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