Drug and alcohol detoxification does not have to become a distressing process, as it can be made more manageable and made completely safe when the individual detoxing is within reach of detox specialists. People who are detoxing might not know that in addition to the withdrawal and other effects experienced during detoxification, their wellbeing may be at risk. Specific substances could cause seizures and other serious symptoms that may be life-threatening during detoxification. Alcohol is an illustration of this this, and anybody who is detoxing from alcohol should be treated within a specialist setting such as a detoxification facility or alcohol and drug treatment center to prevent any serious symptoms. Specific pharmaceutical drugs also cause such symptoms, and in fact it is never safe to abruptly quit using any type of pharmaceutical drug unless inside a drug and alcohol detox center or medical. Problems can arise with other drugs also, if a person's health has become compromised due to drug abuse, as is usually the case. Specialists will assess an individual's substance abuse history after they arrive for drug and alcohol detox, and see if any specific intervention should be used to be sure that alcohol and drug detox can be a smooth and safe process.