Pros and Cons of Doing an At Home Detox from Drugs and Alcohol

When you talk about detoxing at home from drugs or alcohol, it is important to understand that this means outpatient treatment with medical help. Detoxing at home, alone, is inadvisable in many cases and may even be deadly. If you are addicted to prescription drugs you should not attempt to do it alone.

Pros of an at Home Detox for Drugs and Alcohol

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, outpatient detox in combination with detoxing at home costs less than inpatient residential treatment. There are also other benefits. When you detox at home from drugs and alcohol you can:

• remain at work or school
• remain with your family
• attend treatment on your own time
• have a wider access to treatment methods
• sometimes you have a better social support system
• your family and friends can remain by your side
• you retain greater freedom

Outpatient treatment allows you more flexibility and decision making power than residential or inpatient treatment does. You should choose an outpatient detox if:

• you cannot take time off of work or school
• you have family obligations that you cannot leave for any amount of time
• you have pets or other issues at home that cannot be provided for
• there is no way that you can leave your residence

You have more freedom when you detox from home.

Unfortunately, not everyone can handle at home drug and alcohol detox, and some people shouldn’t even consider this option as it could be too dangerous if they are heavily addicted.

Cons of an at Home Detox for Drugs and Alcohol

There are quite a few cons to at home detox for drug or alcohol addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the alternative to outpatient drug or alcohol detox is an inpatient or residential detox program. The cons of at home detox or outpatient detox are:

• you are exposed to your triggers daily
• you have a greater chance of relapse
• you have a greater chance of overdose
• you are in the same stressful situation that caused you to use drugs in the first place
• you might not have a place to stay for outpatient treatment
• there is more of a chance someone will recognize you
• there is less privacy when the detox is at its worst
• you do not have access to the medical treatment and counseling provided 24 hours a day
• you have to have transportation to and from treatment

These are all reasons to choose an inpatient or residential treatment over at home treatment. Many people try at home treatment first and then when it fails turn to residential treatment. One of the most important things to ask yourself when weighing the pros and cons of residential treatment is what are the chances you will relapse if you stay at home.

Finding at Treatment for a Drug and Alcohol Addiction

After you weigh the pros and cons of at home versus residential detox treatment, you will need to find a treatment center. To do that all you need to do is call 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?).

Pros and Cons of Outpatient Alcohol Detox