What outpatient detox actually involves
Two to three hours on your first day, about an hour every day after that, and most programs run 14 to 21 days. Here is what fills that time and what you need to clear from your calendar.
Two Georgia locations
Woodstock, GA 30188
Hiram, GA 30141
Saturday–Sunday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Outpatient detox at Restoration runs 14 to 21 days for most substances, with alcohol and benzodiazepines at the longer end. Your first visit takes two to three hours depending on your condition on arrival; every visit after that is about an hour. Appointments run Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Your time
What this actually costs you in hours
| How long | What happens | |
|---|---|---|
| First visit | 2–3 hours | Full clinical assessment, substance and medical history, level-of-care decision, protocol built. Longer if you arrive in significant withdrawal, because stabilizing you comes first. |
| Every visit after | About an hour | Vitals, symptom scoring, medication review and adjustment. |
| Full program | 14–21 days | Stabilisation, taper and step-down planning. Alcohol and benzodiazepines run longest. |
An hour fits either side of a shift. That is the practical case for outpatient over residential, and it is why both clinics run 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday to Friday, and 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Saturday and Sunday — see evening appointments.
Two different numbers
Program length and withdrawal length are not the same thing
People sometimes see one figure quoted for withdrawal and another for a program and assume somebody is exaggerating. They measure different things.
Acute withdrawal is the physical phase — roughly five to seven days for short-acting opioids, up to ten for alcohol. That is when you feel worst.
The program runs 14 to 21 days, because getting through the acute phase is not the same as finishing. The remainder covers tapering safely, stabilizing, and building what happens next — which is the part that determines whether it holds.
Benzodiazepines are the exception in the other direction. Those tapers are deliberately slow and some run beyond 21 days, because the pace is the safety mechanism. See benzodiazepine detox.
A visit
What fills that hour
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Every visit
Vitals
Blood pressure, pulse, temperature. In alcohol detox this is not box-ticking — it is how the seizure risk window gets watched.
-
Every visit
Symptom scoring
CIWA for alcohol, COWS for opioids. A number rather than an impression, which is what lets doses follow what is actually happening to you.
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Every visit
Medication review
Doses adjusted against the score. The difference between a protocol that adapts and one that runs to a calendar.
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As you stabilize
Visits space out
Daily at first for most protocols, then less often as scores come down.
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Before you finish
The step-down plan
Built while you are still here rather than handed over at the door — counselling, an IOP, ongoing medication, or a residential referral.
Compared
Against residential, in practical terms
Time away. Residential means leaving home for the duration. Outpatient means an hour a day. For anyone with a job that notices absence or children to collect, that is the entire decision.
Cost. You are not paying for a bed, meals or overnight staffing, and outpatient sits at a lower level of care in the framework insurers use. See why outpatient costs less.
Clinical supervision. Same assessment and the same medications. What differs is monitoring intensity — continuous on-site observation inpatient, scheduled visits outpatient.
Who it does not suit. Severe alcohol withdrawal, long-term high-dose benzodiazepine use, a previous withdrawal seizure, or a home where people are still using. See outpatient vs inpatient.
Where
Two Georgia locations, open late and weekends
Woodstock
355 Parkway 575, Suite 200-B
Woodstock, GA 30188
Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sat–Sun 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Hiram
126 Enterprise Path, Suite 301A
Hiram, GA 30141
Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sat–Sun 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Serving Canton, Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, Dallas, Powder Springs and Douglasville. See Cherokee, Paulding and Cobb county pages.
Free benefits check
Verify your coverage
Send your carrier and member ID and we come back with an actual number. See insurance for detox.
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Common questions
What to expect, answered
How long does outpatient detox take?
Most protocols run 14 to 21 days from start to finish, with alcohol and benzodiazepines at the longer end. That is the full program — stabilisation, taper and step-down — rather than just the acute withdrawal phase, which is shorter.
How much time does it take each day?
Your first visit runs two to three hours depending on your condition on arrival. Every visit after that is about an hour.
Why is the first day longer?
Because it covers the full clinical assessment, your substance and medical history, the level-of-care decision, and building your protocol. If you arrive in significant withdrawal it takes longer, because stabilizing you comes first.
Do I come in every day?
Daily at the start for most protocols, then less often as you stabilize. The pattern is set by your symptom scores rather than a fixed schedule.
Can I keep working?
Most people do. An hour a day fits either side of a shift, and both clinics run from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The exception is the first two or three days of opioid or alcohol withdrawal, which are hard enough that we usually suggest taking them.
What happens at each visit?
Vitals, symptom scoring using CIWA for alcohol or COWS for opioids, and medication review. The score is what determines your doses, which is how the protocol adapts to you rather than running to a calendar.
Is 14 to 21 days the same for every substance?
Roughly, though alcohol and benzodiazepines sit at the longer end and some benzodiazepine tapers run beyond it. Acute withdrawal is shorter than the full program for every substance.
What do I bring on the first day?
Photo ID, insurance card if you have one, and a list of everything you currently take including prescriptions. See what to bring.
Should I stop using before my first appointment?
No. Timing matters clinically and stopping abruptly beforehand can make things worse. Come as you are.
What happens after the program finishes?
The step-down plan is built while you are still here — counselling, an intensive outpatient program, ongoing medication, or a residential referral if that is the honest answer.
Woodstock & Hiram, GA
Two to three hours on day one. An hour a day after that.
One conversation tells you whether outpatient detox is a fit, what your insurance covers, and how soon you could start.
678-506-7611
Woodstock ·
Hiram ·
Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sat–Sun 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM