Detoxification

The first phase of rehabilitation. There are two types of addiction, mental and physical. Both types of addiction involve similar self-destructive behaviour by the consumption of an unsafe amount of substances. The key distinction between the two types is that physical addiction occurs should an individual exhibit a dependence on the substance in order for his or her cognitive, cardiovascular and/or metabolic functions to perform normally.

A potentially fatal mistake people make is the immediate and medically unsupervised removal or confiscation of a substance, causing the affected individual to experience withdrawal symptoms, many of which can be fatal if not attended to appropriately e.g. cardiac arrest, seizures. In essence, detoxification allows the individual to safely clear their body of the substance circulating in their blood, and slowly phase into the first steps of recovery.

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Although substances are removed at an immediate basis upon entry into Serenity. The slow and guided process will allow the individual to healthily begin their recovery at a pace most suitable to their success based on their specific needs. Note, detoxification is not necessary for all persons experiencing addiction-like behaviour.