Detox is an essential precursor to drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Some rehab centers in California make the mistake of marginalizing the detox process, or even ignoring it all together. That’s a recipe for failure. The truth is that addiction is in large part a physiological disease, and that a rehab program must begin with meaningful physiological healing. The doctors and caregivers at detox facilities can help recovering addicts weather the symptoms of withdrawal, thereby allowing them to approach the primary phase of their rehab programs with their bodies and minds entirely intact. In the end, recovery can’t happen on any terms other than those.

All that said, detox is only the beginning of the healing process, not the end. If you’re going to get better, it’s going to be because your detox program is integrated into the framework of a comprehensive addiction treatment plan. Real recovery is that which occurs over the long term. It starts with detox. It ends with sober living and 12-step programs. Given the stakes, you owe it to yourself to find a rehab facility that can give you all the support you need to get better.