Drug and alcohol detox doesn't have to be a distressing process, as it can be managed and made entirely safe in the event the individual detoxing is in the hands of detox professionals. Those who are detoxing might not know that in addition to the withdrawal and other effects experienced during detoxification, their health and wellbeing may be at risk. Specific substances can cause seizures and other serious symptoms which could be life-threatening during detox. Alcohol is an example of this, and anyone who is detoxing from alcohol needs to be treated in a specialist setting like a detoxification facility or drug rehabilitation facility to avoid any severe symptoms. Specific pharmaceutical drugs also trigger such symptoms, and in fact it is never safe to abruptly cease using almost any medical drug unless in an alcohol and drug detox center or medical. Issues can arise with other drugs also, if someone's health has been compromised because of substance abuse, as is generally the case. Specialists will assess an individual's drug and alcohol use history once they arrive for alcohol and drug detoxification, and see if any specific intervention should be used to make certain that alcohol and drug detox is a safe and smooth process.