Home Detox Options

Home Detox Options

Home Detox for alcohol or opiate dependence is an option for consumers looking for an alternative to an inpatient setting. There are a number of options to choose when considering Home Detox.

1. An Intense Supervised at home medical detox. 
2. A Supervised at home medical detox.
1. Nurse and Physician supervised
2. Physician only supervised. 
3. An Office based Outpatient medical detox.
4. A prescribed medical detox with a layperson present.
5. Cold Turkey

1. An Intense Nurse Supervised at home medical detox. A nurse is present 24 hours a day for as long as the alcohol detox or opiate detox requires. One model has the same nurse present 24 hours a day for as long as the detox takes - this is the model for Executive Home Detox - this model assures the utmost in continuity of care, privacy, and convenience. Another model has rotating nurses coming into the home. 
2. A Supervised at home medical detox.
1. Nurse and Physician supervised: A nurse visits the client at least once a day and the physician maintains some degree of daily contact - either with the client, or through the nurse.  An aide or companion may assist on site. 
2. Physician only supervised: The prescribing physician maintains daily contact with the client. It is rare that a physician visits the client in the home on a daily basis, but there are some physicians that provide this service. 
3. An Office based Outpatient medical detox: The client would be expected to make daily or some regularly negotiated visits to the physician to monitor and to receive medication for the medical detox.  Most physicians would rightly require another person to be present in the home in case there were problems with the detox. 
4. A prescribed medical detox with a layperson present: This type of home or outpatient detox may occur if a client went to an emergency room and received medication or if a primary care physician was confident the detox was going to have mild symptoms.  
5. Cold Turkey: This home detox does not have the medical support the above options have. The person in detox attempts to stop using alcohol or opiates on their own without prescribed medications. This option is not recommended by anyone in the medical establishment. At a minimum, anyone attempting to detox on their own should have a responsible sober / clean person in the home observing or helping them.