Medical Detox

Inpatient detox at Wellbrook typically lasts four to seven days. The exact length depends on the substance, your pattern of use, and your overall health.

Throughout your stay, a clinical team led by doctors, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and registered nurses assesses you daily, adjusting your care and comfort medications as your body moves through withdrawal — so you stay as safe and comfortable as possible until you’re fully stabilized.

We won’t pretend withdrawal is comfortable — symptoms can include anxiety, insomnia, nausea, tremors, and cravings, and they typically peak within the first 72 hours before gradually improving. That difficulty is exactly why detox belongs under medical care.

Our job is to make it as manageable as possible. Nurses are on site 24/7, your symptoms are assessed continually, and your comfort medications are adjusted in response to how your body is actually feeling — not a fixed protocol. You go through it in a private room with your own bathroom, with a team trained to anticipate what each stage of withdrawal brings.

Detoxing at home without medical supervision is unsafe with any substance — the risks just look different. Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can bring seizures, dehydration, and heart complications. Opioid withdrawal is severe enough that most people can’t finish it alone, and the lowered tolerance that follows makes any relapse far more dangerous. Stimulant withdrawal is hardest on the mind — crashing mood and cravings that are risky to face without support. Safe detox requires medical evaluation, a structured plan, and help on hand if something goes wrong.

Timelines also vary more than people expect: alcohol and opioid withdrawal often takes up to a week, while benzodiazepines can take several weeks. A medical assessment tells you what your specific situation actually requires — that’s a conversation our admissions team can have with you today.

Yes — you can check in while still intoxicated, as long as someone else drives you. If the moment you’re ready arrives before sobriety does, don’t wait for a better one.

Fair warning: it may make intake a little more complicated and can slightly extend your stay, since you’ll need to come down before full assessment and detox work can begin. But whatever condition you arrive in, you’ll be welcomed with respect and care.

You’re greeted by a registered nurse and a behavioral health technician who help you get settled, ease any anxiety about the process, and answer your questions. They’ll walk you through initial consents and assessments, including your medical and substance use history.

Your blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels are taken, and blood may be drawn to check how your body is functioning, including nutrition and hydration. Everything is done privately and without judgment — the entire intake exists to keep you safe during withdrawal, not to evaluate you as a person.

Detox stabilizes your body — it’s the first step, not the treatment itself. Before you complete it, our team works with you to build an individualized plan for what comes next.

For most people, that means a seamless transition into our on-campus residential treatment program, where intensive group and one-on-one therapy addresses the root causes of addiction. As you progress, your continuum of care may step down through our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) as you rebuild everyday life.

Our on-site inpatient medical detox is offered at both locations: Brookfield, Wisconsin and Chardon, Ohio. Both offer private detox rooms, 24/7 nursing care, and residential and outpatient programs on the same campus — so the next step of treatment never requires a transfer.

Our admissions team can verify your insurance and recommend the right location and level of care. Same-day admissions are often available.