Veterans Detox Center In Los Angeles
Veterans face higher rates of substance abuse than the general population, often triggered by traumatic experiences. An evidence-based medical detox program is the most critical first step in your recovery journey as a veteran dealing with substance addiction and dependence. DetoxLA is a leading veterans detox center in Los Angeles. We’re prepared to provide you with medical treatment to increase comfort and reduce the risk of complications in a welcoming environment.
Our Los Angeles veterans addiction treatment program is the best way to start with a clean slate physically and mentally as you explore what the rest of your life can look like without drugs or alcohol.
DetoxLA is a medical detox center in California. Contact us to learn more about how our Los Angeles detox center can help you or a loved one today.
Veterans and Addiction
Veterans have bravely served our country and often have been in combat zones that are highly stressful and life-threatening. This is one reason they’re at a higher risk of developing substance use disorders and other mental health disorders than people with no service history.
When service members are on active duty, they constantly face high-pressure and even deadly situations. Then, once leaving active duty, it can be challenging for veterans to return to civilian life.
Veterans may experience homelessness and mental health disorders like posttraumatic stress disorder, and they may also turn to substances, including drugs and alcohol, to self-medicate or as a coping mechanism.
There are other reasons that veterans have higher addiction rates as well. One is the risk of injury. When a veteran is injured during military service, it can lead to chronic pain, resulting in self-medication.
In some research, around 11% of veterans going to the VA health care system for the first time for care met the criteria for being diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Alcohol and drug use disorders are more common among male than female veterans and veterans who are younger and unmarried.
Symptoms of addiction include:
- Extreme substance cravings
- Lack of control over substance use
- Basing a daily routine around the use of the substance
- Inability to stop using even when making a serious effort to
- Impairment in every area of your daily life
- Abandoning other activities and interests
- Continuing to use a substance despite known negative effects
- Withdrawal symptoms with decreased use or stopping the substance
- Your relationships are affected by your substance use
We understand the unique needs of veterans at our LA veterans addiction treatment center. We offer inpatient medical detox programs in an evidence-based, compassionate environment.
Addiction vs. Dependence
While the terms addiction and dependence are often used as if they’re interchangeable, they’re medically different concepts. Addiction is a brain disease defined by compulsive drug-seeking and use behaviors.
Dependence can occur with or without addiction. It’s possible, for example, to become dependent on prescription medicines without meeting the addiction criteria.
When you use a brain-altering substance for a period of time, your brain chemicals adjust to its presence. Your normal sense of balance or homeostasis is disrupted, and then you readjust to a new normal with the presence of the substance.
If you do something to interrupt that new homeostasis that’s reliant on the substance, then you might experience withdrawal symptoms as your brain and body try to regain balance once again. Along with withdrawal symptoms, the early days after you stop using drugs or alcohol can also mean intense cravings.
These are relapse risk factors.
A safe, comfortable detox can minimize difficult symptoms and cravings that could otherwise derail your recovery.
That’s our focus at our LA veterans detox center. We want to create a sense of comfort in a healing environment so that you’re best prepared to move to the next steps of your treatment or recovery.
What To Expect During Withdrawal
Withdrawal symptoms can be mild to severe, and in rare cases, they can be life-threatening. Things that affect your withdrawal symptoms include:
- Your overall health and any underlying conditions you might have
- The severity of your substance use
- How long you’ve been using the substance
- Whether you have multiple addictions
- The substance
General withdrawal symptoms commonly occurring include:
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sleep disturbances
- Changes in mood
- Restlessness and irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Flu-like symptoms
- Runny nose
- Tremors or shaking
Opioids and stimulants have less severe withdrawal symptoms than alcohol and benzodiazepines. Alcohol and benzodiazepines are depressants. Withdrawal symptoms are usually the opposite of the symptoms of the substance you depend on. With alcohol and benzodiazepines, over-excitement in the brain can occur, leading to severe symptoms like delirium tremens and seizures.
DetoxLA is a veterans detox center in Los Angeles providing specialized care in a safe environment.
Want to know more about the potential reasons for enrolling in an LA men’s detox center? The professionals at Detox LA are standing by to assist you.
What Is Medical Detox?
Detoxing independently without medical supervision and care is possible, but there are risks. If your symptoms become severe, you need to have medical care quickly.
Medical detox is the initial step in the process of addiction treatment. The goal of an alcohol and drug detox program is to help you stabilize, and your body eliminate substances from your system.
Licensed medical professionals and clinicians will monitor your vitals during a medical detox. They might use medications to help with symptoms or wean you off substances you depend on.
Medical detox has benefits, including providing a safe environment, reducing uncomfortable symptoms that could lead to relapse, and providing medical support when you have co-occurring mental health disorders or other health issues.
The steps of a medical detox program usually begin with an assessment. You then go through the withdrawal and treatment process individually planned for you, and from there, you prepare to transition. This transition can mean you’re beginning an inpatient or outpatient rehab program or therapy or that you’re going to participate in a 12-step program or similar support group. Medical detox usually lasts 3 to 7 days, but this can vary greatly based on individual factors.
Find a new beginning at DetoxLA, a veterans detox center in Los Angeles providing professional medical care to help you through a challenging but critical time.
Choosing a Veterans Detox Center in Los Angeles
DetoxLA provides inpatient medical detox to clients. Our programs require you to check in and stay onsite during this time. This is optimal for most people because it allows you to receive medical care and remove yourself from everyday challenges and triggers.
You have 24/7 access to the support services you need.
You should be aware that, in many cases, insurance will cover some or all of the costs of medical detox programs if you’re struggling with drug or alcohol addiction.
Contact DetoxLA today. Our team can help go over what you might expect during your medical detox or help you arrange for a loved one to receive treatment. We can verify your insurance coverage and your out-of-pocket obligations.