Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder (OUD), and over 500,000 are dependent on heroin. Many people start off taking prescription opioid pills, become dependent, and turn to heroin when they can no longer get prescription pills.
If you or a loved one are having problems with heroin use, it’s time to take action. Although it can sometimes feel hopeless, there are very effective heroin addiction treatment programs you can turn to that will help you turn your life around.
Make sure to keep reading this guide to learn everything you need to know about heroin addiction treatment.
Overview of Heroin Addiction
It’s important to have background information on heroin, so you have what you need to help yourself or a loved one.
Heroin is a drug that comes from the opium poppy flower, which grows in South America, Asia, and Mexico.
It’s highly addictive and has been illegal in the US since 1924. You’ll find heroin can look like a brown or white powder or appears like a sticky black tar substance. Heroin is also called junk, smack, brown sugar, and horse.
What Causes You to Become Addicted to Heroin?
Heroin is an opioid and highly addictive. This is because opioids bind to receptors in the brain and release a chemical called dopamine that blocks pain signals. Dopamine is also known as a “feel-good chemical.” This temporary effect wears off quickly, making people want more of this good feeling.
When you take an opioid over time, your brain won’t naturally produce as much dopamine as it did initially. As a result, you start to take more and more heroin to achieve the same level of high. If someone has been taking opioids for a while and can’t get them anymore, they might pursue heroin to get that same feeling.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Heroin Addiction?
There are often no symptoms early on of heroin addiction, also known as an opioid use disorder, since most people hide their use. When you start using heroin more, the signs get much harder to hide, which include:
- Slurred speech
- Agitation
- Drowsiness
- Depression
- Memory problems
- Nose sores or runny nose if snorting heroin
- Needles marks if injecting
- Constipation
- Changes in appearance
- Lack of personal hygiene
- Problems at work or school
- Money issues
One of the most significant signs of heroin abuse is that you cannot stop using it, no matter the negative consequences. If you’re using heroin, you may realize that you need more and more heroin to get the same pleasurable feeling you had when you first started using.
You also become dependent on heroin and experience withdrawal symptoms within 8 to 24 hours of your last heroin use. You’ll experience symptoms like increased pulse, elevated blood pressure, and muscle spasms.
Heroin Overdose
Another thing you need to be aware of is the dangers of a heroin overdose. Heroin overdoses usually happen accidentally because people take more heroin than they realize. In addition, when you’re chasing that initial high, you tend to keep taking heroin to keep the feeling of euphoria going for longer.
Heroin overdose can affect different body parts, typically beginning with the lungs and airways. Most people start with shallow or difficult breathing, and some stop breathing altogether. Other symptoms of heroin overdose include:
- Dry mouth
- Pinpoint pupils
- Discolored tongue
- Weak pulse
- Low blood pressure
- Bluish lips and nails
- Drowsiness
- Disorientation
- Spasms of the intestines and stomach
- Coma
Remember, a heroin overdose is life-threatening, so seeking emergency assistance is critical.
Heroin Addiction Treatment
Heroin addiction treatment isn’t simply about stopping heroin use. Due to how heroin works on the brain, quitting cold turkey can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms and dope sickness. Dope sickness is associated with opioid substances like morphine, heroin, and prescription opioid pills.
Once you stop using, you’ll feel very ill within hours. Complications can occur if you try to detox from heroin alone, so it’s essential to find a heroin detox treatment center first.
Heroin Detox Center
Once you arrive at a heroin addiction treatment center, you’ll be evaluated by a team of medical professionals. They’ll do a complete physical and psychological assessment to evaluate the symptoms you’re currently having.
Next, your medical team will form a treatment plan to manage the severity of your symptoms and any mental health issues.
You’ll have your blood pressure and pulse monitored regularly and receive medications to ease your withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings. Heroin withdrawal can last up to seven days, depending on the length and frequency of use.
Medications
After the first day, most people experience symptoms like panic attacks, mood swings, and memory loss. You may also experience restlessness and severe sweating.
You’ll receive a combination of medications to manage these symptoms. The medication Buprenorphine is commonly prescribed and helps to reduce physical symptoms and cravings. Another medication is Naltrexone, which blocks the receptors in your brain that normally interact with opioids. It reduces cravings over time and is very effective in people that have completed detox.
You may also be prescribed methadone which is a slow-acting opiate that’s effective at tapering people off heroin while preventing withdrawal symptoms.
Finally, you’ll receive medications to help your withdrawal symptoms, such as insomnia or anxiety. Some people also need medications to control nausea, vomiting, or muscle cramps.
Individual and Group Therapy
While you’re getting treatment for your heroin addiction, you’ll also have access to behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) benefits people with substance use disorders.
CBT is a talk therapy focusing on understanding cognition, or how people feel, think, and view themselves. It looks at how behavior is connected with thoughts and feelings. In addiction treatment, a CBT therapist will look at how your beliefs and thoughts can influence addictive behaviors.
You’ll learn how to identify your thinking patterns about your past experiences. You’ll also learn to identify negative thinking patterns and feelings that lead to drug addiction.
CBT teaches you to change your thoughts and take a more realistic viewpoint that doesn’t lead to a cycle of harmful behaviors.
Group therapy is also a significant part of heroin detox treatment. You’ll participate in group meetings with people going through the same thing as you are. These meetings help to give you the support and strength you need to keep going.
Heroin Rehab Treatment Programs
There are a few different options for heroin rehab treatment programs. You can choose inpatient or outpatient heroin rehab programs, and you’ll need to consider the pros and cons of each of them.
Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient heroin rehab allows you to live at a facility while treatment occurs. In most cases, if you choose inpatient heroin rehab, you’ll undergo detox as part of the program. Once you’re done with detox, you’ll move to other phases of treatment, which involve more in-depth behavioral therapy.
In other cases, you might go to a heroin detox center and then moves somewhere else for an inpatient treatment program. Inpatient treatment programs typically last 30 days but can last up to six months.
With inpatient heroin treatment, staff members are available 24/7 to assist you. Inpatient treatment also takes you out of your life and puts you in a neutral place.
This allows you to work through your heroin addiction and mental health issues without the stress of daily life. Because heroin causes changes to your brain, it makes it much easier for you to learn coping techniques while having the time and space you need to heal.
You’ll also get to attend meditation, yoga, and group therapy sessions while you continue with individual behavioral therapy.
Overall, inpatient treatment programs for substance abuse have a much higher success rate since they offer a higher level of care. However, they require you to step away from your daily life and make significant changes. You’ll also need to either have insurance or find a state-funded program.
Many people also go on to sober living homes to continue therapy and get more help with career and life skills. Sober living homes allow you to live sober with the support you need.
Outpatient Treatment
You can also attend heroin outpatient treatment. You’ll live at home and continue your normal daily life while attending therapy sessions throughout the week. Usually, you’ll have individual and group therapy sessions scheduled at different times. You’ll also need to attend all the classes, activities, and workshops designed to help you get and stay sober.
While many people find this type of treatment to be more convenient, it’s often not the best type of treatment. This is because it doesn’t remove you from the lifestyle, stress, and environment that caused your addiction. The temptation is much greater to start again since you’ll still be around the same places.
This makes it much more challenging to learn how to cope with the stress in your life effectively. Also, there is less accountability if you attend a facility that doesn’t require daily check-ins.
On the other hand, if you haven’t been abusing heroin for a long time, then it hasn’t had the chance to take total control of your life. In these cases, people can find success with outpatient programs.
But if you’ve already tried an outpatient treatment program in the past and it hasn’t worked out, then it’s best to turn to inpatient treatment.
Find Heroin Addiction Treatment Today
Now that you know more about heroin addiction treatment, you’ll feel more comfortable taking the next steps. If you or a loved one have a heroin addiction and are looking for treatment, you can turn to Detox to Rehab for all your needs.
We can help you find detox, inpatient, outpatient, and sober living program to help you with your heroin addiction. We also offer you a supportive community as you work to maintain your sobriety.
Make sure you complete our online contact form today or call (866) 578-7471 to speak to a care counselor to start your treatment for heroin addiction.
