Heroin Addiction Treatment in Sun City

Importance of Heroin Addiction Treatment in Sun City

Heroin addiction treatment in Sun City is a vital resource if you or your loved one uses this dangerous drug.

The treatments offered by qualified providers will help you escape any degree of heroin dependence.

They will also help you stay sober and avoid the severe, or even life-threatening, outcomes of ongoing addiction.

Heroin is one of the most infamous substances made from the opium poppy plant.

It can be used through methods such as injection, smoking, and snorting.

No matter how you consume heroin, the drug is well-known for its damaging effects.

High on the list of these effects is the ability to trigger life-disrupting addiction.

Modern-day treatment offers a way out of heroin addiction. It does so by using techniques backed by rigorous scientific research.

Treatment will not fully eliminate the challenges of a lasting recovery.

However, it will help you manage those challenges and succeed at maintaining a heroin-free lifestyle.

What Is Heroin Addiction

There are certain chemicals in heroin that change how your brain works once they enter your system.

When it comes to getting addicted, the biggest changes appear in the brain region called the pleasure center.

This center runs on the internal chemical dopamine.

When dopamine levels are low, you do not feel pleasurable sensations.

However, when levels of the chemical are high, you do feel those sensations.

Heroin produces problems because of the level of dopamine release it triggers.

This release is far greater than you would normally experience.

As a result, it leads to euphoria, an extreme degree of pleasure.

If you only use heroin once, your brain will reset when the drug leaves your system.

However, every time you continue to use it, your risks for addiction grow. Why?

Eventually, your brain will start to demand the dopamine changes produced by heroin.

If you do not meet this demand, your system will react by triggering symptoms of withdrawal.

At this point, you are physically dependent on heroin use.

Full-blow heroin addiction begins when you develop an emotional reliance on the drug.

This reliance typically leads to damaging changes in your everyday routine, including uncontrolled drug-seeking behavior.

Such behavior helps explain the downward spiral of addiction.

In some ways, opioid addiction is scarier than other forms of addiction.

This is true because you can get addicted in a relatively short amount of time.

In fact, physical dependence can begin in as little as one to two months.

In addition, withdrawal from the drug is so unpleasant that many people keep using just to avoid it.

Getting Diagnosed for Heroin Abuse or Addiction

Heroin is an opioid drug. For this reason, people addicted to it are diagnosed with the condition opioid use disorder. You may also see this condition referred to as OUD. OUD is not just used to diagnose opioid addiction. Doctors also use it to diagnose life-disrupting heroin abuse, even if you are not addicted.

You may develop a mild, moderate, or severe case of OUD. Your condition is mild if you only have two or three symptoms of the disorder. It is moderate if you have four or five symptoms.

It is severe if you have at least six of the 11 possible OUD symptoms.
Are there specific symptoms of OUD that point to a heroin addiction? Yes. Examples of such symptoms include:

• Entering withdrawal if you stop using heroin or cut back your use
• Creating a lifestyle that puts your focus on heroin-related behaviors
• Not being able to set limits on your level of heroin consumption
• Finding yourself unable to quit the drug, even when this is a priority
• Keeping up your heroin use after suffering clear harm from the drug

Going Through Heroin Detox

Heroin rehab is a cornerstone of an effective recovery. Rehab begins with detox, a process that allows you to:

• Stabilize your general health
• Safely complete opioid withdrawal
• Prepare yourself for the next phase of rehab

To make it through withdrawal, people in opioid detox commonly receive medication. Two of the available medications – methadone and buprenorphine – help you withdraw gradually instead of all at once. This is important because rapid withdrawal may make your withdrawal symptoms worse.
A third medication option is clonidine. Clonidine helps you cope with any lingering symptoms of withdrawal. In addition, you may receive a sedative if you develop serious anxiety symptoms during detox.

Heroin Addiction Treatment in Sun City – Medication

When you complete detox, your recovery will continue in active addiction treatment. Medication typically plays a big part in an opioid treatment plan. Methadone and buprenorphine are sometimes used at this stage.
In addition, you may receive naltrexone. This medication acts as a chemical cutoff switch and stops opioids from reaching your brain. It helps you avoid a relapse by minimizing the appeal of further heroin use.

Heroin Addiction Treatment in Sun City – Behavioral Therapy

In heroin addiction treatment, medication is combined with behavioral therapy. This the name for a school of therapy that helps you change harmful behaviors in everyday life. It can also help you achieve a range of other important goals during and after rehab. Types of behavioral therapy known to help people with opioid problems include:

• 12-step facilitation therapy
• Contingency management
• Community reinforcement approach, or CRA, plus vouchers

You may also go through some form of family therapy, couples therapy or counseling.

Settings for Heroin Addiction Treatment in Sun City

Treatment for heroin problems can be found in both inpatient and outpatient programs. Inpatient programs are mostly designed for people with severe addiction symptoms. However, you may also seek the round-the-clock support of such programs for other reasons.
There are several levels of outpatient rehab. Some programs require you to come for treatment as many as five times a week. Others require a lower level of weekly participation. As a rule, you will need more care for moderate addiction than you would for mild addiction.

Learn More About Getting Treated for Heroin Addiction

Heroin use may seemingly start as a casual or occasional thing.

However, it is all too easy to escalate your use and end up addicted.

No one wants to see you suffer from the ravages of heroin addiction.

That includes both you and your loved ones.

Professional treatment is a must for anyone struggling with an addiction to heroin.

This is the only way to take full advantage of the best options for your recovery.

With trained specialists on your side, you will find it much easier to reach and maintain drug abstinence.

Opioid detox is your first stop in an effective recovery plan.

This specialized help will give you the support and care needed to safely withdraw from heroin.

As a major bonus, it also gets you ready to enroll in a heroin treatment program.

Like heroin detox, heroin treatment typically includes medication.

The available medication options will help you control your drug cravings and avoid a relapse.

Treatment also includes behavioral therapy, which helps you change the thoughts and habits that supported your past heroin use. Several types of this therapy benefit people recovering from opioid problems.

Counseling, couples therapy or family therapy may also form part of your care plan.

To learn more about quality rehab for heroin, contact Emerald Isle today.

We provide trusted information on all aspects of effective care.

In addition, we offer state-of-the-art options for all forms of heroin treatment.