Unfortunately, the epidemic of addiction has continued to spread throughout our nation. More people are falling into the grips of various drugs and alcohol every single day. And while many of these people are able to overcome the hellacious battle of addiction through various treatment methods, there are others who do not find success with this and continue to struggle. As a result, many different types of treatment methods have been developed to try and better help these individuals. One such new method is being referred to as virtual detox.
Technology has begun to be more heavily implemented into many different areas of our society, with addiction treatment being one of them. Virtual detox is a method of employing technology for the purpose of helping individuals to detox on an outpatient basis. It uses a device for breath analysis, which detects alcohol, and uses tamper resistant and facial recognition technology. A person is sent home with this device, along with a blood pressure cuff. Both of these devices are connected wirelessly to a network that is able to record and relay data to a clinician who monitors them. A person will be prescribed medications to assist with the first few days of detox, and they must continue to blow into this device at regular intervals to display that they have not consumed alcohol. The cuff is able to relay any significant shifts in blood pressure to the clinician, which will show up as alerts. The clinician can then evaluate the information and respond if needed.
Virtual Detox Pilot
This drug detox program is currently being piloted at Butler Hospital in Rhode Island. It was initially created by Dr. Alan Gordon, who is the medical chief for alcohol and drug addictions at Butler, as well as the clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The program was piloted upon 17 individuals at the hospital and has been displaying quite great success. According to Gordon, they were all quite heavily drinking, and now all 17 are sober. In their pilot program, the devices are not sent home with patients that live alone. Rather, a requirement for participation is a sober relative or another individual that resides with the patient, who can also monitor the person and ensure that they are complying with the program.
A program such as virtual detox can have a wide variety of benefits. For one, it obviously allows for the benefits of outpatient programs, such as being able to detox and receive counseling while still residing at home. But, it also provides the ability for individuals to take charge of their own sobriety in a way. It requires them to keep up with blowing and not drinking, which can help to foster self-reliance and responsibility in their recovery.
Drug Detox Centers Near Me
Addiction can often feel like it is a never-ending battle, but there is help available. Individuals have a variety of options when it comes to different types of treatment and drug detox programs that can assist them to overcome their addiction. There are many who simply search “drug detox centers near me” online, and are overwhelmed with the number of results. Being that there are so many options, it can make it tough to know what to choose, but New Beginnings is here to help with that. Our advisors can explain the various centers and their offerings, as well as help, find the ideal fit for you or your loved one. Give us a call today.
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