Altoona, Pennsylvania Drug Rehab Facilities

Once a person starts on the path to recovery, living drug-free becomes a choice regardless of how accessible drugs may be.

The human brain regulates a delicate balance of chemicals and nerve responses on an ongoing basis. Any chemical imbalances can offset a range a processes throughout the body. Normal brain chemical processes become impaired whenever a person ingests drugs or alcohol. When this happens on a repeated basis, the brain loses its ability to manage bodily processes without the presence of drugs. Considering the brain is perhaps the most important part of the body, the sooner a person gets professional help for an addiction, the better.

Alcohol works as a depressant within the brain's chemical makeup, which means it slows down normal brain functions. As brain functions slow, a person will start to exhibit symptoms that correspond with the functions most affected in the brain. According to the Florida Institute of Technology, the short-term effects of alcohol consumption include the following:

Enrolling in a drug treatment center may seem overwhelming at first, especially for someone going through a detoxification program. Drug detox involves cleansing the body of all traces of drugs. Depending on the type of drug used, cravings and withdrawal symptoms can be quite intense. In cases where withdrawal symptoms are severe, Altoona treatment center staff will administer medication therapies to help ease a person's symptoms. Once the body is clear of drugs, rehabilitation can begin.