What Is Medical Detox for Drugs & Alcohol?
Laguna Treatment Hospital is an inpatient medical detox and rehab facility in Orange County, CA. Our 48-bed medical detox facility is a licensed chemical dependency recovery hospital (CDRH), allowing us to accept more complex detox cases than standard rehab centers.
What Happens During Medical Detox for Drugs or Alcohol?
Upon admission to our Orange County detox facility, patients undergo a thorough biopsychosocial evaluation, where clinicians assess their mental, physical, and social health. This helps us develop an effective, customized treatment plan that best serves the patient’s individual needs.
Patient safety is our top priority. That’s why we use EarlySense technology, a cutting-edge, contactless, FDA-approved monitoring system that tracks patient vital signs and alerts staff in real-time to any concerning changes.
Patients at our Southern California detox facility receive individual therapy a minimum of once per week and meet daily with attending physicians.
Depending on the substance of abuse, our treatment center can dispense various medicines to help ease and manage the symptoms of acute withdrawal.
This includes certain prescriptions (e.g., Ativan or Valium for alcohol withdrawal, or Suboxone for opioid withdrawal). These medicines can help reduce cravings, relieve symptoms, and prevent major complications.
How Long Is Drug & Alcohol Detox?
The average length of medical detox at our Orange County treatment center is 5–7 days but may be longer (10+ days) for more complex cases, such as withdrawal from benzodiazepines.
However, the drug and alcohol detox process is different for everyone, and the timeframe will vary depending on which substance(s) a person has been using and for how long. Generally, the duration and severity of withdrawal may be longer and more intense if someone has been using drugs or alcohol at higher amounts for an extended period of time.1
Patients withdrawing from alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids are among those who tend to have the most severe withdrawal symptoms and often directed to some form of supervised medical detox by their doctors to avoid unnecessary pain and prevent medical emergencies.1
What Happens After Medical Detox?
Medical detox is often just the first step in a full continuum of rehab care. After detox, there are multiple ways patients can stay in treatment.
At our Orange County detox facility, most patients continue addiction treatment in our residential drug and alcohol rehab program. This makes for a seamless extension of the work they’ve already been doing in detox and the classes they’ve been attending.
While the average length of stay is about a 10-day drug and alcohol detox program, the recommended duration of rehab is different for everyone and varies based on a person’s individual needs. Some people may want to commit to a month-long rehab program, and others may need a longer-term addiction treatment program.
Outpatient and sober living services are available at many of our sister facilities in Nevada, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
What to Expect: Average Daily Schedule in Medical Detox
How Much Does Drug & Alcohol Detox Cost in Southern California?
These variables include:
- Location.
- Duration.
- Whether detox is covered by insurance and if the facility is in-network.
At our Orange County detox facility, we offer different ways to pay for addiction treatment. Our admissions navigators are available 24/7 at to answer payment-related questions and give you a better estimate of cost.
Does Health Insurance Cover Medical Detox in California?
Yes, in California, most health insurance plans cover medical detox. Thanks to recent expansions in mental health benefits through federal laws like the Affordable Care Act, addiction treatment is more accessible and affordable than ever before.
At Laguna, our proximity to major Southern California cities like San Diego and Los Angeles allows us to work with many of the state’s major insurers. Our Orange County detox facility is currently in-network with the following carriers:
To learn more about using health insurance to pay for detox and find out whether we accept your insurance at our facility, fill out this simple and secure . We’ll email you back with details about your benefits and next steps in the medical detox and rehab admissions process.
We know the idea of going through detox can be frightening—but you don’t have to do it alone. We are here to help you through this critical first step and every other step that follows.
Call us at to get started today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Detox Done Right
We know the thought of quitting drugs or alcohol can be overwhelming. At Laguna Treatment Hospital, our patients go through medical detox under the full-time supervision of nurses and doctors who ensure the process is as safe and comfortable as possible.
Medical Detox
Often the first step in an addiction treatment program, medical detox can jumpstart a person’s recovery and help them prepare for more comprehensive rehab.
Residential Rehab
For those who have already completed detox, our residential or inpatient programs offer the highest level of care to help people maintain their recovery.
Admissions
Getting admitted to one of our quality programs is simple and easy. Our admissions navigators are available 24/7 to answer questions and review your options. Call us at today.