Teen Perspective: Taking Care of Your Body  As a teen, what is
detox?  A Answers (1)    • AMehmet Oz, MD, Cardiology, answered
It’s basically a form of treatment that removes you from the
toxic substance to which you’re addicted. Detox can be very
useful, but physical withdrawal produces lots of discomfort, so
substitutes may be employed to ease the transition.      For
example, nicotine patches are often used when someone tries to
quit smoking, allowing him or her to gradually wean from
nicotine without the adverse symptoms that can occur from
stopping a multipack habit cold turkey: diarrhea, irritability,
stomach upset, headache, and sleeplessness or too much sleep.
For heroin and narcotic withdrawal, detox is most safely done in
a treatment setting, to help with the acute physical and
emotional consequences of withdrawal. A substance abuse
specialist can prescribe medicines if needed.          More
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