When people speak of "rapid detox" they are usually referring to a controversial new procedure that is actually called "ultra rapid detox."  The idea is sedate a person using anesthetic and flush their system out if they are addicted to opiate drugs such as painkillers or heroin.  So far the procedure is not really approved for general use so insurance companies are not yet covering it.  Anyone who wants the procedure done has to pay cash, and it is fairly expensive.  On the other hand, the cost involved is comparable to some rehab facilities.  But understand that these are two completely different approaches: going to rehab usually involves a stay that lasts from about one week up to 28 days, and the ultra rapid detox procedure usually lasts about an hour and a half.  However, when you wake up from the procedure, your withdrawal symptoms are gone, leaving you only to deal with the psychological cravings and social aspect of the addiction.

So ultra rapid detox is certainly convenient in terms of the time factor involved.  It is much easier to go in for an outpatient procedure or even to just stay over for one night maybe than it is to do 28 days in a rehab.  It is hard to beat the convenience of this.  Consider too that most people who go to a drug rehab will actually be assigned for follow up care, and many will go to either outpatient counseling or even long term treatment that will generally last for several months.   So there is a vast difference in the two approaches.

Because ultra rapid detox is basically just a procedure and not a treatment program, they generally indicate that some sort of follow up counseling or a treatment plan of some sort is needed in order to maintain success and stay clean.  But this is really left up to the client to determine for themselves and follow through on after having the procedure done.  Unfortunately, this is not going to produce an outstanding rate of recovery because people who experience this sudden transformation to a fully detoxed body are not going to feel the urgency necessary to start following some sort of aftercare program.  The motivation will not be there because they will feel normal again. 

This is not true in a normal rehab setting, where addicts are basically feeling the effects of withdrawal and have some level of discomfort going on.  Even if they drug rehab medicates their withdrawal symptoms, the person will still have some discomfort at times, and this will help motivate them to take action to prevent future use.  If you want to stay clean from opiates in the long run then you have to change your whole life, not just get detoxed and then "move on."  Many people who get the ultra rapid detox procedure done say that they just want to wipe their hands of the drug and move on with their life.  For the true drug addict this is never a real possibility as the drug use became their entire life; their entire reason for existing.  There is no normal life to return to and so they have to build that new life in the process of recovery.  This involves a lot of work and usually some sort of program to follow.  Without this deliberate action, an addict will eventually return to what they know best: self medicating with drugs.

So a trip to a rapid detox procedure is not a magic bullet.  It certainly seems like one in the short run, because it is so quick and convenient and seems to be very effective at removing the drugs from an addict.  But the real problem lies in the long term behaviors and the social aspect of the disease of addiction.  Without addressing these things, a recovering addict is in constant danger of slipping back into their old ways.  Many people think that they will no longer be exposed to opiates after they get clean.  The question is not if they will but when.  Eventually all of us have exposure to drugs in one form or another, and what is an addict going to do if they have not really walked a true path of recovery and learned how to control their triggers and urges through a process of introspection and self exploration.  A big part of recovery is finding and discovering your self again and that is not really part of an ultra detox process.  The alternative is a long hard road in recovery but it is a path that works. 

If you find a shortcut to getting clean and sober then you know what kind of long term results you can expect.  If you do not put in the work and the effort to maintain your recovery then you will likely end up relapsing.