Level 3.2D: DETOXIFICATION

Sub-acute detoxification services is provided at our residential facility in Petoskey. This service is offered to adult males 18 and over, who have been assessed as requiring a supervised withdrawal of alcohol and/or drugs.
Detoxification can be said to have three immediate goals: (1) to provide a safe withdrawal from alcohol or other drug(s) of dependence and enable the patient to become free of non-prescribed medications; (2) to provide a withdrawal that is humane and that protects the patient's dignity; and (3) to prepare the patient for ongoing treatment.

1. To provide a safe withdrawal from the drug(s) of dependence and enable the patient to become drug-free. Many risks are associated with withdrawal. For persons who are severely dependent on alcohol, abrupt, untreated cessation of drinking may result in withdrawal delirium, seizures, marked hyperautonomic signs, or death. Other sedative-hypnotics also may produce life-threatening withdrawal syndromes. Withdrawal from opiates and stimulants produces severe discomfort but generally is not life-threatening. It may, however, present a danger to those who are debilitated by advanced HIV disease, advanced age, coronary artery disease, and other medical problems. Moreover, risks to the patient and society are not limited to the severity of the patient's physical disturbance, particularly when the detoxification is conducted in an outpatient setting. Outpatients experiencing withdrawal symptoms may self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs, and the interaction between prescribed medication and self-administered drugs may result in an overdose.

2. To provide a withdrawal that is humane and thus protects the patient's dignity. Harbor Hall has a caring staff in a supportive environment that is sensitivity to cultural issues, confidentiality, and the selection of appropriate detoxification medication (if needed) all are important to providing humane withdrawal. The Harbor Hall staff is firm as well as sympathetic and has experience in dealing with difficult behaviors that often accompany detoxification.

3. To prepare the patient for ongoing treatment of his or her dependence on alcohol or other drugs. During detoxification, patients may form therapeutic relationships with treatment staff or other patients, and may become aware of alternatives to an alcohol- or drug-using lifestyle. Detoxification is an opportunity to offer patients information and to motivate them for longer term treatment.