Detox is not treatment for the underlying causes of drug and alcohol addiction. It’s simply the first step in the acute stage of physical recovery from addiction. Studies show that detox alone will not affect long-term substance use.
Medically-supervised detoxification, or detox, clears harmful drug and alcohol toxins from the body, while the patient receives medications to ease withdrawal symptoms and prevent complications. Detox does not provide the integrated treatment services that address addiction – such as behavioral therapies, pharmaceutical therapies or relapse prevention and aftercare strategies.