What is Withdrawal Management?

Withdrawing from alcohol or drug use isn’t as easy as saying, “I quit.” The withdrawal process is extremely complex. Getting the substance out of one’s system a process known as “detoxification” - is just the beginning. Capital Health’s Addiction Prevention and Treatment Services (APTS) has been helping clients through the process of withdrawal for decades now. APTS takes a holistic approach to withdrawal management, and a recent name change from “Detox” to “Withdrawal Management” better reflects what this service offers to those who need it.

“Calling the program ‘Detox’ is not a good reflection of what we do here,” says Dr. Pat Croskerry, an addictions physician at APTS. “Detox” is an old fashioned label for letting people dry out. In Withdrawal Management, what we do is not only safely bring people down [off drugs or alcohol], we also start initiating contact and treatment for a sustained recovery. We effectively treat a person’s addiction and support them in their recovery.”

For Croskerry, the old term “detox” implied a hands-off approach to care, and that simply isn’t the case at APTS. “We don’t just bring the person in and watch them
withdraw,” he says. “The management of withdrawal from different drugs is quite different. The treatment protocols are different.”

“The term withdrawal management better reflects our holistic approach to addiction and recovery,” says Tony Jenkins, Clinical Program Manager for APTS Withdrawal Managerment Services. “Withdrawal Management describes the entire withdrawal process including medical management of physical withdrawal, education, counselling and establishing an individualized recovery plan.”

For many individuals, Withdrawal Management Services is the first step to a brighter, healthier future. “People come here to withdraw safely, but our ultimate
goal is to keep them on the road to recovery,” Croskerry says.

APTS offers an in-hospital Withdrawal Management Service, Withdrawal Management Day Services and Opiate Treatment Services (formerly known as Methadone Treatment Services). To learn more, call our Central Information and Referral phoneline: (902) 424-8866 or toll free 1-866-340-6700.

-Rachel Boehm, Senior Communications Advisor, Addiction Prevention and Treatment Services