Drug Detox Kits and Detoxing at Home: Does It Work?

One of the biggest obstacles to recovery is worry about the detox and withdrawal process. Some people who are looking to detox quickly and on their own turn to drug detox kits or other home remedies, but the truth is, these kits probably won’t help you detox any faster or skip the withdrawal symptoms.

Many people think using these products can help them pass home drug tests or drug tests for work. It’s an empty promise with a short road. Rather than trust your health and safety to a detox kit purchased online or elsewhere, a legitimate addiction treatment facility with a team of clinicians can truly help you recover from addiction and move on to a brighter future.

Types of Home Detox Kits Available

There are many reasons people want to accelerate the detox process. Some need to clean their system to pass a drug test. Others think it will help quicken the detox process and relieve symptoms of withdrawal. A variety of over-the-counter “detox kits” claim to flush drugs out of your system. Most are in the form of a drink or a pill. Detox drinks and kits are legal but not well regulated, and what they claim on the label may or may not be the case.

Most detox kits are purchased to flush THC from marijuana out of urine. Day detox kits claim to work in a matter of hours; others, a few days. They range in price from cheap to expensive, and their goal isn’t really to help your body detox. It’s to help you cheat on a drug test.

Using unregulated products can be dangerous. You don’t really know what’s in them and what they will do to your body. There is a recorded instance of someone developing psychosis, a serious mental health issue, following the use of a detoxification kit.

Can You Beat a Drug Test?

The most important thing to remember when it comes to detox products online or in stores is that they aren’t subject to much research and testing. A manufacturer can put essentially whatever claims they want on the label. However, some have had success cheating drug tests for THC using these products.

Journalists from Vice conducted their own informal experiment on drug testing kits found online. They found that some products do indeed mask THC in the urine. However, since every THC user has different body chemistry, what worked for one person may not work for all. THC stays in fat cells, so factors like someone’s body weight can impact detox time. Heavy THC users will also find it takes longer to complete natural detoxification than irregular THC users.

THC detox kits are not well-regulated. Regardless of whether it’s a cleanse drink or a detox pill, using products that claim to detox the body from drug detection is always a risk. There’s a good chance that you follow the directions perfectly and the product simply does not work. Then you’re left in a difficult situation without much legal recourse. The regulation of detox kits isn’t thorough enough to guarantee they work to flush toxins from your body when you need them to. Testing results may come back negative, or substances in the clean detox drink could trigger a false positive in urine samples. You never know what may happen when it comes to detoxification products.

Some may be tempted to try powered urine or synthetic urine to beat a drug test. These methods involve using fake urine to pass the test, but there are numerous risks involved, including legality, so this method of passing drug tests is not advised.

Are There Home Remedies for Detox?

We’ve all heard home remedies for sobering up. Some say a cold shower and a cup of coffee, but that isn’t a tried-and-true method. An intoxicated person in a wet and slippery shower creates new problems, and the caffeine in coffee can interact negatively with some substances. Even “sleeping it off” can be dangerous. An unconscious person on drugs or alcohol could potentially have overdosed. They could suffocate if they vomit or roll over while unconscious.

Why Is Detoxing at Home Dangerous?

Detoxing from drugs and alcohol at home can be dangerous for many reasons. Substance abuse is a serious disorder that affects your brain on a chemical level. Quitting “cold turkey” can have wide-ranging mental and physical side effects that require medical assistance right away.

Here are some of the main reasons why it’s not safe to detox at home:

• No help – Having nobody to rely on for support is the main problem with detoxing at home. Even if someone is there to help, they may not understand how to help detox from substances safely. Without medical supervision, you’re unlikely to receive necessary monitoring to identify and address any medical complications that may come up during drug withdrawal.
• No recovery plan – Recovery is a process; detoxing is just the first step. Those who are able to make it through detox without supervision run a high risk of relapse. Having the team of medical and addiction professionals at Vogue Recovery Center make you a unique treatment plan is a better option for sustained recovery.
• No access to MAT – Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is one of the ways clinicians help people through detox. Medications can reduce drug cravings, manage withdrawal symptoms, and promote stable mental health. If you detox from drugs on your own, you won’t have access to these medications. This could make the process far more dangerous and difficult.

When it comes to home remedies for detox, there’s only one surefire method: Limit the number and amount of substances in your body in the first place. Those with lower amounts of drugs or alcohol in their system can sober up and detox more quickly and efficiently than those with a serious substance abuse disorder. 

How Long Do Drugs Stay in Your System?

Everyone’s timeline for drug detox is different. The time it takes for drugs to leave your system depends on factors like how much was used and for how long. It is possible to make estimates based on scientific research. Studies show different substances can take anywhere from one day to a month to leave your system. Below is a chart of some of their findings:

Alcohol

• Urine: 12–24 hours
• Hair: about 90 days

Marijuana

• Urine: 1–10 days for casual to moderate use, 30 days for chronic use
• Hair: about 90 days

Opioids

• Urine: 1–3 days
• Hair: about 90 days

Cocaine

• Urine: 1–3 days
• Hair: about 90 days

Benzodiazepines (Benzos)

• Urine: 3–7 days for therapeutic use, 30 days for chronic use
• Hair: Not available

There are different factors that can lead to drugs staying in your system for longer. Some of these detox time factors include:

• Your body mass
• Preexisting medical conditions
• Gender
• If there are any other substances in your system
• How hydrated you are

Making It Through Withdrawal

If you’re ready to end an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the first step is drug detox and withdrawal. Some drugs don’t have much of a withdrawal process. Others can take days and come with significant symptoms. The smart move is to consult with the team at Vogue Recovery Center to learn more about how our drug and alcohol addiction treatment specialists can help. Trusting your recovery to a sketchy detox drink that claims to be specifically designed to help isn’t the right choice.  

Detox programs at Vogue Recovery Center use the latest evidence-based and holistic therapies to promote your body’s natural power to heal. The most effective treatment can change depending on the type of drug you’re taking and how much remains in your system. The skilled and professional team of addiction treatment specialists at Vogue Recovery Center can offer a detoxification process that’s safe and effective.

Why Is Medical Detox a Better Choice?

Detoxing is different for everyone, and your reaction can’t be predicted. That’s why it’s better to have the guidance and expertise of professional substance abuse therapists who understand the process. A supportive and caring clinician at your side can ease the pain, discomfort, anxiety, and more that may accompany your drug withdrawal.

Here are some benefits of medical detox that you don’t get when you try to detox on your own:

• Withdrawal symptoms are managed by medical staff.
• Clinical staff are licensed to prescribe medication for effective, more comfortable detox.
• Medical staff can manage other underlying health conditions.
• Your recovery team is a source of support and guidance.
• You receive a unique recovery plan and aftercare planning.

Experience is what sets a treatment center like Vogue Recovery Center apart from the rest. Our medical detox facility is a safe, supportive, and hopeful place where anyone can turn their life around with help from real professionals. Our clinical team has helped countless others make it through detox and onto a brighter future.

Those who try to detox on their own using a detox kit and quitting cold turkey could experience life-threatening complications or fail to get through the process without relapsing. Vogue Recovery Center understands the challenges involved with detox and can help you make it through.

What’s Next in Recovery?

Following detox, there are other levels of care on the journey to sobriety. Residential care, outpatient programs, and aftercare services are all part of the comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment methods used by Vogue Recovery Center. The bottom line is that products that claim natural ingredients, same-day detox, or offer a money-back guarantee are not reliable. Trust your detox and recovery to the professionals at Vogue Recovery Center today.

References:

1. https://www.vice.com/en/article/59kymq/we-tested-drinks-that-say-theyll-help-you-pass-a-drug-test
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267515/
3. https://www.samhsa.gov/medications-substance-use-disorders/medications-counseling-related-conditions/naloxone
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64092/