Drug Detoxification Centers Options in British Columbia

The use of drugs in British Columbia is a serious concern. A recent report showed that British Columbia seized more drugs than anywhere else in North America. The amount of drugs seized indicates that there is a serious need for drug detoxification programs in the province. The detoxification is the first step in getting the residents of British Columbia over their addiction.

The residents of British Columbia have two choices when it comes to choosing a detoxification program. They can either make use of one of the government funded programs which are available to everyone of every economic level, or they can pay for a private detoxification program.

Most of the government funded detoxification programs in British Columbia are very traditional. However the private ones can be very different. While some of the privately run detoxification programs follow traditional methods, some are experimenting with different approaches to the detoxification processes.

There are three standard approaches to drug detoxification.

The most traditional method of drug detoxification and the one that most government funded programs in British Columbia adhere to is medical detox. The thing that defines medical detox is the use of drugs to help the addict rid themselves of the residual drugs. The idea is that the medications speed the process up, and the faster the detoxification process is the higher turnover rate there is going to be. The other advantage to using the drugs is that they can help ease some of the side effects.

If an addict is entering into a medical drug detoxification program in British Columbia it is really important that the staff is aware of any allergies the addict might have to certain types of medication. Since medications are used during medical detoxification programs many of them take place in a hospital where the staff has easy access to everything that they need.

The most common alternative to medical detoxification programs are non-medical detoxification programs. The employees of a non-medical program are trained to use IV's, nutrients, and therapy to assist the addict through the detoxification process. Many addicts are more comfortable entering a non-medical drug detox because they are hoping to wean themselves from drugs altogether and they are worried about how they will react to the medicines that are administered during a medical program.

One of the biggest problems with both the medical and non-medical drug detoxification programs in British Columbia is that they are short term. Even when added to the short-term residential program, the addict is only cut off from drugs for about 33 days, after which they are turned loose and expected to resist the cravings for drugs.

The problem is that most addicts still have drug residue lodged in their fatty cells and in their brain. The remaining residue is enough to still trigger severe cravings that the addict is unable to ignore. To help these addicts, some private drug detoxification programs are long term. The addict spends several months in the program where they are subjected to a holistic approach to drug rehabilitation and detoxification. This form of detoxification is called Bio-physical Those holistic drug rehab centers can be found in British Columbia.

^{Sources:
http://www.addictionenders.com/drug_rehab_bc.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Drug-Rehab-and-Detox-Programs-Explained---A-Simple-and-Easy-Description-of-Many-Different-Programs&id=1298991
http://www.drug-treatment-center.ca/britishcolumbia.htm}