Detoxification is generally the very first step in getting off drugs. It enables 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 prevalent mistake that many addicts make is to believe that detox is sufficient to kick their habit. This is rarely the case. All detox does is get someone through the withdrawal when they stop using. It is often recommended that detox be followed up with some type of treatment plan to learn the root of why somebody was using drugs in the first place.