Fear of withdrawal and detox

What are the connections between where addiction ends (or continues) and the fear of going through what may be a painful and uncomfortable withdrawal from drug usage and fear of living sober? First there must be some understanding of the facts of withdrawal and what that person will go through both mentally and physically. There are many common physical side effects of withdrawal including restless legs, diarrhea, aches and pains and cold sweats, mental effects in some instances including hearing and seeing things that aren’t there.

Anyone that has dealt with a physical dependence on a substance is very aware of how serious and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms can be. Much of the addict’s time is spent seeking out or using substances to avoid even minor withdrawal affects. This is what makes it difficult for that person to stop using long term.

For these reasons and many more detoxification needs to be done as professionally as possible, as many times hospitalization may be necessary. If the substance user may ultimately decide that it is too difficult to endure, they wind up resorting back to using.

In best case scenario, detox can be made as comfortable as possible through intervention and care.