Heroin Addiction Detox Program

If you or someone you love has become addicted to heroin, you likely know just how devastating its effects can be, both on the individual abusing the drug and on those close to this individual. Heroin is one of the more severe recreational drugs that a person can abuse, quickly leading to addiction if the abuse continues on a regular basis. The key to recovering from heroin abuse and addiction is with a heroin addiction detox program, of which there are many to choose from.

What is Heroin?

If you’re asking yourself “what is heroin?”, it’s a very serious and highly addictive recreational drug that causes some of the more severe withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop using the drug. This drug is processed directly from morphine, which is itself taken from the seed pod of poppy plants. Once this substance is extracted from its original source, it’s cut with a range of substances, including everything from powdered milk and sugar to starch.

The end result is a powder with a white or brownish appearance. One of the more unique aspects of heroin is that it can be consumed in a number of ways, the most popular of which is through injection into a vein. Other consumption methods include snorting and smoking. It’s believed that injecting the substance is the most dangerous method, as the powder is heated into a black tar-like substance that’s highly impure and can cause a wide range of severe side effects.

Heroin Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms

The first heroin addiction withdrawal symptoms will be felt within hours of your last dosage, as your body will no longer be getting the substance that it’s become accustomed to. Your initial withdrawal symptoms will be relegated to intense cravings. However, due to the strength of heroin, these symptoms will multiply in a short period of time. Some of the most common short-term symptoms of heroin withdrawal include:

These short-term side effects and withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe, so it’s essential to seek immediately medical treatment. The reason you’ll experience drowsiness, slowed breathing, and similar symptoms is because heroin initially causes a rush within your body that basically boosts your sensations and provides you with pleasure. Once this drug is no longer in your body, the opposite will occur and you’ll become tired and irritable, symptoms that will only worsen the longer your withdrawal goes on.

Most symptoms associated with heroin withdrawal aren’t considered to be life-threatening on their own. However, these symptoms can cause further complications that lead to life-threatening consequences. Your immune system will become weakened until you build it back up again. You might also begin to suffer from a selection of respiratory illnesses as well as impotence if you’re a man. If the withdrawal is too severe, it’s possible for you to suffer from partial memory loss and prolonged depression. These are just a few of the long-term symptoms that you could become afflicted with due to a heroin withdrawal, particularly if the withdrawal symptoms aren’t aided by a heroin addiction detox program.

What to Expect From a Heroin Addiction Detox Program

Once you’ve enrolled yourself into a heroin addiction detox program, there are several different treatments you should expect to encounter within the duration of the program. The first step will involve a simple medical assessment that’s designed to determine any physical or even mental issues you’re going through at the moment so that the eventual treatments are tailored to your exact needs.

Once you’ve been through this evaluation, you’ll progress through a comprehensive detox program that’s meant to help you get safely through the most severe of your withdrawal symptoms. The ones you do experience should be much less severe due to the administration of certain medications to help with the symptoms. The most common medication used with heroin withdrawal is known as suboxone and will help you arrive at the point where you can start to envision a full recovery. You should know that a detox program for heroin can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending largely on the severity of your addiction.

Following the completion of a detox program, you’ll be provided with many different types of counseling, from individual and group therapy to behavioral therapy, all of which are designed to boost your chances of a long-term recovery. The duration of these therapies can last as long as it takes for you to better understand your addiction and what caused you to take drugs in the first place. Of course, recovery is a life-long goal, which is why you’ll benefit from support groups and therapy once you’ve finished the primary aspects of detox and rehab. Don’t wait to get the help you or your loved one needs to recover from an addiction to heroin. Call us today so that we can help you find the detox program that’s right for you.