How to Get Drugs Out of Your System

Hydrating to Flush out Drugs

Drink at least 10–12.5 c (2,400–3,000 mL) of water throughout the day. The best way to flush any type of drug from your system is to keep your body very hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Over the course of several days, the water will dilute the concentration of drugs in your body, and frequent urination will help flush out any detectable sign of the drugs. For drugs that are stored in the fat cells of your body (e.g., cocaine and THC from marijuana), increasing your water consumption will not have a noticeable effect. Adult men should drink at least 15.5 cups (3.7 L) of water a day, and adult women should drink at least 11.5 cups (2.7 L) of water daily. If you’re drinking water to flush drugs out of your system, increase the amount of water you’re drinking daily by about 2–3 cups (0.47–0.71 L).

Consume tea or cranberry juice daily in addition to water. All types of tea are great detoxing agents, and cranberry juice will make you urinate more frequently. Drink 3-4 glasses of tea or juice every day while you’re trying to clear drugs out of your system. You can drink green, black, white, jasmine, or any other type of tea. The tea will provide your body with antioxidants and electrolytes, which will accelerate your metabolism. You can drink your green tea hot by steeping tea bags. Or you can drink it cold, by making iced tea. If you’re drinking hot green tea, pour ⁄4 teaspoon (1.2 mL) of lemon juice into the tea to enhance the flavor.

Avoid drinking alcohol when flushing out drugs. Alcohol binds most easily to cocaine and the THC in marijuana and helps the substances attach to the body’s fats. Once THC and cocaine are stored in fat cells, they’re difficult to remove from the body. Drinking alcohol—especially in large amounts—only worsens the problem. Alcohol can have negative effects on your body on its own and may also lower your inhibitions and result in you taking more of the drug you’re trying to flush out.

Sweating out Drugs

Perform aerobic exercises to burn off fat. Certain types of drugs (most notably cocaine and the THC from marijuana) build up in the body’s fat cells. So, reducing your body’s fat will also reduce drug levels. One of the best ways to burn fat is through sweating, and aerobic exercises tend to make you sweat a lot. As you burn fat and sweat, you’ll help remove drug residue from your body. Aerobic and other sweat-inducing exercises include. Biking or hiking. Running or jogging. Jumping rope.

Spend 20-30 minutes in a sauna daily to sweat out drugs. While it doesn’t require any physical activity, sitting in a hot, steamy sauna is a great way to cause your body to sweat. This will flush out drug metabolites. Saunas can be found in community centers or gyms, often next to the pool. Other ways to increase your sweating and flush drug toxins out of your skin and fat cells include: Participating in hot yoga. Sunbathing. Be aware that sweating in a sauna may only flush out a small amount of metabolites. Also, avoid saunas if you’ve recently been binging on drugs, as the sauna’s heat could be dangerous.

Add 2 cups (400 grams) of Epsom salts to your bath water. When you’re drawing the water for a bath, pour the Epsom salts into the bathwater. Soak in the salty water for at least 15-20 minutes. The salts will open your pores, which will allow toxins to be pulled out of your body. You can purchase Epsom salts at any supermarket or health-food store. Epsom salt also contains magnesium, which is an important mineral that can help your body remove toxins (including chemicals leftover from drug use).

Modifying Your Diet to Speed up Your Metabolism

Cut sugars and unhealthy fats from your diet. Your body has a lot of work ahead of it, as it processes narcotics and removes toxins from your system. Sugar and unhealthy fats—like trans fats and saturated fats—are also difficult to process and break down. If you eat a diet high in sugar and bad fats, your body will take a relatively long time to flush out detectable signs of drugs. Large amounts of sugars and unhealthy fats are found in things like soda, candy, processed foods, and junk foods. Processed foods are also high in sodium, which will lead to water retention. Water retention will slow down the rate at which you pass drugs out of your body.

Eat vegetables and other foods high in fiber. Filling your body with healthy vegetables and natural, whole foods will restore your depleted supplies of vitamins and minerals. As your body becomes healthier, it will be better suited to process and remove drug residue. In the same way, fiber-rich foods will accelerate your body’s metabolism and the removal of drugs. While this isn’t the best route to take for passing a urine test (focus instead on drinking water or detox drinks), it’ll help your body remove drug residue and become healthier over a period of months. Other foods high in fiber include oatmeal, lentils, black and lima beans, broccoli, and most grains.

Increase your consumption of foods rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants will improve the overall health of your body and make it better able to flush out and process toxins and chemical remnants from drugs. Foods that contain large amounts of antioxidants include: Berries, including blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Leafy green vegetables, including kale, wheatgrass, and romaine lettuce.