Key points
- Medical detox is supervised care for withdrawal. It is the first step of treatment, not the whole plan.
- At Jasper Grove Recovery in Indianapolis, detox means 24/7 nursing support and qualified medical providers who evaluate medication needs, with residential treatment available in the same place afterward.
- Indiana Medicaid, commercial insurance and military coverage are accepted. Coverage check happens on the call.
- How long detox takes is decided by medical necessity, not a calendar.
- Admissions answers 24/7 at 317.527.4529.
In this article
- Why “what to expect” matters
- What “medical detox” means
- Calling admissions
- Arrival
- What withdrawal care looks like day to day
- Why detox is the start, not the whole plan
- Safety after detox: what families should know about tolerance and naloxone
- Questions to ask any medical detox program
- Start with one call
- Sources
Why “what to expect” matters
Most people who search “detox Indianapolis” are not looking for a definition. They are looking for a picture. What actually happens when someone walks through the door? Who is there at night? Will they be given anything for the withdrawal? What comes after?
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says that “treatment needs to be readily available,” because people “may be uncertain about entering treatment,” and taking advantage of care “the moment people are ready” is critical [1]. Not knowing what to expect is one of the things that makes people uncertain. This article walks through medical detox at Jasper Grove Recovery in Indianapolis, step by step, in plain language, so that the unknown is smaller.
What “medical detox” means
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes detoxification as a set of interventions for managing acute intoxication and withdrawal [2]. The clinical name is medically supervised withdrawal management. The patient-friendly name is medical detox.
SAMHSA describes three parts to it: evaluation, which includes screening for co-occurring mental and physical conditions; stabilization, which means helping the person through acute intoxication and withdrawal to a medically stable, substance-free state; and fostering entry into treatment [2]. SAMHSA considers a detox process that leaves out any of the three to be incomplete [2].
The key word is supervised. When a person stops using alcohol, opioids, or other substances, the body reacts. Some of those reactions are uncomfortable. Some are dangerous. Medical detox puts 24/7 nursing support around the person while that happens, with qualified medical providers evaluating medication needs, so symptoms are watched, treated, and kept as safe as possible.
And medical detox is not treatment by itself. SAMHSA is clear that detoxification alone is not sufficient treatment, and that it is one part of a continuum of care [2]. NIDA says it another way — medically assisted detoxification is “only the first stage” of treatment and “by itself does little to change long-term” use [1].
Calling admissions
Everything starts with a phone call. Admissions answers 24/7 at 317.527.4529.
On that call, admissions listens to what is going on, answers your questions, and talks through which level of care fits. This is not a test. Honest answers help admissions talk through what fits, and any prescription medications you take come with you in their original bottles, so the attending provider can review them at admission.
Coverage is worked out on the call, too. Jasper Grove Recovery accepts Indiana Medicaid — Anthem, CareSource, MHS, Humana Healthy Horizons and traditional Indiana Medicaid — plus commercial insurance, military coverage and private pay. Coverage check happens on the call. Coverage depends on your specific plan, so have your member ID ready; admissions verifies your benefits on the call, before you commit to anything. Checking your coverage doesn’t mean you’ve decided anything. It just means you’ll know. If you are a Medicaid member, see Does Indiana Medicaid cover residential treatment?
We help arrange transportation for admission, necessary appointments during treatment, and post-discharge plans. If you are calling for someone else, admissions answers your questions the same way, any hour.
Arrival
Arrival at Jasper Grove Recovery is about safety and comfort, in that order.
Nursing support is in place around the clock, from the moment of arrival, and qualified medical providers evaluate medication needs. At admission the attending provider reviews any medications you bring, including vitamins, supplements and over-the-counter products, and decides what continues.
Belongings are checked in. The basics of what to bring are on our what-to-expect page, and admissions goes over the full list, including what stays home, when you call. Men and women are housed separately.
Then the person rests. That sounds simple, but for many people it is the first real rest they have had in a long time.
What withdrawal care looks like day to day
Nursing around the clock. 24/7 nursing support means nursing coverage at every hour of the day and night, through detox and residential care, so withdrawal is watched through the day and through the night.
Medication when it helps. Withdrawal from different substances is managed differently:
- For opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, or pain pills: nationally, the medications for opioid use disorder approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone [3]. At Jasper Grove Recovery, medication-assisted treatment with Suboxone, Subutex or Vivitrol is available as part of treatment; qualified medical providers decide what is appropriate, and it can continue into residential care. NIDA notes that people treated with buprenorphine “are less likely to die or to have an overdose than those who do not receive treatment” [3].
- For alcohol, nurses monitor closely and qualified medical providers evaluate medication needs, because alcohol withdrawal can be a medical emergency. Seizures are “most common in the first 12 to 48 hours after the last drink,” and delirium tremens “is serious and may be life-threatening” [4]. If someone at home shows confusion, hallucinations, a seizure, or chest pain while trying to stop drinking, call 911.
- For other substances, care focuses on the specific symptoms a person has — sleep, nausea, anxiety, cravings — with medications and comfort measures chosen by the medical team.
Comfort measures. Fluids, food, sleep, quiet, and nursing support at every hour. A registered dietitian approves the menus, with gluten-free, diabetic, lactose-free and vegetarian options, and cultural and religious needs are accommodated. There are set times in designated areas for people who smoke. None of that is dramatic. All of it matters.
Time. People ask how long detox takes. The honest answer is that length of stay is determined by medical necessity. It depends on the substance, the person’s health, and how symptoms progress.
Why detox is the start, not the whole plan
NIDA is direct that “no single treatment is appropriate for everyone,” and that effective treatment “attends to multiple needs of the individual,” not only the substance use [1]. Detox stabilizes the body. What changes the pattern is the treatment that follows.
At Jasper Grove Recovery, medical detox and residential treatment are provided in the same place, and whether care begins in medical detox or residential treatment is a clinical decision, made with you. Residential care includes:
- Individual and group sessions with clinicians, using approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and trauma-informed care.
- Care for co-occurring mental health conditions, so a person’s mental health is treated alongside their substance use.
- Medication management by qualified medical providers, including medication-assisted treatment when appropriate.
- Family programming and family sessions. Once you’ve signed a release, family programming runs every week for family members and other support people, and a family session with your clinician can be arranged on request, in person or virtually. NIDA notes that “involvement of a family member or significant other in an individual’s treatment program can strengthen and extend treatment benefits” [1].
- Aftercare planning. Discharge planning starts at admission. A member of your care team offers to meet with you every week to build your aftercare plan, including a relapse-prevention plan and connections to community support. Before you leave, you receive a written discharge plan.
- Peer support, including 12-step (Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous) and SMART Recovery meetings on site.
Length of stay in residential care is also determined by medical necessity.
Safety after detox: what families should know about tolerance and naloxone
One fact deserves its own section. After a period without opioids, the body’s tolerance drops. SAMHSA’s Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit lists “using drugs after a recent period of abstinence, which may decrease previous tolerance levels” as a risk factor for overdose [5]. In plain terms: an amount that a person used before can be fatal after detox.
That is one reason detox is meant to lead into treatment rather than end at the door. It is also why families should know where the naloxone is and how to use it. Naloxone “is a non-narcotic that is an antidote for opioid overdoses,” and in Indiana no prescription is needed — a person can ask a pharmacy or other provider to use the state health commissioner’s statewide standing order [6]. The Indiana Department of Health’s guidance after giving naloxone is to call an ambulance immediately [6].
If someone stops breathing, turns blue, or cannot be woken, call 911. If someone is having thoughts of suicide, that is an emergency. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by call or text [7], and 911 is the right call if someone is in immediate danger.
Questions to ask any medical detox program
Use this list on any call, including ours.
- Is nursing available 24 hours a day?
- Who evaluates medication needs, and is medication-assisted treatment available?
- What happens after detox — is residential treatment available in the same place?
- Is co-occurring mental health care part of treatment?
- How are families involved, and when can they visit?
- How is discharge planning done, and when does it start?
- Is the program accredited, and by whom? (Jasper Grove Recovery is accredited by The Joint Commission.)
Start with one call
If someone you love needs to stop and you are not sure how to begin, begin here. Call Jasper Grove Recovery in Indianapolis at 317.527.4529. Admissions answers 24/7, and the coverage check happens on the call.
Sources
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition). https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/podat-3rdEd-508.pdf
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. TIP 45: Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment — Appendix C, Quick Guide for Clinicians (NCBI Bookshelf). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64044/
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/medications-opioid-use-disorder
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Delirium tremens. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000766.htm
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit (PEP23-03-00-001). https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/overdose-prevention-response-kit-pep23-03-00-001.pdf
- Indiana Department of Health. Overdose Prevention: Naloxone 101. https://www.in.gov/health/overdose-prevention/naloxone/naloxone-101
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
