Medical detox. Physician-led, 24/7 nursing, dignity intact.
Medical detox is the medical stabilization of withdrawal under continuous physician oversight. At Pines Recovery Life, it is supervised by board-certified psychiatrist Sergey Litvinov, MD, and delivered by a credentialed clinical team inside our 18,000 sq ft private campus in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
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A clinical process, run by physicians.
Medical detox is the supervised management of physical withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, or other substances under continuous physician oversight. It is short and intensive, usually a matter of days, and everything that follows is built on it.
Detoxification is the set of interventions that manage acute intoxication and withdrawal, prevent medical complications, and move you into continued treatment (ASAM National Practice Guideline). Detox is about making withdrawal safe so recovery work can begin.
When stopping cold turkey is dangerous.
Unsupervised alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause seizures, delirium tremens, and death. Roughly 5% of untreated alcohol withdrawal cases progress to DTs, which carry a historical mortality rate above 5% without treatment (NCBI Bookshelf: Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome). Opioid withdrawal is rarely fatal, but relapse risk is high and tolerance drops fast, which makes an overdose during that relapse far more likely. If you are using daily, call before you stop.
The physician who leads this program.
Sergey Litvinov, MD
Medical Director · Board-Certified Psychiatrist
Dr. Litvinov is a board-certified psychiatrist who leads the medical detox program at Pines. He personally directs withdrawal management protocols for every patient, titrates MAT when indicated, and coordinates psychiatric care for co-occurring mood, anxiety, and trauma disorders. His specialization, the intersection of addiction and psychiatry, is precisely what most patients arriving in detox actually need.
Every withdrawal is different. Every protocol matches it.
Pines follows evidence-based, substance-specific protocols aligned with ASAM and SAMHSA practice guidelines. What follows is a summary; individual plans are determined by clinical assessment.
CIWA-Ar scored q4h; symptom-triggered or fixed-dose benzodiazepine (lorazepam or diazepam); thiamine, folate, B-complex vitamins; seizure precautions; delirium tremens monitoring. Related: alcohol treatment.
COWS scored frequently; buprenorphine induction when the window is ready; adjuncts for sleep, nausea, GI. Fentanyl patients often require micro-dosing induction due to prolonged tissue half-life. Related: opioids, fentanyl, heroin.
Switch to a long-acting agent (diazepam, chlordiazepoxide) and taper slowly. Because benzodiazepine withdrawal is one of only two classes that can kill, this is done cautiously, with seizure monitoring throughout. Related: benzodiazepines.
Stimulant withdrawal is psychological, so there is no pharmacologic detox protocol. Care focuses on sleep restoration, hydration, nutrition, management of post-use depression, and screening for suicidal ideation. Related: cocaine, meth.
Methadone’s long half-life makes detox uniquely protracted. We coordinate with licensed OTPs for gradual taper where indicated. Related: methadone.
Oxycodone, hydrocodone, Xanax, Adderall, others. Assessment determines which protocol applies based on the substance class, dose, and duration. Related: Rx drugs.
What to expect from the moment you arrive.
Intake & full medical assessment
Intake takes about an hour with a clinician, and nobody rushes it. Medical history, substance use history, psychiatric history, medications, allergies, prior treatment. Vitals, labs drawn, imaging if indicated.
Physician evaluation
Dr. Litvinov or covering physician reviews your intake, confirms the detox plan, and prescribes initial orders. Medications begin.
Room & supplies
Escorted to your room. Hydration, nutrition, comfort items provided. Orientation to nursing station.
First monitoring cycle
CIWA-Ar or COWS scoring begins. Vitals rechecked on schedule. Symptom-triggered medication dosing through the first night.
Therapist meet
When you are medically ready, often day 2, you meet your assigned therapist. Deep clinical work waits until you are stable.
Family update (with consent)
With signed release, a concierge update to the listed family contact. No clinical detail without patient consent.
The rhythm, once withdrawal softens.
The first 48 hours are medical. After that the body settles and the clinical work starts. Here is a representative day by the third or fourth morning of detox.
Nothing is rushed. Detox is stabilization: body, nervous system, sleep, appetite, so residential can start from solid ground.
The instruments behind every clinical decision.
Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, Revised. The validated tool for scoring alcohol withdrawal severity. We score q4h in acute detox and dose benzodiazepines symptom-triggered off the CIWA score. Standard of care nationwide.
Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale. Validated scoring tool for opioid withdrawal across 11 symptom domains. Determines readiness for buprenorphine induction and guides comfort medication dosing.
Buprenorphine induction on-site, naltrexone transition, methadone coordination through OTPs. FDA-approved MOUD reduces overdose mortality by approximately half.
Continuous monitoring, bedside airway equipment, rapid-response protocols, long-acting benzodiazepine tapers to blunt withdrawal seizures before they start.
Depression, anxiety, trauma, bipolar and psychosis screening during detox. Psychiatric medication management begins as soon as it is clinically indicated.
Licensed nursing coverage continuously. LPN/RN scope of practice includes vitals, medication administration, withdrawal scoring, emergent intervention.
Most plans cover medical detox. Verify in under a minute.
Medical detox is covered by every major insurance carrier we accept under Mental Health Parity. Authorization is based on ASAM medical necessity criteria.
Verify CoveragePines programs in Florida
- Medical detox in Florida: physician-led withdrawal management, 24/7 nursing.
- Drug rehab in Florida: detox and residential treatment on one campus.
- Alcohol rehab in Florida: medically managed alcohol detox, then residential care.
- Private rehab in Florida: private rooms, small census, the same clinical team.
Eight questions, answered clearly.
What is medical detox?+
Is detox dangerous to do on your own?+
How long does detox take?+
What medications are used in detox?+
Do you treat fentanyl detox?+
Will insurance cover detox?+
What happens after detox?+
Can I bring my own medications?+
Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD Medical Director, board-certified psychiatrist. Updated April 2026.
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