Last Updated:
November 25th, 2024
GHB Addiction Treatment
When you decide it’s time to break the cycle of GHB addiction, you are making the best decision for your future. At Recovery Lighthouse, we support you through every twist and turn of the GHB recovery process. Our GHB addiction treatment programme covers all bases, helping you through withdrawal with a medically supervised drug detox, providing therapy to unravel the underlying issues and keeping you on the right path with aftercare. All three stages work together to give you the absolute best chance of a successful GHB recovery.
The importance of GHB addiction treatment
If you have ever tried to give up GHB before, you will already know how difficult it can be on your own. Various obstacles need to be overcome for recovery, and any one of them can lead to GHB relapse without the right support.
GHB withdrawal symptoms can hit you hard within hours of your last dose, leaving you with intense cravings, anxiety and physical discomfort. These symptoms can be dangerous and often drive people back to GHB to get relief.
From a mental and emotional angle, you need to pinpoint and resolve deeper underlying issues, whether it’s unresolved pain, stress or self-esteem struggles. Drug addiction often results from these problems, so if you don’t heal the hidden wounds, GHB relapse is very likely.
Professional GHB addiction treatment can help with both of these tough processes. It addresses the physical, emotional and psychological challenges of GHB recovery, giving you the best chance possible of staying drug-free.
Do you need GHB addiction treatment?
Are you worried that GHB seems to be slowly taking over your life? Sometimes, it can be hard to see when “casual” GHB use has become compulsive, and denial is a very response. Here are some red flags to watch for which could indicate you need professional GHB addiction treatment:
- Your spending on GHB has spiralled out of control, and this is leaving you stressed about money or in financial difficulties.
- Your loved ones are worried about your GHB use, and you have started arguing with them, lying to them or avoiding them altogether.
- You have stopped trying at work, school or home because you’re not interested in anything other than GHB.
- You are beginning to feel the health impacts of constant GHB use, like fatigue, confusion and even memory loss.
- You have got into trouble with the police or are doing increasingly risky things because of GHB.
- You have abandoned your old friends and now only spend time with other people using GHB or other drugs.
If any of this hits home, then it can be a frightening welcome call. But don’t panic. Here is what GHB addiction treatment at Recovery Lighthouse entails and how it can help you reset your life:
Step one: GHB detox
Starting with GHB detox means getting the physical side of dependency out of the way so you can focus on the bigger picture. Drug detox involves helping your body flush out GHB so you can begin healing, recovering mentally and setting the stage for the deeper emotional work that is to come.
What makes GHB detox challenging is the withdrawal symptoms that it creates. GHB is a very powerful drug so GHB withdrawal symptoms can be intense and sometimes even dangerous. Some of the reactions you may experience to GHB detox include:
- Confusion
- Anxiety
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate (very dangerous in severe cases)
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Insomnia and similar sleep troubles
- Vomiting and nausea
- Tremors and profuse sweating
Some of these may already be familiar to you if you have tried to quit GHB on your own. What is different about GHB detox at Recovery Lighthouse is that our expert medical team will plan, observe and support your GHB detox so that these symptoms pose no serious danger to you.
The GHB detox timeline
Everyone’s GHB detox timeline looks a bit different, but most people start feeling withdrawal symptoms fairly quickly, with the entire process typically lasting up to two weeks. Here’s what you might expect from GHB detox:
Days 1-3
In the first few hours to days, GHB withdrawal symptoms begin with cravings, anxiety sweating, and trouble sleeping. Things tend to worsen before they improve as your body adjusts to being without GHB.
Days 4-7
This is often the toughest stretch. During this period, GHB withdrawal symptoms tend to peak, and you may experience severe anxiety, shaking or even hallucinations if the withdrawal is particularly intense.
Week 2
Things usually start to settle down once you get past the first week. Cravings will ease up, physical GHB withdrawal symptoms will taper off, and although emotional struggles like mood swings or insomnia may linger, you will be feeling much more stable and ready for the next steps in GHB recovery treatment.
Step two: GHB rehab
With detox behind you, GHB rehab is your chance to look at the bigger picture. Why did you start using GHB? What emotions or situations triggered your dependency? In GHB rehab, we help you answer these questions and create healthier coping mechanisms so you don’t fall back into old patterns.
Recovery Lighthouse’s drug rehab programmes offer a calm, inpatient environment where you can take the time to reflect, heal, and grow. Inpatient GHB rehab is widely agreed to be the most effective because, away from old habits and negative influences, you will have the chance to focus 100% on yourself and your GHB recovery journey.
What to expect from GHB rehab
GHB rehab is about reshaping your whole approach to life so that GHB no longer plays any part in it. At Recovery Lighthouse, your days will be packed with a combination of therapies and activities that target every aspect of your well-being. Some of the most important treatment therapies that make up our GHB rehab programmes include:
- Individual counselling
- Group therapy sessions
- Behavioural therapies
- Family therapy and conjoints
- Motivational interviewing
- Holistic therapies like meditation, yoga and art therapy
By the time you complete GHB rehab, you will hopefully have the strength, clarity and skills to not only stay sober but to live life more fully and with purpose.
Avoid GHB relapse after recovery
Staying sober after GHB rehab can feel like walking a
tightrope but at Recovery Lighthouse, we will make sure you have got a safety net. Toward the end of your stay, we will work with you to create a rock-solid relapse prevention plan tailored to your triggers and built around strategies that will keep you steady. This means that you will leave rehab with a clear roadmap to help you navigate the tricky days ahead.
But we won’t leave you to do it alone. Our aftercare programme will give you access to weekly group therapy sessions for a year, so you always have a space to talk, get advice and stay focused. On top of that, our Alumni Network is there for life – offering events, resources and a supportive community to help you stay on the right path.
Begin GHB addiction treatment with Recovery Lighthouse
Ready to stop living in the shadow of GHB? Recovery Lighthouse is here to help you step back into the sunlight. We specialise in giving people the tools to beat addiction and build a brighter tomorrow. Your recovery starts with a single conversation – contact us now and take that first step.
