Heroin is a street drug that is derived from morphine and it is highly addictive. Many people who become addicted to heroin do so because of the euphoric state it gives them but it is not without harmful side effects including collapsed veins at the injection sites and liver failure just for starters. When you try and give up heroin the withdrawal symptoms can be brutal, they include vomiting and flu-like symptoms, depression and extreme anxiety. This why so many addicts struggle with recovery. Withdrawal symptoms can last for days and they get worse as you go on, treating heroin addiction requires medical intervention and a rehab recovery center to help you through it. Here is a look at what can happen when you go through the detox process.
Detox in a Rehab Center
Going through detox is not a pleasant experience and it needs to be done under medical supervision. A rehab center has the medical staff to supervise your condition and help to ease the symptoms of withdrawal. Quitting heroin isn’t easy and it is usually done in the following ways.
Cold Turkey: This is where you discontinue heroin use suddenly and you go through the withdrawal symptoms on your own. This is where most addicts struggle and why many relapse back into heroin use. By going to a rehab facility you can’t get heroin again and it helps to prevent relapse, also you have medical staff on hand to help you through the discomfort.
Detox with Medication: There are medications that can be prescribed to you to help you with your addiction and either reduce or eliminate the symptoms of withdrawal. Methadone and suboxone are two such medications. However this is not without problems, these drugs can be addictive as well and you end up trading in a heroin addiction for addiction to a different drug.
Rapid Detox: This is a controversial new method that makes the whole detox process happen that much quicker. A doctor gives you an opioid antagonist which can detox your system in hours rather than days. Normally the detox process takes a couple of days, instead you can detox in three hours.
In most cases beating heroin addiction requires inpatient drug rehab therapy to start and continual behavioral therapy afterwards to help keep you from relapsing back to using again. Therapy can consist of talk therapy and cognitive behavior therapy to keep you on the right path.
