Detoxification is usually the very first 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 various types of detoxification. Theyvary from drug-free to medically supervised. A common mistake that a lot of addicts make is to believe that detox is enough to kick their habit. This is hardly ever the case. All detox does is get someone through the withdrawal when they stop using. It is usually recommended that detox be followed up with some type of treatment plan to find out the root of why a person was using drugs in the first place.