Published November 15, 2021 · Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD · ~670 words

The physical side of detox is the part people expect. The moods that come with it are the part that catches them off guard. Anger, guilt, fear and a flatness you cannot shake all show up during drug and alcohol detox. A residential detox program treats that side of it alongside the physical withdrawal, and that is what gets most people through the first days. At Pines Recovery Life Detox in South Florida, dialectical behavior therapy is one of the methods we use to help you work through what you are feeling. To talk it through with our team, call 800.263.3869 or fill out our online form.

Dialectical behavior therapy at Pines Recovery Life Detox

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a talk therapy that teaches you how to handle negative thoughts during addiction treatment. It was built for personality disorders first, and it works for substance use disorders too. If you do DBT at Pines Recovery Life Detox, much of it is about what happens when you go back to ordinary life.

Negative emotions during drug and alcohol detox

Detox is different for everyone, but a few feelings come up again and again:

Anxiety

Anxiety is the instinct to fight or flee under stress. Normally it fires when something is actually dangerous. With drugs in the picture, your body drops into fight or flight mode for no good reason. Many clients feel it most when thoughts of using threaten to take over.

Depression

When the drugs that produced euphoria leave your body, the drop can be steep. Some people go into a severe depressive state during detox, and for some that includes suicidal thoughts. Our therapists and medical staff are here to take the edge off that while you withdraw. Common symptoms:

• Loss of energy
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Reckless behavior such as drug or alcohol misuse
• Anger outbursts
• Sudden mood swings

Fear and paranoia

Fear and paranoia turn up for the same reason anxiety does, usually while you are detoxing or coming down from a high. The imbalance in your brain chemistry keeps you afraid after you stop taking the drug. Our medication-assisted detox programs can reduce the pain and severity of withdrawal symptoms, and the staff here have sat with people through this part many times before.

Guilt

Guilt and deep regret land hard, and they usually land on family members or a partner. Making amends comes later, as part of longer term recovery work. During detox, the job is getting through withdrawal, and our therapists will help you set the guilt down long enough to do it.

Anger

You may feel anger and resentment toward the person or people who put you into a drug detox program. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) give you somewhere to say that out loud and a way to handle it, which counts for a lot when you crave drugs or alcohol.

Boredom

Boredom looks mild next to the rest of this list. It is not. Many people relapse when they feel bored and without purpose, and detox is full of hours with nothing in them.

Loneliness

Plenty of people started using because they felt isolated. If you feel alone in the world, our admissions team can tell you what getting started at our recovery center looks like.

Find strength and support in a detox program at Pines Recovery Life Detox

Our team treats mental health disorders that occur alongside substance use disorders, which is most of what this page describes. You do not have to hold any of it in on your own. Contact Pines Recovery Life Detox in South Florida through our online form or by calling 800.263.3869 today to get started.