AHeroin is an opioid derived from morphine, a substance that is found on the seed of an opium plant. Most people take medicine by injecting them directly into their veins. The heroin reaches the brain and stimulates the brain to release love hormones. This is the reason why it can become so addictive easily.
If you are addicted to heroin and want to stop, you can seek help from a professional. You don’t have to worry about your identity being leaked to the public.
As someone who is being addicted to heroin and seeking help from the detox center, you are entitled to privacy and confidentiality.
Table of Contents
What Is Heroin Addiction?
Heroin is a chronic and relapsing disease. It is characterized by changes in the brain and uncontrollable drug-seeking behavior. Heroin is a form of opioid, and when consumed, it converts itself into morphine.
People use this drug to feel a rush of pleasure, wellbeing, and joy. This feeling associated with heroin leaves people wanting more of the drug.
The chronic use of heroin will eventually change the structure and functionality of the brain. This leads to tolerance and dependence both physically and psychologically.
Physical dependence is when your body craves the heroin when it is isolated for a couple of hours. On the other hand, psychological dependence is when the patient firmly believes that they cannot function well without heroin.
How To Get Treatment For Heroin?
Like any other addiction treatment, heroin addiction can also be treated. For instance, you can either call for GP or contact your local drug treatment services.
At your first appointment, the doctor will ask you a lot of questions and rin you through multiple tests. This is just to ensure the following.
- How much heroin do you take?
- What other drugs are you using?
- The current physical and mental health.
- Personal circumstances.
- Medical history.
Furthermore, the doctor will ask you to give a pee sample. This will be tested to see what other products are in your body.
Heroin Detoxification
Once your reports are out, physicians will go through the reports and formulate a tailor-made addiction treatment plan.
Now there are two approaches to deal with heroin addiction:
- Maintenance Therapy: This method involves switching from it to a substitute and sticking with that substitute.
- Detox: The detox method is to switch from heroin to its substitute. And then gradually detaching yourself from the substitute to be completely free from both.
Both the treatments aim to help the patients withdraw from the heroin addiction and ease heroin withdrawal symptoms.
You will usually live at home while being on maintenance therapy. To complete this treatment program, it can take twelve weeks.
Inpatient Detox & Rehab
Inpatients’ detoxification process is reserved for patients who are suffering from severe addiction.
Here are the flags that show you need inpatient detox treatment.
- Medical condition along with the addiction.
- Multiple addiction disorder.
- The Community Detox program has not worked for you.
To know more about inpatient detox centers and rehab, check this source: Ascendant.
What Are The Symptoms Of Heroin Withdrawal?
Its withdrawal will not be the same for everyone. There are multiple factors that decide how the patients will react during their treatment.
The longer someone used heroin, the amount they took every time, and how it was abused, all these factors determine the heroin withdrawal. In addition, someone with a history of proper mental illness and its withdrawal will experience intense withdrawal symptoms.
It belongs to the opiate family and stimulates opioids in your brain. It acts like a catalyst that suppresses the normal functioning of your central nervous system, heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure.
lso binds with opioid receptors in your brain, stimulating it to release different hormones that give you pleasure. When a patient is treated, they experience its withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms might include:
Mild Withdrawal Symptoms:
- Abdominal cramps.
- Chills.
- Muscles ache.
- Sweats.
- Nausea.
Moderate Withdrawal symptoms:
- Fatigue.
- Goosebumps.
- Tremors.
- Agitation.
- Diarrhea.
- Vomiting.
Severe Withdrawal symptoms:
- Depression.
- Insomnia.
- Anxiety.
- Muscle spasm.
- Cravings.
- Hypertension.
- Rapid heart rate.
Experts say that the medical withdrawal of it is not life-threatening. However, some of the psychological symptoms may have complications that can lead to life-threatening experiences.
Heroin Detox Duration
Heroin is a quick-action opioid. That means it shows its effect rapidly but also leaves the bloodstream quickly. According to experts, its withdrawal symptoms start showing within the first 6-12 hours of the last intake. The symptoms reach their peak in the first couple of days and last for at least a week.
The detox treatment program is a set of interventions used to manage its withdrawal symptoms. Since we have already said that the withdrawal symptoms can reach their peak in the first couple of days, a detox center ensures the patients a comfortable environment to withdraw from heroin.
Other Supports To Encourage Heroin Addiction Treatment
- Support Groups: Local groups that help people suffering from addiction. They can guide and educate individuals to avoid substance use.
- Taking Therapies: You may be offered to take therapies to cope with the anxiety and depression.
- Support From Loved Ones: Your loved one can hold an intervention to convince you for the addiction treatment program.
- Incentives: You might be offered rewards and vouchers for sticking with your treatment and staying off heroin.
What Happens After Detox?
If you think that your treatment is over after the completion of the detox process, you are highly mistaken. Recovery from addiction is a lifelong process – it never ends.
After the detoxification process is complete, you must ensure that you stick with your current healthy lifestyle. Take on habits that support healthy living, even if that means leaving a friend or two.
We hope that this article was what you were looking for. We have tried to incorporate all the information regarding heroin withdrawal. However, if you find that this article lacks the information you were looking for, do let us know. We will get to you with relevant information.
