It takes time to get rid of heroin addiction and commitment. If you take the first steps, making a decision that you want to get better, that you want to get your life back, and investigating how to do it, then the next step is to make the commitment to heroin addictionrecovery, which is an evolving process.
Medical detoxification must be done under medical supervision, often in a hospital setting. If attempted alone, detoxification from heroin can lead to a serious physical and emotional trauma that includes heart attack, strokes, and death. It is important to note that by itself, detoxification from heroin does nothing to change long-term drug use. What medically supervised detoxification does do is manage acute physical heroin withdrawal symptoms when stopping drug use. Detoxification is a precursor to and required for continuing and effective heroin addiction drug rehab.
Methadone, a synthetic opiate, blocks heroin’s effects and helps significantly reduce or eliminate withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the individual, your medically supervised detox may use methadone or another therapeutic treatment. LAAM and buprenorphine are two other commonly used detox drugs. An opioid treatment in Worcester can help you detox safely
Since heroin addiction and abuse are serious public health problems in the U.S., drug rehab treatment may be funded by the state, local, and federal governments. Your own employer-subsidized or private health plan may also provide coverage for drug addiction rehab and medical consequences. Get financial help to pay for the rehab from every available venue, but get into the rehab process early. The sooner you make the first step, the sooner you’ll be on your way to recovery.
Your urges to use will be most severe right at the beginning. It is a fact that heroin addicts gravitate toward each other in detox. That’s only natural. After all, you have something in common. But it’s important to recognize that while you are here for detox and recovery, getting too close to another heroin addict during detox may not be the best thing for your own commitment to staying in the program. Here’s why. Your new friends may start talking about shooting dope, or smoking it, or snorting it. In fact, it may be all they talk about.
They may even encourage you to leave with them, to go out and score. But they have no intention of returning. Oh, they may tell you and themselves that they want to stay clean, but their addiction will take over. If you go with them, the lure of heroin will be compounded by being in the company of other heroin addicts.
You know that heroin is a different kind of addiction. Some heroin addicts don’t shoot up to get high. They shoot up to be able to function. Without heroin, they’re just strung out. You may be one of the heroin’s newest victims: young people aged 19 and under. Heroin’s popularity goes in cycles. Right now, it’s back in vogue – with a vengeance.
Don’t listen to the talk, and don’t leave to go shoot up. It will only perpetuate the problem, and you’ll sink deeper into addiction. The time for friendships with other former heroin addicts will come after detox and during continuing treatment.
