Home may be better choice for detoxification: Study

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Detoxification and withdrawal services to help patients with drug and alcohol addiction may be more effective when carried out at home, according to new research.

"This research suggests that home-based withdrawal services for people struggling with alcohol and other drug addictions may offer an acceptable and less expensive option, particularly in cases where home-based and inpatient detoxification are considered medically appropriate," said Curtin University researcher Cameron Wright in a statement on Monday.

The study found that detoxification services to help patients with drug and alcohol addiction may be more effective when carried out at home. / VCG Photo

The study, the findings of which were published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health, analyzed 1,800 patients receiving home-based services in the Western Australia state capital Perth.

"It indicates that offering these treatment services at home are especially effective if spending time away from home is likely to be disruptive to the patient or if the substance abuse is most problematic at home," said Wright, the lead author.

The research offered valuable information at a crucial time when demand for drug and alcohol treatment services was outstripping the supply of such services across the country, he said.

The proportion of patients in the study who identified with methamphetamine use alone rose from 4 percent in 2011-2012 to 23 percent in 2015-2016, indicating the recent rise in the use of the illegal drug in the community, said Wright.

"Our research also showed the effectiveness of the home-based withdrawal services, with just 23 percent of surveyed clients indicating they used their drug of primary concern most days or most often at the end of the program, down significantly from 94 percent at the start of the program."

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency