Really, what we're talking about here is detoxification from drugs by going cold turkey. This is the period between when the patient stops taking the drugs, and when the patient no longer feels any effects from giving up the drugs.
The patient can sign themselves into a drug detox center, take part in the drug detox program, or try and detox on their own. This last method is not to be advised without some kind of outpatient help.
Sometimes, detoxification will require a certain amount of medication. This medication will be given to try and alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal from the drugs.
There are alternative and holistic medicine avenues that drug addicts can search for methods of toxin removal. There may be a case for this in conjunction with other treatments. While it is the job of both the liver and kidneys to detoxify and flush toxins from the body, there would be no harm in helping them along with alternative treatments. These treatments could include herbal detox, foot detox, diet detoxification, body cleansing, and water fasting.
Any rehabilitation from drug taking must include addressing the issues and problems which led the patient into drug use in the first place. The patient must live their lives in the community, during and after rehab, probably in the same environment in which they became drug dependent in the first place. Methods must be adopted to mitigate situations in which the patient finds themselves in danger of relapse.
Any formal drug detoxification program will involve evaluation first. This is to establish what kind of drugs were being taken, along with the physical state of the patient, what other conditions he or she is suffering from, if there are other substances that are being abused as well, and what is the mental state of the patient.
The next stage is to guide the patient through drugs detox. Whether or not to administer medication will be decided at this stage. Family and friends will be brought in at this stage if at all possible.
The last part of the detox process is to get the agreement of the patient to enroll in rehab.
More information about Drugs Detox. Also some good stuff about Alcohol Detox from the pen of Jack A. Burton.