Drug detox and alcohol detoxification is often a process that a person who has been addicted and dependent to drugs and alcohol must undergo after they stop using these substances abruptly. Individuals who abuse drugs and alcohol can't stop or don't want to stop using these substances simply because they know they will have to detox, which can be extremely uncomfortable as well as painful in some instances. Thankfully, specialists in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs are skilled and experienced in the drug detox and alcohol detoxification process and how to make this process as comfortable and safe as possible. There are ways to avoid certain withdrawal symptoms, make them more manageable, or at least make them tolerable while they last which is typically only a matter of days. Those who proceed through drug detox or alcohol detoxification must not stop here, and leaving rehab after only completing this task makes all efforts to this point mute. This is because people who only detox and don't receive any further rehabilitation do just as well as someone who never received any treatment in the first place. Detoxification isn't treatment, so folks who undergo drug detox and alcohol detoxification must agree to a thorough treatment plan which covers every aspect of their drug or alcohol addiction.