Heroin Rehab Treatment
Heroin is one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. It is a powerful opioid that is extremely addictive and therefore is no longer prescribed by doctors. That means every time someone uses heroin; they are abusing it.
Some people can become addicted to heroin the very first time they use it. Addiction is classified as a strong, uncontrollable compulsion and craving for a substance. When someone is addicted, an outside support system is needed to recover and regain full health.
According to the United Nations, about 12 million people inject drugs like heroin into their bodies. Heroin continues to be the drug with the highest death-rate – not only worldwide, but here in the United Kingdom as well. More than 2000 people died in 2016 due to a heroin overdose.
One might think: ’you should stop doing heroin now’, and that person is absolutely right. However, it’s not always that straight forward. Heroin is a very addictive drug, and it’s extremely hard to get clean.
However, recovery is possible. Every year, thousands of success stories occur when heroin users either seek or are guided to the correct rehabilitation services. We can safely say it is possible if you want it badly enough. Heroin rehab could be the best thing to have ever happen to you.
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Call now on 0800 138 0722 for confidential and immediate advice on a heroin detoxification program that is tailored to your needs.
What Is Heroin?
Heroin is a drug made from morphine, which is extracted from a plant called the opium poppy. Opium is one of the oldest drugs there is in the world. At first, it was given to people who have struggled with insomnia, and for those who needed it as a painkiller.
Heroin, also known as diamorphine, is three times as strong as its parent morphine. Morphine is normally given out in hospitals as painkillers, for moderate to severe pain.
Recreational use of heroin derives from the sense of euphoria it provides, with users reporting a sense of extreme happiness and content. It is, however, highly addictive, and it is frequently listed as the hardest drug to quit once addicted.
How Is Heroin Ruining My Quality Of Life?
For many people living with an addiction or dependency on heroin, seeing the destructive side of the drug is often hard and non-existent. Through our experience and expertise, we have gained an insight into the common risks and dangers associated with heroin abuse ranging from relationships, finances and health.
Below we have listed some of the most common obstacles and difficulties that arise to due heroin addiction:
First and foremost, heroin is dangerous. It causes immediate changes in the body. First-time users will feel nauseous, and even experienced users will throw suffer from nausea, sickness, and vomiting on a regular basis. Once the drug has passed through your bloodstream, the effects are instant and will impact your quality of life both physically and mentally.
Heroin, with its opiate-based qualities, impacts how the user experiences different sensations and the cognitive acknowledgment of 'being rewarded.' Once the opiate is injected into the bloodstream, its powers take effect within seconds.
When the opioids in the drug meet the receptors in the brain, they cling onto the molecules, thus creating a feeling of intense euphoria, pleasure, and tranquility. But this is not reality. Heroin use causes severe damage to our thought-processing abilities, decision-making powers, and results in abnormal behavior.
Heroin transforms what is known as you into an entirely different entity.
Although heroin is cheaper than some drugs, addiction can become extremely expensive no matter what the substance is. The financial burden can affect people beyond the individual.
Heroin addiction retracts normal human decisions, and when a user is no longer financially able to purchase their next dose, they are likely to steal from family and friends or manipulate others into giving them money.
Like many drug addictions, heroin dependence does not discriminate against background, origin or status. While the overwhelming effects of the drug take over, an individual's commitment to work and professional life can diminish. Living with heroin addiction and working, or fulfilling responsibilities is often unheard of.
The emotional effects on both an addict and the family of an addict are extreme. It can be devastating to a person's self-esteem and lead to the development of various mental disorders. Friends and family may also feel anxious for the person and guilty that they cannot seem to help their loved one.
Addiction is known to destroy relationships with family and friends. Often when someone is addicted, they can become deceitful and aggressive, and more often than not, they choose heroin over their relationships.
Heroin is a drug that is highly likely to result in physical dependency, which means the body quickly starts to depend on and crave the drug. Long-term impacts include drastic weight loss, and therefore a completely altered and disheveled appearance.
The sky-high risk of transmitting HIV or other infections is also a serious risk of heroin abuse. Sharing needles, which are often used or tainted with someone else's blood, is a danger. Through bloody needles, you could inject someone else’s blood with HIV into yours.
Many heroin users under the influence will engage in risky sexual intercourse due to lower levels of inhibition and a distorted view of behavioural consequences. The chances of contracting a serious sexual disease are much bigger for those who are addicted to heroin.
Listed below are some common physical risks of heroin use:
- Lesions/ abscesses
- Blood poisoning
- Gangrene
- Necrosis
- Amputation
- Liver disease
- Collapsed veins
- Kidney disease
- Pulmonary infections
- Chronic constipation
- Hepatitis
- Brain damage
- Skin infections
- Infertility
Due to the intensity of the drug, a heroin user is at high risk of overdose. While death is not certain, if the person does not receive immediate medical attention, the consequences can be severe and permanent. If heroin does not kill you, it will ruin your quality of life.
Medical Assistance When Stopping Heroin
Assistance is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, one of the main reasons support is necessary when someone is working on quitting heroin addictions and especially during heroin detox, is safety.
Some symptoms of heroin withdrawal, such as seizures, are not only uncomfortable but dangerous. When someone tries to detox on their own, the chances of serious repercussions are significantly higher.
When a person has access to the support of a medical professional during detox (like when it is done in a rehab facility), their vitals and symptoms can be monitored to ensure safety.
“Cold turkey” refers to when an individual stops taking the drug all at once, and it can result in serious withdrawal symptoms that can be extremely dangerous.
For this reason, ‘cold turkey’ detox with heroin is commonly advised against. When an individual enters a facility for detox, a medical professional will introduce a gradual reduction plan.
This means that the amount of heroin they are taking will be slowly decreased to minimize withdrawal symptoms and hopefully avoid dangerous symptoms.
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To become your better self, call us today on 0800 138 0722.
A Guide To Heroin Detox
Drawing all traces of the drug from the body is a medical process that requires certain safety procedures.
Below, we guide you through the detoxification process and answer common questions surrounding heroin rehabilitation:
Heroin detox means cleansing your body from a harmful substance. At nearly all rehab centres you’ll have to go through a period of detoxification. In the case of heroin rehab, this means to stop using the drug: withdrawal symptoms will soon follow.
Heroin also has a short half-life. That means that the duration of the effects of the drug is fairly short, and it will be out of your system in several days. In comparison with cannabis for instance, which has a half-life of a full month, this seems like nothing.
The length of heroin detox depends on various factors. First of all, if detoxification takes place in a facility with medical staff, the process can go by a lot faster.
Generally speaking, detox can be completed in about two weeks, but sometimes it can take a few weeks to a few months longer based on the process and severity of the addiction. After the main process of detox, withdrawal symptoms and cravings can come and go for months if not years.
Detox is hard, but it can be easier when done in a rehab facility when detoxing a person experience both physical and emotional symptoms that can feel devastating. When a person is going through detox, a doctor will help them come up with a plan that will allow them to detox safely and as comfortably as possible.
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Insomnia
- Diarrhea
- Dilated pupils
- Cramping
- Muscle aches
- Sweating
When someone uses heroin, the body gets used to the effects of the drug and changes how it operates and how much it releases neurotransmitters. This means that when heroin leaves the body, the brain and body struggle to function, and withdrawal symptoms appear.
In order to overcome withdrawal, it is important that a person has a support system to help them through it. During the process, relapse can sometimes sound better than the withdrawal symptoms, so without a support system, this period is when most people will relapse.
Other than that, it takes determination and time. Symptoms will lessen and pass if a person does not give in and use.
A very important step on the road to recovery. Once you feel slightly better from your withdrawal, you can start thinking of changing your behaviour and way of thinking, so you will not have the urge to start doing heroin again.
Many rehab centres will use rehab techniques like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This is a therapeutic treatment with the aim of improving your awareness of your triggers.
Triggers are specific things or situations that will start your craving for heroin. Say, you might have had a stressful day and you feel like injecting yourself will make you feel much better. That thought process can be stopped through the help of CBT.
Another successful treatment method is medication. In the United Kingdom, the use of methadone is permitted to treat people with heroin addiction. Methadone is a synthetic drug that was originally manufactured as a painkiller but has also been used as a substitute for heroin. It mimics the effects of heroin and will be gradually reduced over time. This is known as ‘harm reduction’.
Heroin Withdrawal symptoms
Many heroin withdrawal symptoms can be intense. A lot of heroin users who want to start rehab are discouraged when they see the list of withdrawal symptoms commonly associated with the road to sobriety.
Heroin Rehab is, through all the hard work and pain you might go through, absolutely worth it. Knowing what will happen and knowing the side effects will help you get ready for the task ahead.
One of the main issues you’ll go through is extreme muscle aches and pains. With the correct treatment and guidance at one of our facilities, these physical sensations can be managed safely and will certainly decrease in their intensity as you progress through the detoxification process.
The Heroin ‘superflu’ is another infamous state consisting of many physical sensations that occur during the withdrawal process. These symptoms include:
- Depression
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting/Nausea
- Drug Cravings
- Insomnia
- Chills
- Loss of Appetite
- Increased Heart Rate
- Seizures
The reasons listed above are an indication of why it is extremely important to complete rehabilitation in a controlled environment, where there are professionals to guide you through your struggles.
At ADT Healthcare, we can help you get rid of your addiction, faster than you ever thought. Heroin rehab is a gradual process, which will work out in a few steps.
What Are The Treatment Options?
Below, we list the most effective treatment options for heroin addiction:
1. Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is an intense treatment program that can take be either inpatient or outpatient.
- Inpatient rehabilitation is when a person stays overnight at a facility and has 24/7 access to a support team
- Outpatient treatment allows the person to continue to partake in other obligations, while still receiving treatment several hours a day, several days a week
During rehabilitation, a person spends lots of time completing various forms of treatment. A person going through heroin rehab might meet with a doctor for medication, a therapist for one-on-one talk therapy, or attend group sessions that teach various coping mechanisms and provide support.
2. Twelve-Step Programs
A 12 step program is a group support system that walks people through 12 steps of recovery. This is one of the most common forms of treatment and has high rates of long term success. One of the biggest benefits to a 12 step program is the support of people who understand your struggle with addiction.
3. Contingency Management
This kind of therapy is very goal, reward, and consequence-based. In this kind of therapy, a person will make specific goals for their treatment, and when they meet those goals, they get a reward. Often, the specific goals make the huge challenge of overcoming addiction much more manageable.
4. Hypnotherapy
The goal of hypnotherapy is to get a person to the point where they are no longer craving the drug. If a person does not want a drug, they are much less likely to relapse. This kind of therapy does not work for everyone, but for others, it has extremely high success rates.
5. Motivational Enhancement Therapy
Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is a very targeted form of therapy that works to treat addiction and other co-occurring disorders. Usually, with this therapy, the counselor works with the patient to help them learn very specific skills.
6. Family Therapy
Addiction does not only affect the individual, but rather it affects everyone around them, especially their family, and that is the benefit of family therapy. It gives the entire family a place to vent and recover from the consequences of addiction.
It is especially helpful if someone’s addiction has put a strain on the relationships in your life. Family therapy will help rebuild relationships.
7. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and is a form of talk therapy that focuses on real-life solutions and coping strategies to help someone remain sober and deal with any emotions and mental disorders that the person struggles with.
8. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on teaching a patient how to healthily cope with stress, learn how to cope with emotions and mental disorders, and improve relationships.
9. Medication
When someone is recovering from addiction, a person may be prescribed medicine for several different purposes. One reason is to decrease the cravings someone feels, especially in the beginning.
A person may also be given medications to make them more comfortable during withdrawal and treat any dangerous symptoms. Finally, a doctor may prescribe medications to treat co-occurring mental disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Get Help Now
After rehab, it is pivotal that a person remains in treatment to avoid relapse. A person can try a few different options for treatment. For one, continuing therapy on a less intensive scale can be a great way to continue to learn coping strategies for both addiction and other mental disorders. Another option is to support groups and twelve-step plans.
Ready To Get Help?
Call us now on 0800 138 0722 for a free assessment and start your recovery today. We offer confidential and immediate support, followed by expert advice suited to your individual requirements.