Understanding addiction
Addiction is a chronic brain disease and is now rightly talked about as an illness rather than a bad choice or a particular personal failing. When someone repeatedly uses a substance to regulate their emotions, whether that’s nicotine, alcohol, another drug or even food, physical addiction can occur. This is because addiction changes the way the brain works. Once this process has occurred it’s incredibly difficult for someone to simply stop using the substance.
For example, opioid drugs trigger the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that make you feel good. These endorphins change your perception and give you a sense of well-being and even euphoria. Because this feeling eventually wears off, you repeat the behaviour of taking opioid drugs to get that same feeling. In some cases, it becomes the only way you can maintain that euphoric sense of well-being. However, the brain also changes and starts to slow down the release of endorphins for anything but this one drug. Additionally, long-term drug use can mean you constantly have to take more of the drug to achieve the same feeling.
So a person can easily become trapped in a vicious cycle of physical addiction.
What is a detox?
A detox is the timeframe when the body rids itself of an unhealthy substance. It starts when you abstain from using a drug, drinking alcohol, or behaving in a certain way. For those with a substance use disorder, detox will begin after the last dose clears the body. Depending on which substance you’re detoxing from, the process can vary and can have different effects on your mind and body. For example, someone detoxing from alcohol may have an entirely different experience compared to someone detoxing from opioids.
Common side effects of detox
Those who develop a physical dependence on a drug require help with detoxing, including after care, because of the physical side effects typically associated with detox. Common side effects of detox include:
- fatigue
- irritability
- insomnia
- depression
- anxiety
- tremors
- sweating
- headaches
- upset stomach and/or vomiting
- increased heart rate
- mood swings
- muscle pain
- shakiness
- difficulty concentrating
Because the side effects of detoxing can be so severe, it’s important to get professional help when deciding to detox.
NAD+ detox programme
Our addiction detox programme uses NAD+ to help you overcome your addiction. It has been devised by healthcare professionals including medical experts, nutritionists and life coaches to help you detox safely and finally overcome your addiction for good.
NAD+ helps with detox and addiction recovery by:
- Ridding the body of toxins caused by drugs and alcohol to detox the system
- Reducing withdrawal effects to make the detox process more comfortable
- Curbing the cravings for drugs and alcohol both physically and mentally
Boosting NAD+ levels also leaves you more alert, more mentally sharp and generally more energised to make the entire detox journey that little bit easier.
Detoxing can be a difficult and scary decision to make which is why we want to help. We offer either in-clinic therapy or if you prefer we offer an at-home service.
We offer everyone a complimentary initial consultation to help us understand more about your situation and with two packages to choose from: Essential or Optimum, you’re able to choose the detox programme that will work best for you.
Find out more about our addiction detox programme.
