What Is Medical Detox?

You may hear the word “detox” used in a familiar way to describe cleansing the body of unhealthy food. But what is medical detox, and how is it different than our usual understanding of the term?

Medical detox refers to ridding the body of toxic, addictive substances under the supervision of a licensed medical professional team. This team is headed by a physician and comprises nurses, clinical staff and therapists.

Like diabetes, asthma or rheumatoid arthritis, addiction is a chronic condition that flares up occasionally but can be managed. Medical detoxification plays a similar role in addiction to a hospital emergency department in managing long-term medical conditions. Like an ER visit for an asthma attack, medical detox for addiction stabilizes an acute flare-up of a chronic disease but does not change its long-term course.

For most people seeking inpatient or residential drug and alcohol treatment, medical detoxification is the priority and occurs at the beginning of treatment. While medical detox alone is not considered addiction treatment, those who complete medical detox are more likely to stay in treatment longer and have longer stretches of sobriety.