can also be one of the most difficult. Let’s take a deeper look at the factors involved.
Type of Substance and Time of Abuse
When looking at how long detox will take, we need to know what substance or substances you have been using and how long these have been a part of your life. In most cases, it takes 24-72 hours before you begin to feel the effects of withdrawal. Normally, your body has rid itself of the majority of the toxic substance within a week. However, it can be as long as a month for some of the withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, extreme fatigue, and loss of appetite to ease completely.
Figuring out how long drug or alcohol detox takes also depends on how long you have been dependent or addicted to the substance. The longer your body has had to consider the drugs a normal thing, the longer it will take to fully get through the physical detox. Your body has to re-adapt to existing without the harmful toxins.
Factors that Can Influence the Detox Timeline
Type of substance and length of duration of use aren’t the only things needed to answer how long does detox take.
- Age, gender, and weight – The body metabolizes substances differently based on these factors.
- A genetic predisposition for addiction – If there is a long family history of addiction, it may take your body longer to begin healing.
- Overall health – Your overall general health also plays a part. Detox is difficult for all your vital organs. If you are also dealing with heart problems, diabetes, or liver problems, more complications can arise that require a slower detox process.
- Co-occurring mental health disorders – Whether or not you are dealing with mental health issues can make the process take longer. The symptoms of detox often include things like depression and anxiety so they will cause an underlying mental health disorder to worsen for a time.
Often people don’t even know they have certain health conditions because it may have been years since they have visited a doctor. This is why a thorough health evaluation before detox is critical. Although, the medical detox center in Jacksonville is equipped to handle any complications.
These factors, known or unknown will contribute to the detox timeline. It is important to be honest during consultations for detox to ensure a more accurate picture of what you can expect to experience during detox.
Tides Edge Detox
When you first contact Tides Edge Detox and come for your initial intake, we take the time to thoroughly evaluate you or your loved one. Every individual requires an approach to detox that is suited for their particular circumstances. Our trained staff will look at all the variables and you will be given an estimated time for which we believe you will need to stay.
In most cases, your length of stay will be one to two weeks and then you will move to another place to continue your healing. It is recommended to spend at least 90 days in addiction treatment after detox.
Don’t let any worries about how long detox will take or anything else be a factor in making this decision. The solid foundation you will begin building during detox is well worth it. Call 866.723.3127 today to get started.
