Heroin Addiction Treatment Programs in a Drug Rehab Center

02 Feb Heroin Addiction Treatment Programs in a Drug Rehab Center

Heroin is an illicit drug made from morphine, which is a natural substance that’s taken from opium poppy plants. While certain opiates are prescribed legally as painkillers and typically called opioids, the federal government classified heroin as a Schedule I narcotic lacking any legal use (unlike another Schedule I drug, marijuana, which actually has medicinal or allowed uses). Knowing heroin is highly addictive is aided by also understanding the types of heroin and methods of consumption.

 

Heroin addiction rehab programs offer effective support and treatment for people who’ve become heroin addicts. Complete heroin rehab is provided in a number of therapeutic settings, including residential or inpatient and outpatient treatment programs. Many treatments for heroin addiction recovery or other opioid drugs include medicine-assisted detoxification at the beginning or outset of the rehabilitation.

 

What Happens with Heroin Abuse and Addiction?

 

Addiction to heroin is exemplified by compulsive use and seeking of the heroin opiate. It’s also characterized by molecular and neurochemical changes in the brain. The drug produces a “downer” effect where your state of euphoria and relaxation is rapidly induced, which is linked to the aforementioned chemical changes to your brains pleasure centers.

Just like other opiates, heroin blocks your brain’s pain perception capabilities. Those who abuse heroin, specifically the ones who have a history of drug abuse beforehand may at first be able to hide signs and symptoms of their use of heroin due to their tolerance to drugs.

 

According to studies, after five years of usage the average user of heroin has a 90 percent chance of contracting Hepatitis C. Furthermore, users who inject heroin into their systems are also at a high risk of getting infected with HIV and other diseases from sharing needles that are non-sterile.

 

Because heroin addicts don’t know what the potency of the drugs they’ve bought on the street may be or what it’s mixed with, they’re at the risk of death due to overdosing.

 

Do You Need Heroin Addiction Rehab or Not?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not everyone who uses heroin will need rehab. It’s possible to recreationally use any drug, but there are inherent risks involved with heroin usage since it’s a known addictive substance. If heroin abuse is present, then you should ask yourself the following questions to help decide if you should undergo rehab treatment in the first place.

• Does heroin use make you feel more isolated?
• Are you unable to stop using heroin even if you want to?
• Do you have relationship issues because of your use of heroin?
• Have your financial standing suffered due to buying loads of heroin?
• Is your use of heroin causing you problems at school, home, or work?
• Have you ever stolen money or items from someone in order to buy more heroin?

If you answered “yes” to any of the following questions, then you might benefit from rehab, specifically intense inpatient rehab. With that in mind, read the section after this to check if you’re suffering from the symptoms of heroin abuse and addiction.

 

Signs and Symptoms of Heroin Abuse and Addiction

 

With that in mind, family and friends may take note of a number of heroin use signs and symptoms that are visible after heroin has been consumed. This will allow them to know if and when they should stage an intervention and enter their loved one to rehab. They include the following:

 

• Dry mouth
• Disorientation
• Shortness of breath
• Constricted or small pupils
• Sudden changes in behavior or actions
• Droopy appearance, as if extremities are heavy
• Cycles of hyper alertness followed by suddenly nodding off

The signs outlined above aren’t unique to abusing heroin. The more definitive or characteristic heroin abuse warning signs include possession of accessories used to consume, inject, or prepare heroin. They also include the following:

• Burned silver spoons
• Straws with burn marks
• Water pipes or other pipes
• Aluminum foil or gum wrappers with burn marks
• Small plastic bags that have white powdery residue
• Needles or syringes that aren’t used for other medical purposes
• Missing shoelaces (they’re usually used as a tie off for injection sites)

Heroin Abuse and Addiction Treatment Begins with Detoxification

Once you realize you’re addicted to heroin in light of the signs and symptoms outlined above or have undergone an intervention compelling you to face that you’re addicted to heroin, you should enter drug addiction rehabilitation.

 

Whether you choose to have the more affordable but less focused outpatient therapy or the more focused but also more expensive inpatient therapy, you should first undergo the precursor to your treatment, which is heroin detoxification.

 

Here’s what you should expect from detox:

 

• Purpose of Detox: The main purpose of detoxification is not only to remove all traces of heroin from your system, but also to relieve your withdrawal symptoms as your body acclimates itself to functioning without the illicit substance.
• Medical Detox: Heroin detoxification should be completed with the supervision of a medical professional, like a doctor and/or nurse. Meanwhile, the prerequisites of detoxification depend on the rehab center or facility you’ve chosen to go to.
• Medications for Detox: There are centers that ease the detox process through medication-assisted therapy. They “wean” the addict from his heroin addiction slowly but surely by tapering doses of replacement medications.

 

These medications include methadone, buprenorphine, and Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone). These medications reduce withdrawal symptoms in a medically monitored and safe setting.

 

• Abstinence-Only Detox: In other centers, they practice social or abstinence-only detox. This detox type doesn’t require replacement drugs. Thusly, the patient will stop using the drug with no minimization of withdrawal symptoms through an opioid replacement.

This is the challenging type of detox because heroin withdrawal can be quite severe, especially when it comes to long-term, long-time users of the illicit drug. Recently, medication-assisted detox has become the safe and more common method for managing heroin addiction and dependence.

 

Inpatient Rehab Facilities versus Outpatient Addiction Clinics

Once detox is over, the actual recovery treatment process actually begins. However, which type of rehab should you avail of? Should you go to a rehab center and pay for expensive food and board on top of the medications, therapy, and services you’ll be taking? Or should you go to an outpatient clinic where you’ll be given advice or attend special 12-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous?

First off, here are the differences between inpatient and outpatient treatment:

1. Inpatient Rehabilitation Treatment: Inpatient treatment is the type of rehab wherein the patient is provided 24-hour care in a live-in facility, thus its other name residential treatment. Both physical and mental health assistance is provided in this heroin addiction rehab treatment. Patients will have to stay in these centers for months at a time or from 30 to 90 days (one to three months straight). Assessments must be taken before being accepted in this high-maintenance type of facility.
2. Outpatient Rehabilitation Treatment: Outpatient treatment is the type of rehab used to treat those who must continue to work or attend school and have less of a severe need to rehab their heroin addiction. Once detox is over, the addict can attend the special meetings or meet-ups with fellow addicts in order to undergo group therapy or heart-to-heart talks with a therapist. It doesn’t require the patient to stay over in a rehab facility or wellness center.

 

With that in mind, here are a couple of things you need to consider when choosing between inpatient and outpatient treatment.

 

• Pros and Cons of Both Treatment Types: Inpatient and outpatient treatment of drug addiction both have their pros and cons. The treatment that’s best for you will ultimately depend on the severity of your heroin addiction and your personal preferences (more on the former rather than the latter). It can also depend on which one you can afford the most.
• Outpatient Treatment for Less Severe Cases: If your heroin addiction is less severe or simply on the starting stages of dependency, then you can go with the less focused but more flexible outpatient treatment so that you won’t have to keep your life on hold. You can still go to work or attend school while undergoing treatment for your heroin dependency. This treatment type is more affordable but less effective against more severe cases of addiction.
• Inpatient Treatment for More Severe Cases: If your heroin addiction is more severe and you’re on the verge of overdosing, not only will you have to undergo medication-assisted detoxification; you’ll also need to undergo a more focused and secluded inpatient or residential treatment that takes better care of your individual treatment needs and can even include dual diagnosis. However, this treatment is obviously more expensive.

 

Here are the things you should expect from outpatient treatment.

 

• Not All Outpatient Treatments Are Equal: Even after picking outpatient treatment, you need to continue being picky on the type of outpatient treatment you can get. These clinics offer treatment in the form of individual therapy, group therapy, education on heroin addiction, access to anti-withdrawal medication or psychiatric care, or a combination of any of the above. Read reviews about outpatient treatment to get the right one for you.
• Outpatient Programs Vary in Terms of Intensity: Although outpatient programs as a whole can never be as intense as inpatient ones, the individual programs vary in levels of intensity. To some extent, they can even tailor-fit the treatment according to the client, with the number and type of scheduled weekly or daily group treatments varying based on the addicted person’s needs. The intensity level of the program depends on the severity of your addiction.

 

Here are the things you should expect from inpatient treatment.

• Commitment Is Called For When It Comes to Inpatient Rehab: There’s substantial time commitment required when undergoing residential rehab due to its secluded setting. It’s almost like undergoing a retreat of sorts. According to studies, the preferred minimum treatment period of 90 days or three months is essential for successful heroin recovery outcomes and long-term sobriety from heroin usage. However, treatment schedules can be as short as 30 days or a month.
• Focused Residential Rehab Might Be Needed Against Heroin Tenacity: Because heroin addiction is known to be as tenacious as cancer, inpatient rehab is usually called for. This is because outpatient rehab cannot prevent the individual from being exposed to environmental triggers, enablers, or heroin availability compared to the secluded setting of inpatient treatment. This treatment is perfect when it comes to dealing with the many facets of an addict’s life that heroin can affect.

 

Rehab Tourism with Inpatient Rehab Can Lower Costs

 

Because of the potential prohibitive costs of inpatient rehab that’s almost as comparable as staying at a hospital for three months straight, many heroin addiction sufferers end up going to other countries for their treatment in special tourism packages.

 

For them, this type of treatment arrangement hits two birds with one stone in terms of cost-effectiveness (the packages are cheaper than local rehab even when travel costs are included) and seclusion (you’re even more secluded from your heroin triggers when going abroad for rehab).

During Treatment for Heroin Addiction

The treatment process starts with what is known as an intake appointment at the rehab center in question. This is where you’ll sign formal consent contracts for treatment and the staff or doctor will explain the program rules to you.

 

This intake process also involves taking your vital signs, asking questions about your mental and physical health as well as substance use history, and undergoing a physical examination. This helps the staff of the facility to know the best treatment plan and length of stay for you.

This is also the perfect time to ask the rehab center staff about any concerns or questions you have regarding their facilities and accommodations.

 

Heroin Abuse and Addiction Rehab Privacy and Confidentiality

When deciding whether you should enter a rehab center or not, it’s normal to be apprehensive about confidentiality or privacy.

 

• Legally Binding Confidentiality with HIPAA: Once the neighborhood or your workplace knows you’re undergoing rehab, your reputation might go down. As such, heroin rehab facilities should offer a level of confidentiality and privacy as mandated by federal law known as HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
• Informational Privacy Is Assured by Law: Addiction is a medical condition known as substance use disorder. Therefore, wellness centers and treatment facilities for addiction are required by law to respect your privacy and keep your treatment confidential unless you consent to share information or there’s a valid reason for you to lift this default and legally binding confidentiality agreement between the treatment center and its patients.

• Higher Levels of Privacy by Facility and Rehab Tourism: Aside from informational privacy, if you want a higher level of privacy along with amenities like spas or a private room, then you should search for a private luxury rehab facility in particular. Going the rehab tourism route and going abroad to recover from your heroin addiction can also help with keeping things confidential, with the excuse that you’re going out of the country in order to go on vacation.

How Long Does Heroin Addiction Rehab Last?

The length of time available for spending in a heroin rehab wellness center varies from 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. Which one you should avail of depends on your constitution and how severe your addiction to heroin is. There are many factors used to determine the appropriate length of treatment. You can go for a month or have it extended all the way to three months depending on how well you feel after the initial period of therapy.

There are even facilities that offer an extra and complimentary 30-day treatment period in case you have a heroin relapse. Other centers merely offer additional support and aftercare services for those who’ve completed the program but ended up addicted to heroin again. They also offer additional treatment services for those who lack a stable home environment or individuals with co-occurring mental or physical health issues.

 

Some heroin rehabilitation facilities offer treatment for as long as a whole year or as long as you can still pay for it. Deciding which treatment option is best for you is an important step towards starting your heroin addiction recovery.

 

The Bottom Line

 

Heroin is a highly addictive drug that affects addicts both physically and mentally. Attempting to quit it cold turkey can result in an extremely uncomfortable or even downright torturous withdrawal period. This is why most heroin addiction patients go for inpatient treatment programs; they’re quite intense because of their round-the-clock support from medical professionals and medically supervised detoxification in order to mitigate relapse risks.

 

While rehab focuses on the person recovering from heroin addiction, heroin rehab facilities also offer understanding, assistance, and support to the family and friends of the individual who is being treated. Searching for the right rehab program or facility is the first step when it comes to recovering from heroin addiction. It might seem frightening to some, but heroin addiction recovery is possible when proper treatment is offered and a strong support system for sobriety is in place.

 

Lanna Rehab and Thailand Heroin Addiction Treatment

Medical tourism, particularly rehab tourism, is all the rage at present because it’s the most affordable way for heroin addicts to get rehabilitation at a secluded, resort-like facility away from the triggers that led him to becoming addicted in the first place (typically This Thailand rehab facility is just what the doctor ordered in terms of the perfect rehab tourism spot if you wish to free yourself from the shackles of heroin addiction.

It’s a trustworthy and relaxed wellness center with the latest equipment and internationally trained doctors, therapists, and counselors available. They offer everything from medicine-assisted detox to personalized treatment, psychological therapy, and even follow-up aftercare. Call them now. They’re available 24/7.