September 24, 2020

Get Clean and Detox for Surgery [How To]

It’s already difficult enough to get clean without having to worry about surgery. Depending on the severity, getting clean from any substance abuse or regular consumption before surgery can be even more difficult.

Drug detoxes aren’t exclusive to drugs you smoke, shoot, or inhale. Alcohol is a part of that group as well. Many users go through withdrawals and relapse during their drug detox. They can also experience different types of pain and abnormal malfunctions within the body, such as tremors and profuse sweating.

If you or a loved one is looking for help getting clean before surgery, we are here to assist you. Our specialists will match you with the right drug detox, rehab, and intervention programs to help you not only get clean for surgery but get clean for good.

Call us today at 405-583-4309 now; we are here to help you get on the road to recovery.

Content

Keep reading on for more insight into getting clean and detoxing for surgery. Contact our specialists today if you would like more information.

Why Detox before Surgery?
What Happens?
Detoxing
Relapse Prevention
Do Not Worry

Get Clean and Detox for Surgery [How To]

Why Detox Before Surgery?

Going through a drug detox before surgery is vital due to the complications resulting from having drugs in your system. When doctors notify a patient that they may need surgery, there is usually a checklist of requirements that a patient needs to follow to lessen the likelihood of any surgical or medical complications.

Medical facilities have different requirements included in their pre-surgery checklists for patients to follow for a smooth operation. Some of the conditions might consist of:

Arrange to have a responsible adult (at least 18 years of age) to drive or accompany you home (if using public transportation). A person should stay with you for 24 to 48 hours after the surgery. If you are unaccompanied on the day of surgery, your surgery will be rescheduled or canceled.
Plan to bring your government-issued photo identification (for example, driver’s license, state ID, passport), insurance information, prescription information, and co-payment if needed.
Remove all makeup, nail polish, piercings/jewelry, etc. from your body.

However, some requirements are standard across the board, such as:

Do not smoke, eat, or drink anything, including water, candy, gum, mints, and lozenges after midnight on the night before surgery. If you do not follow these instructions, your surgery may be canceled or delayed.
Follow physician instructions about which medications you are allowed to take and not take.

These requirements are to ensure a smooth operating process and that you can have an operation without any adverse reactions or side effects.

What Happens?

Going through a drug detox before surgery is extremely important for your body’s reaction during and after the operation.

Symptoms of Drug Interactions

Drugs create harmful interactions with the medicine that a patient might get pre- and post-surgery. The interactions result in problems that may include:

Nausea and vomiting
Headaches
Drowsiness
Dizziness
Fainting
Changes in blood pressure
Abnormal behavior
Loss of coordination
Accidents

Complications of Drug Interactions

According to WebMD, those problems could result in complications including, but not limited to:

Liver damage
Heart problems
Internal bleeding
Impaired breathing
Depression

Avoid Alcohol Before Surgery

Patients that require anesthesia are especially encouraged to notify their doctor of their drug or alcohol usage. It has been stated that alcohol and anesthesia aren’t complimentary, and drinking “…before a procedure is severe and can ultimately compromise the outcome of the operation.”

Some of the reasons to avoid alcohol before surgery include:

Being more vulnerable to complications
Becoming more likely to bleed excessively and heal slowly
Being more likely to have serious post-op complications
Having the body fail to metabolize anesthesia as it usually would

Drinking alcohol or consuming other drugs before surgery can produce blood clots, fainting spells, and even illnesses like pneumonia. When getting ready for surgery, you should be transparent with your doctor and anesthesiologist. The American Society of Anesthesiologists suggests that you remain honest and open about your alcohol or recreational drug use as well as your health habits and medications to prevent any hiccups while using anesthesia.

For surgery preparation, if you continue to consume alcohol, you are at risk of:

Longer bleeding times  
Higher risk of infections 
Delayed wound healing 
Longer hospital stay 
Sepsis and shock (when the blood becomes poisoned) 
More stress on the body and weakens the immune system. 
Interacts with medicine

We advise that you stop, or limit, drinking alcohol at a minimum of two weeks (eight weeks maximum) before having surgery.

Detoxing

Getting clean doesn’t happen in one day, and it doesn’t happen without obstacles. When someone has an addiction, the body begins to build a tolerance and dependence on the drug. When someone that is dealing with an addiction wants to go through rehabilitation, detoxification is typically required.

Drug addiction detox involves removing toxins from the body using natural remedies, medicines, or simply cutting off usage. There are many different ways you can detox that include:

Gradually slow down on alcohol consumption – Due to alcohol being a blood thinner, slowing down on alcohol consumption will allow your blood to revert to its proper function and healthy clotting for better healing and flow maintenance.
Exercise – Keeping yourself active maintains your entire body’s functions, regulating blood and oxygen flow, building strength against conditions and infections, and more.
Detox remedies – Also, home drug detox is possible by using natural remedies and can be used for getting clean. Some of these remedies might have side effects. You should always detox under the supervision of medical professionals.
Medication – Medications can be a home drug detox since you essentially bring them home and take them. However, certain medications would have to be prescribed and used with caution because of side effects that can trigger or encourage addiction. Benzodiazepines are very common to use when trying to detox alcohol from the body. They are also used to control alcohol withdrawals. Opioids such as methadone are also to calm the urges of an addiction you might have, making it easier for the body to purge itself when gearing up for surgery or drug/alcohol addiction recovery in general.

Relapse Prevention

With withdrawal comes the risk of relapsing. Relapse often happens to those who have battled addiction and are in recovery. Events or even thoughts and emotions can trigger it.

The National Center of Biotechnology Information specifically highlights three stages of relapse: emotional, mental, and physical relapse.

Emotional Relapse

According to NCBI, emotional relapse usually occurs while individuals aren’t thinking about using their preferred drug. Instead, “their emotions and behaviors are setting them up for relapse down the road” due to denial. Early signs of emotional relapse include, but are not limited to:

Holding in emotions
Isolation
Neglecting your own emotions

Mental Relapse

Mental relapse is a bit more brutal because instead of just holding back emotions, you are conflicted within your mind about using your preferred substance to qualm the feelings you have. Now, it becomes a “war” in your mind, battling whether or not you should use it or not.

Early signs of mental relapse include, but not limited to:

Substance cravings
Thoughts of balancing your addiction(s)
Reminiscing on drug/alcohol use
Disregarding relapse consequences

Physical Relapse

Physical relapse is when the individual goes back to using drugs or alcohol. They succumb to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions they feel and revert to the substance that made them “feel better.” If you reach this point during your drug detox, don’t put yourself down. It happens. If your surgery isn’t life or death and isn’t urgent, reschedule it after consulting your doctor and confirming that rescheduling isn’t going to be negatively affecting you. Be patient, get back on track, and when you get to the point where you’re clean enough to go through your surgical procedure, schedule it again.

Prevention Tips

On your next attempt to recover from addiction, try utilizing different ways to prevent a relapse from happening again by:

Avoiding individuals, places, or things that might encourage you to use also.
Be open to living in a sober house.
Go to therapy

Ask a medical professional about medications to use for minimizing the likelihood of relapsing.
Create a recovery plan.
Remain confident. You have gone through recovery steps before. You can do it again.

Don’t Worry

Facing difficulty with getting clean for surgery is understandable. Although you might feel alone in this, you’re not. Like yourself, many others have faced problems trying to drug detox for surgery or a better life in general.

Utilizing the proper steps to complete your drug detox will bring unpleasant experiences, such as withdrawal. However, it will get you on the right path to being in better shape for surgery and life in general.

Sometimes, drug detox can take a long time before you’re completely clean. Don’t let that bring you down. You’re looking into drug addiction detox, and relapse prevention methods show that you have a strong and courageous approach to addiction.

Keeping a focused mind and tapping into your determined side will keep you in the right mindset to reach sobriety. Having the right support system will do the same for you.

If you keep surrounding yourself with people or things that will encourage you to fall back into your addiction, it makes it harder to get clean for surgery or anything else. It is also essential to keep in mind that surgery can be a painful thing. Continuing to consume drugs and alcohol will only prevent your body from healing correctly, extending your stay at the hospital.