Verify InsuranceGet Directions
Get Help Now (732) 333-3167
Discovery Institute
  • Detox
    • Alcohol Detox
    • Amphetamine Detox
    • Benzodiazepine Detox
    • Cocaine Detox
    • Drug Detox
    • Medical Detox
    • Opiate Detox
    • Prescription Drug Detox
    • Meth Detox
    • Fentanyl Detox
    • Heroin Detox
  • Residential Treatment
    • Rehab
    • Treatment for Young Adults
    • Treatment for Adults
    • Treatment for Seniors
  • Programs
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Addiction Counseling
      • Individual Therapy
      • Group Therapy
      • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
      • Dialectical Behavior Therapy
      • Equine Therapy
      • Family Therapy
    • Dual Diagnosis
      • ADHD and Addiction
      • Anxiety and Addiction
      • Bipolar Disorder and Addiction
      • Depression and Addiction
      • Eating Disorders and Addiction
      • OCD and Addiction
      • PTSD and addiction
      • Personality Disorders and Addiction
    • Holistic Addiction Treatment
    • Relapse Prevention
    • Telehealth Treatments
    • Treatment Planning
    • Vocational Services
    • Alumni Program
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Family Support
    • Addiction Guides
      • Am I an Addict?
      • Addiction & Health Problems
      • The Stages of Addiction
      • Guide for Parents of Addicts
      • Guide for Spouses of Addicts
      • Guide for the Children of Addicts
      • Understanding Overdose
      • Going Through Withdrawal
    • Insurance Coverage
      • Verify Your Insurance
      • Aetna Insurance
      • Blue Cross Blue Shield
      • Emblemhealth Insurance
      • Prosper
      • Tricare Insurance
      • Humana Insurance
      • Oxford Healthcare
      • United Healthcare
      • MHC for Treatment
      • 1199 Insurance
      • Princeton Health/MedPro Health Insurance
      • Horizon NJ Insurance
      • New York Hotel Trade Insurance
      • NY State Empire Plan Insurance
      • Empire Bluecross Blueshield
      • Iron Workers Local #40 Insurance
      • Qualcare
      • Beacon Health Options
      • Magnacare
      • Magellan
      • Amerihealth
      • Anthem Bluecross Blueshield
    • Interventions
    • Overdose Response Initiative
      • Naloxone Finder
      • Distribution
      • Overdose Resources
    • Sober Living
    • FAQ’s
    • Helpful Links
  • About
    • Our Purpose
    • Our Contributors
    • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Guidelines
    • Our Facility
    • Our Technology
    • Our Research
  • Contact
    • Admissions
    • Directions
    • Referral
    • Careers
Detox
Home / Blog / Signs the Body is Detoxing

Signs the Body is Detoxing

Written by

Dr. Michael DeShields, MD, ASAM, DABAM

Posted On: Dec 26, 2024
Signs the Body is Detoxing

Jump to Section

Toggle
    • Table of Contents
  • What are Common Signs Your Body is Detoxing?
  • Why is Professional Guidance Necessary?
  • How Long Do Detox Symptoms Last?
  • What is the Body’s Detoxification Process?
  • Manage Withdrawal Symptoms Safely at Discovery Institute

Table of Contents

  • What are Common Signs Your Body is Detoxing?
  • Why is Professional Guidance Necessary?
  • How Long Do Detox Symptoms Last?
  • What is the Body’s Detoxification Process?
  • Manage Withdrawal Symptoms Safely at Discovery Institute

There are a variety of physical, behavioral, and mental manifestation signs your body is detoxing. Some may be less comfortable than others, but rest assured, these short-term inconveniences soon give way to a more comfortable and enjoyable recovery journey ahead. Here, you’ll learn all the positive indicators that your body is detoxing correctly and how to handle the more uncomfortable manifestations.

At Discovery Institute in Marlboro, New Jersey, our team specializes in medical detox and providing our clients with comprehensive treatment and support to promote successful recovery outcomes.

What are Common Signs Your Body is Detoxing?

detox

Body Aches

Muscle and body aches are physical symptoms of your body physically cleansing itself of dependency. These aches range from mild to severe, varying on a case-by-case basis depending on addiction severity and individual detox reaction. There are a few approved, strictly monitored painkillers detox specialists can prescribe if your symptoms qualify for medication necessity.

Insomnia

Restlessness and disruptive sleep patterns are common signs your body is detoxing by repairing its distorted neuronic balances. This occurs because once the body is starved of receiving the chemical dependent, it begins to restore normal mental frequencies. Unfortunately, a byproduct of this is often accompanied by trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Again, our specialists come prepared to train you how to get better rest in conjunction with potential medical sleep aids.

Unexplained Drowsiness

Sometimes throughout the detox process, you may sleep well but still battle bouts of unexplained drowsiness. However, be encouraged as this unfounded fatigue is a sign your body is detoxing properly. Addiction causes one’s energy source to derive from the indulged chemical dependence. When that is taken away, the body is forced to find a natural energy source. Once these bouts of fatigue run their course, you’ll feel a renewed sense of energy enabling you to excel at every recovery phase.

Headaches

When you stop taking drugs or alcohol, your mind goes through a purification process of destabilizing neuronic balance. This process of mental rebalance usually is accompanied by uncomfortable headaches. Some may even experience near-migraine levels of headaches. Thankfully, you don’t need to suffer through these difficult detox withdrawals with modern medicine and training methods. Enroll in our world-class detox programs to get all of our training techniques and medication assistance at your disposal.

Quick to Anger

Feeling easily irritable or quick to anger for little or no reason at all is one of the signs your body is detoxing. Our trainers will teach you how to cope with these mood swings in detox. We’ll give you all the comfort, space, and approved medication needed to improve difficult mood swings associated with detox withdrawals. Once these mood swings are overcome, you’ll feel the joy of having a clear mind one step closer to sobriety.

Digestive Alterations

Removing drugs from your body is like changing your diet, for lack of a better term. When your body grows accustomed to certain foods, drugs, and other consumables, you develop digestive triggers that keep your bowels on a routine. Drugs and alcohol are no different. Therefore, removing substances from your life alters digestive routines, potentially resulting in stomach cramps, aches, or other uncomfortable withdrawal-related symptoms.

Heavy Perspiration

When your body expels toxins, one of the ways it does so is through your pores. That’s why you may experience cold sweats or hot sweats during the detox phase. Rest assured, this means your detox is working and your body is restoring itself naturally and properly.

Why is Professional Guidance Necessary?

Some who aspire to remove addiction from their lives do so alone, with heavy mental and physical consequences. Therefore, the role of professional guidance is the most vital asset for the following reasons.

Proper Diagnosis and Personalized Treatment Approaches

Even if you may know there’s a problem, getting properly diagnosed is the key to getting the treatment you need. Only by accurate addiction diagnosis can a physician chart the most effective personalized treatment plan for you. This is especially the case if your doctor finds any pre-existing mental health disorders that may require dual diagnosis treatment. Speak to a treatment assessment specialist today to get properly diagnosed and finally receive the treatment you deserve.

Self-Detox is Dangerous for your Mental and Physical Health

Once a chemical dependency is acquired, anything you do to remove that dependency without professional administration can dangerously alter vital functions. That is to say, depending on addiction severity, stopping cold turkey without proper medications can send your body into shock. This shock can result in developing mental health disorders, and cause cardiac distress, including heart attack or death in the most severe cases. Be sure to consult your physician before attempting any form of substance detox.

Treatment Experts Avert Detox Discouragement

Detoxing without professional guidance is not only dangerous, it’s a lonely and discouraging road. That’s why detox specialists are there to keep you encouraged with quality training, methods, and practices that help you stay the course. This is just one of the many ways in which your detox director is in many cases the first beam of your strong support structure. We’ll help you keep your focus on the main goal of sobriety while fending off any doubts or discouragement that arise.

Achieving Sobriety Requires Proper Training

Many people have aspirations to achieve sobriety but don’t have proper relapse prevention plans or know where to start. That’s why every successful recovery journey is achieved by having a professional coach. Our medical experts train you to make relapse prevention techniques and sober living methods a part of who you are. Thanks to our unparalleled team, you’ll have an arsenal of tools at your disposal to sustain independent sobriety.

Professional Treatment Builds a Solid Support Foundation

There’s no greater way to begin building your support structure from the ground up than meeting with a therapist. They can help you and your family build a support system together through meticulous training sessions. These sessions help you be the best support you need to be while helping you better understand one another. This not only solidifies your support group, but it helps you grow closer to your loved ones.

How Long Do Detox Symptoms Last?

Detox symptoms and withdrawals can last as little as a few days or as long as a month. How long these symptoms last varies on a case-by-case basis. These symptoms depend on several factors. These factors consist of addiction history, depth of dependency, the type of substance abuse, and preexisting health conditions. Speak to a detox specialist to assess your condition and get a rough timeline for your potential detox symptom duration.

What is the Body’s Detoxification Process?

Understanding your withdrawal symptoms and why they occur is directly related to understanding the body’s process of detoxification. This bodily cleansing can be simplified by keying in on a few primary organs responsible for the detoxification process. All of the following vital organs work together to thoroughly cleanse your body of unhealthy substances.

Liver Detox

The liver’s natural function of converting and breaking down bodily toxins is directly related to your body’s detox healing process. Like anything, your liver is the primary source of breaking down harmful drug or alcohol toxins to be easier processed before expunging. When you’ve stopped taking these drugs entirely, your body begins a full body cleansing beginning at the liver. This cleansing does more than cleanse the substance from your body. It also heals and restores any repairable damage that may have been caused by substance abuse.

Kidney Detox

Once the liver has done its job at breaking down toxins, it sends the remnants to the kidneys to finish the job. Think of your kidneys as the strainer that collects healthy blood and separates unhealthy toxins from that blood. This is how kidneys filter unhealthy foreign agents from the body and purify blood through a strict double-filtering process stemming from the liver.

Skin Secretion

While the liver and kidneys are doing their job, your skin, the largest organ, is doing its part through your pores. As briefly hinted at earlier, harmful toxins that are not processed by your liver and kidneys are secreted through your pores by perspiration. This is one of the ways your body harmoniously works together to rid your body of substance dependency and foreign agents. Don’t be alarmed while experiencing unexplainable hot or cold sweats during detox as this is a normal part of detoxification.

Digestive Expulsion

Once your body has run the course of numerous organ detoxification tasks, what’s left over digests in your stomach. From there, your colon takes care of the rest and expels it with the rest of your digested foods. This is the final phase of your body’s cleansing process before restarting the procedure again until all toxins are eliminated. The course of all of these detox methods can take several weeks or months before digestive routines return to normal.

Manage Withdrawal Symptoms Safely at Discovery Institute

Now that you know what to expect with detox, Discovery Institute can help you through the process safely and enjoyably. We will help you manage, minimize, and in some cases eliminate detox symptoms. Much like you saw in the aforementioned information, we pride ourselves on complete transparency. We will make sure you’re well-equipped mentally and physically for the recovery ahead. Equally important, we’ll ensure you know and understand all the signs your body is detoxing and how to handle those changes. Begin your rehab in the safest, most enjoyable, first-class environment. Contact us at Discovery Institute today.

signs the body is detoxing
Dr. Michael DeShields, MD, ASAM, DABAM( Medical Reviewer )

Dr. Michael DeShields, MD, ASAM, DABAM, is a distinguished Medical Director with nearly 40 years of expertise in addiction medicine. A diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and the American Society of Addiction Medicine since 1996, he is renowned for his leadership and commitment to evidence-based, patient-centered care. Dr. DeShields earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and completed his training at Cooper University Medical Center, where he cultivated his passion for addiction treatment. His dedication and innovation continue to shape the field, guiding clinical teams and supporting patients on their recovery journey.

Dr. Michael DeShields, MD, ASAM, DABAM

Read More

Are You Covered For Insurance Treatment?

Insurance Logo
Insurance Logo
Insurance Logo
Insurance Logo
Insurance Logo
Insurance Logo
Learn More

Need Professional Help With Addiction?

  • Rehab Programs
  • Drug Rehab
  • Alcohol Detox
  • Drug Detox

Addiction Recovery & Detox

  • Rehab Programs
  • Drug Rehab
  • Alcohol Detox
  • Drug Detox

Drug & Substance Abuse FAQs

  • Rehab Programs
  • Drug Rehab
  • Alcohol Detox
  • Drug Detox

Copyright © 2026 Discovery Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Accessibility Toolbar

  • Powered with favoriteLove by Codenroll

GET IN TOUCH

We’re Ready When You Are.

Call 24/7 to have a discussion with one of our treatment professionals the call is completely free. Admission Line and explanation of convenient private phone and free prescreening.

Need Help? Contact Us

(732) 333-3167

       

Schedule Your Admission

Free assessment and 100% confidential  
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Footer Logo
  (732) 333-3167
  80 Conover Rd
Marlboro, NJ 07746
       
Joint-Commission

About Discovery

  • About
  • Meet Our Staff
  • Admissions Information
  • Contact Us
  • Get Directions
  • Review Us
  • Find Us On the Web
  • COVID-19 Protocols

Rehab & Treatment

  • Rehab Programs
  • Drug Rehab
  • Alcohol Detox
  • Drug Detox

Get Directions

Map

Addiction Resources

  • Learn About Addiction
  • Am I An Addict
  • Common Rehab Questions
  • Insurance Verification

Copyright © 2025. All Rights Reserved. Discovery Institute Recovery Center | Privacy Policy | Accessibility

Jump to Section

×
    • Table of Contents
  • What are Common Signs Your Body is Detoxing?
  • Why is Professional Guidance Necessary?
  • How Long Do Detox Symptoms Last?
  • What is the Body’s Detoxification Process?
  • Manage Withdrawal Symptoms Safely at Discovery Institute
→ Table of Contents