Medically supervised detoxification is often necessary to manage the medical complications associated with chemical dependency. At Highline, detox is done on an inpatient basis where patients can be monitored by the medical team during the withdrawal process. An addictionologist (a physician who specializes in addiction medicine) leads a team of professionals, including nurses and counselors, in providing treatment to patients during the detoxification process.

Our goal is to provide a safe medical detoxification. Our average length of stay in detox is 3-4 days. The substances we generally detox from are:

Alcohol For alcohol withdrawal, we taper the individual using sedatives, such as Valium or Ativan.

Opiates [including Heroin, Methadone (we detox Methadone up to 40mg), Oxycontin, Codeine, Demerol, Vicodin, Percocet, etc.] For opiate withdrawal, we use a combination of medications which generally make symptoms manageable. We tailor our approach to the specific needs of each patient, so not all individuals will receive the same medication regimen.

Sedatives (including Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Librium, etc.). For sedative withdrawal, we begin tapering the individual from their current sedative dose. Sedative withdrawal can be a lengthy process.

For the following substances: Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Marijuana, Hallucinogens, Club Drugs, etc., we provide detoxification based on medical necessity and if detoxification is not required, the patient may instead be admitted to our Inpatient Stabilization or Intensive Outpatient Treatment Programs.

What to bring to DETOX treatment