Medical detox for Pompano Beach — supervised, then straight into treatment.

For Pompano Beach families in Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes, and Hillsboro Shores, RECO is close enough that loved ones stay involved in family sessions, but far enough up I-95 — about 28 minutes — to create clinical separation from the local scene. Detox happens with vetted partner facilities under 24/7 medical supervision, and clients transition directly into RECO's own residential or PHP program with no second intake and no waitlist.

Pompano Beach sits about 18 miles south of RECO Intensive’s Delray Beach campus — a straight shot up I-95 that runs roughly 28 minutes outside of rush hour. For families in Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes, or Hillsboro Shores, that distance is enough to create real separation from the bars, dealers, and routines that shape active addiction, while staying close enough that family members can stay involved through every phase of care. Detox is where most clients with moderate-to-severe physical dependence need to begin, and RECO coordinates that first medical phase with partner facilities before bringing clients directly into our own residential or PHP programs.

This page explains how medical detox works, when it’s clinically indicated, and how the handoff into RECO’s longer-term treatment is structured so there is no gap between stabilization and the actual work of recovery.

When medical detox is the right starting point

Not every substance use disorder requires medical detox, and not every person with the same substance will require it either. The decision is driven by the ASAM Criteria — specifically Dimension 1, which assesses acute intoxication and withdrawal potential. Detox is medically indicated when withdrawal carries a meaningful risk of seizures, delirium, cardiac instability, or severe autonomic dysregulation. In practice, that means three categories dominate the medical-detox population: alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids.

Alcohol withdrawal can progress to seizures and delirium tremens, which carries real mortality risk without supervision. Benzodiazepine withdrawal is similarly dangerous and often requires a slow, structured taper rather than abrupt cessation. Opioid withdrawal is rarely fatal in otherwise healthy adults, but it is severe enough that most people cannot tolerate it without medical support, and the risk of overdose during a relapse in the days that follow is exceptionally high. Stimulant withdrawal — cocaine, methamphetamine, prescription amphetamines — is generally not medically dangerous, but the depressive crash, anhedonia, and craving are intense enough that a supervised, supportive environment makes a real difference in whether someone stays the course into residential care.

What 24/7 medical supervision actually looks like

“Medically supervised detox” is a phrase that gets used loosely. At the partner facilities RECO works with, it means something specific: round-the-clock nursing presence, scheduled vital signs checks, and standardized withdrawal-symptom scoring. For alcohol, that’s the CIWA-Ar scale, which assesses tremor, anxiety, agitation, and a handful of other symptoms on a numbered scale every few hours; medication is administered against that score rather than on a fixed schedule. For opioids, the COWS scale plays the same role, guiding buprenorphine or comfort-medication dosing in response to actual symptom severity.

Medication management during detox typically includes benzodiazepines for alcohol withdrawal (often a tapering schedule of lorazepam or chlordiazepoxide), buprenorphine or methadone for opioid withdrawal, anticonvulsants when indicated, antiemetics, sleep support, and IV fluids for clients who arrive dehydrated. A medical director reviews each case, and a physician or APRN is available for orders around the clock. None of this is about willpower. Detox is a medical procedure with predictable physiology, and the goal of the supervising team is to make withdrawal safe, tolerable, and short enough that the client has the energy to begin the actual work of recovery once they step down to the next level of care.

Direct continuity into residential or PHP

One of the most consistent failure points in addiction treatment is the gap between detox and the next level of care. A client finishes seven days at a freestanding detox facility, gets discharged with a printout and a phone number, and is expected to navigate intake at a separate organization while still in the post-acute withdrawal window — fatigued, sleep-disrupted, and at peak relapse risk. The dropout rate at that handoff is well documented.

RECO’s model is designed to close that gap. Clients who detox with our partner facilities are admitted directly into our residential program or partial hospitalization program the same day they’re medically cleared. The clinical team that will manage the rest of treatment receives the detox handoff directly — discharge summary, medication list, withdrawal course, any psychiatric concerns flagged during the stay. The therapist who will run the client’s first group session has already reviewed the chart. There is no second intake, no waitlist, no break in the medication regimen.

Medication-assisted induction during detox

For opioid use disorder, the evidence base for medication-assisted treatment is settled. Buprenorphine and methadone both substantially reduce overdose death and improve retention in treatment; buprenorphine is more commonly used in residential and outpatient settings because of its safer pharmacology and lower regulatory burden. The detox phase is the natural induction window — buprenorphine is started once the client reaches a target COWS score, titrated to a stable maintenance dose over the first 48 to 72 hours, and continued through residential and PHP under the supervision of RECO’s psychiatry team.

Long-acting injectable naltrexone (Vivitrol) is the other option for clients who prefer an opioid-blockade approach rather than a partial agonist. Vivitrol requires a fully opioid-free interval before the first injection, which the detox stay is well-positioned to provide. For alcohol use disorder, naltrexone and acamprosate are both first-line and can be started during or immediately after detox. RECO’s psychiatry team coordinates MAT decisions directly with the detox provider so that whatever medication regimen the client transitions on is the one that will continue through the rest of treatment — no restarts, no switches based on formulary, no second induction.

For deeper background on the specific substances that drive most detox admissions, see our pages on alcohol use disorder treatment and opioid use disorder treatment.

How Pompano Beach families typically start the process

Most Pompano clients reach RECO through one of three paths: a family member calls after a medical event (an ER visit, an overdose, a DUI), a current outpatient provider refers in when the case has outgrown weekly therapy, or the client themselves makes the call after a period of trying to taper at home. Whichever route brings you in, the first step is an admissions call that covers substance history, recent use pattern, medical history, psychiatric history, and insurance.

RECO is in-network with most major commercial carriers, and our admissions team verifies benefits in real time during that first call — see insurance verification for the carrier list and what’s typically covered. After detox and residential or PHP, most clients step down through IOP and our sober-living network before transitioning into aftercare and alumni programming. The whole continuum is structured so that each step shortens the distance back to a normal life in Pompano Beach without shortening the clinical depth of treatment.

Serving residents of: Cresthaven, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes, Hillsboro Shores.