Are Luxury Detox Centers Really Worth It?

After weeks, months or years of substance abuse, attempts to stop using may well be met with failure. At this point, many start to consider the need for professional detox treatment help. With all the different programs and options from which to choose, picking the program that best meets your treatment needs can be a challenge in and of itself.

While traditional detox programs can provide effective treatment interventions, some people may prefer a more tailor-made treatment approach in terms of accommodations and amenities. Traditional detox programs also follow standard treatment protocols and so tend to offer the bare basics when it comes to services provided.

Luxury detox programs offer an alternative approach to the recovery process. By placing a heavy emphasis on the importance of comfort and quality of care, residents who enter a luxury detox program are immersed within an environment that’s designed to be therapeutic in and of itself.

Not surprisingly, these added features do come with a price. Ultimately, whether or not luxury detox is really worth it has as much to do with a person’s financial means as it does his or her personal preferences.

Detox Treatment Process

With many types of addictions, the withdrawal and cravings effects experienced during the detox phase account for why so many addicts continue on in the addiction lifestyle. While long-term drug (or alcohol) use comes with its own episodes of withdrawal symptoms, detoxing from drugs brings on the worst of the worst in terms of withdrawal effects, according to Langone Medical Center.

Depending on the type of addiction, withdrawal symptoms may take the form of:

• Constipation diarrhea
• Chills and hot flashes
• Insomnia
• Extreme anxiety
• Severe depression
• Muscle aches and pain
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Restlessness

The importance of finding an effective detox program that makes this most difficult period as comfortable as possible cannot be underestimated at this crucial stage of recovery. Feeling safe, understood and provided for can make all the difference when withdrawal effects seem too much to bear. Luxury detox programs work to treat a person’s individual needs at the outset.

Baseline Standards of Treatment

The addictions field in general has a long history of research and application data from which to base today’s standard drug treatment models. In most cases, people who follow the direction and guidance offered through traditional drug treatment programs can expect to make progress in recovery.

While these directives have proven effective, they often only provide a baseline standard of treatment. Luxury detox programs go above and beyond standard treatment protocols in an effort to increase the likelihood of a successful detox outcome for those in recovery.

Luxury Detox Approach

Luxury detox centers cater to the affluent.

With luxury detox treatment being considerably more expensive than traditional programs, those who can afford luxury detox usually come from affluent backgrounds. Likewise, these backgrounds come with unique sets of pressures and stressors, many of which are required to maintain this standard of living. As peer supports are an essential part of the detox recovery process, having peers with like-minded issues and problems can greatly enhance the detox treatment experience.

Individualized Treatment Care

Regardless of the type of addiction, no two people will experience the damaging effects of chronic drug abuse in the same way. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, when it comes to treating addiction, a range of different factors can influence a person’s specific treatment needs, some of which include:

• Age
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Support from family and/or friends
• Type of drug used
• Duration of drug use
• History of drug abuse
• Family history of drug abuse
• Past history of sexual/emotion/physical abuse
• Motivation to get well

For these reasons, luxury detox centers base all treatment interventions on a person’s individual treatment needs. To accomplish this task, luxury detox centers draw up an initial treatment plan at the very start of the detox process. This treatment plan is based on a person’s individual circumstances as well as the specific challenges he or she might face in recovery.

Alternative Treatment Models

Where traditional programs tend to abide by a “one-size-fits-all” treatment model, luxury detox centers employ alternative treatment models designed to treat the “whole person” as opposed to just treating the physical and psychological effects of addiction. Also known as holistic-based treatment, these models approach addiction treatment as a healing process with interventions designed to support the mind and body’s natural healing systems.

While luxury detox centers can vary in the types of interventions offered, some of the more commonly used services include:

• Acupressure
• Mediation
• Yoga
• Massage
• Daily exercise routines
• Energy balancing

As drug and alcohol addictions are known for their damaging effects on a person’s sense of self and well-being, these interventions enable those in recovery to reconnect with the self by engaging the body’s natural healing mechanisms.

Aesthetic Effects

Overcoming drug addiction means replacing an addiction lifestyle with one that doesn’t require drugs as an emotional support. This process entails a considerable degree of change and discomfort along the way.

While change in this respect is good, drastic changes to one’s core lifestyle can make for an unsettling detox experience.

For people accustomed to “the finer things in life,” the baseline amenities offered by traditional treatment programs may make the detox experience all the more difficult to bear. Luxury detox centers use aesthetics to enhance the treatment experience while at the same time accommodating the core lifestyle needs of their clientele.

In order to do this, luxury detox programs provide:

• Facilities situated in scenic settings, such as along the ocean or in the mountains
• Gourmet dining
• Spa treatments

Cutting-Edge Treatments

While standardized treatments do a good job at treating the challenges that come with addiction, many luxury detox centers implement cutting-edge treatment approaches in addition to the standard approaches used in addiction recovery. Cutting-edge treatments may take the form of:

• Biofeedback therapies
• SPECT scans
• Dialectical therapy

All in all, luxury detox centers pick up where traditional programs leave off in terms of ensuring their particular clientele receive the type of treatment that offers the best chance of a successful outcome in recovery.