Understanding Ambulatory Detoxification

Dr. Henry Odunlami is the board chairman of GenPsych, a New Jersey-based organization that provides mental health care and treatment for substance abuse disorders. The center ensures accessibility to a variety of patients’ situations, providing telehealth, partial hospitalization, and outpatient services. One of the programs that Dr. Henry Odunlami helps facilitate is ambulatory detoxification.

Detoxification is the initial step in addiction treatment; it involves managing the risky physiological effects of abruptly stopping substance use, as the body rids itself of the toxins. While many programs require one to stay at centers to receive support through the detoxification and withdrawal symptoms, an outpatient alternative is ambulatory detoxification. This allows the person getting treatment to undergo the challenges from home, with regular visits to and communication with healthcare providers. Recovery occurs in a more private environment, with the patients implementing therapy and tools in their everyday lives from the beginning.

Generally, ambulatory detoxification is a feasible path for people recovering from mild to moderate substance abuse. In addition, they have stable mental and physical health and a supportive home environment, possibly with caregivers or friends to check in regularly. Other qualifying variables include showing mild withdrawal, a low risk of relapse, and a short history of drug and alcohol use. The individual also has to take a higher level of personal accountability in the case of ambulatory detoxification, since they need the motivation to follow instructions, participate in the treatment plan, and confirm transport for in-person follow-ups and emergencies.