Detoxification is usually the initial step in getting off drugs. It allows a person to be in a supervised environment while they go through withdrawal symptoms for drugs and/or alcohol. There are various types of detoxification. Theyvary from drug-free to medically supervised. A frequent mistake that many addicts make is to think that detox is enough to kick their habit. This is almost never the case. All detox does is get an individual through the withdrawal when they stop using. It is often recommended that detox be followed up with some type of treatment plan to uncover the root of why an individual was using drugs in the first place.