Many people who started their drug abuse on opioid painkillers turn to heroin once prescriptions are too hard to obtain. Heroin is a cheaper option that provides a similar high. But heroin is highly addictive and in turn, very hard to quit. If you find yourself dependent on heroin, it may be time to search for a heroin addiction treatment center.
Heroin Detox Is a Hard Trip
Heroin takes effect quickly. But it also leaves your bloodstream quickly. Because of its fast-acting nature, withdrawal begins within six to 12 hours of your last dose.
The average heroin addiction treatment center starts your treatment with a heroin detox program. The heroin detox process can be difficult, but it peaks in only two to three days and is over within about a week.
Heroin detox cleanses all of the drugs from your body. Withdrawal symptoms can be rough, however. This is why so many people quitting heroin turn to a reputable heroin detox center for help. Medically supervised withdrawal keeps you safe and prevents relapse when the going gets tough.
You will enter the facility before withdrawal has fully begun. This allows time for medical professionals to get to know you and your personal needs. When withdrawal peaks at two to three days, you can be kept comfortable using medications, addiction therapy, vital signs monitoring, nutrition and other comforts.
Each Heroin Addiction Treatment Center Is Unique
There are many factors that determine how difficult your withdrawal is and how long it lasts. These factors include how long you used the drug, how you took it and how much you used each time. If you have a co-occurring condition of mental illness, that will affect your withdrawal, as well. In this case, you’d also need dual diagnosis treatment.
As you know, heroin is an opiate. When you use the drug, it slows your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and temperature. It binds to your brain’s opioid receptors, promoting increased production of pleasure chemicals. This is why you feel so peaceful and pleased when you take heroin.
When you stop using heroin, the opposite effects happen. You experience changes in heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and temperature. Other effects are depression, anxiety and irritability. You will have other withdrawal symptoms depending upon the level of your addiction and how much your brain has changed to function on the drug.
Symptoms of heroin withdrawal include:
- Nausea, dizziness
- Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting
- Depression, agitation, anxiety, and restlessness
- Insomnia and fatigue
- Tearing, yawning, runny nose
- Sweats, chills, and goosebumps
- Muscle aches, spasms, and tremors
Heroin withdrawal is not deadly for the majority of people. But you can suffer complications from the medical and psychological symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts. Relapse is deadly after withdrawal. Most heroin deaths are due to relapses. This is why an effective heroin addiction treatment center will also offer solid relapse prevention plans.
Recover from Heroin at Steps to Recovery
In Pennsylvania you can recover from a heroin addiction through rehab after safely and comfortably detoxing under medical supervision. At Steps to Recovery, you gain strong recovery from heroin, alcohol and other drugs through quality addiction treatment programs designed to fit your needs.
Steps to Recovery offers intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment programs including a wide array of therapies. Clients like you receive individual, group and family counseling so you can bring the pieces of your life back together and rebuild relationships you have lost to heroin.
At Steps to Recovery you gain many benefits toward strong recovery, including:
- A broad range of therapies for you and those you love
- Safety and security in the trusting environment
- Staff availability 24 hours per day, seven days per week
- Daily life skills support
- Supportive peers and staff who have walked in your shoes
- Development of healthy relationships and knowledge of your disease
If you or someone you love is ready for lasting recovery from heroin, contact Steps to Recovery now at 267.719.8528. Getting through heroin withdrawal, detox and rehab is not easy. But with the right support and guidance, you can enjoy healthy, lasting recovery.