Heroin Addiction Treatment Programs
Heroin is a highly addictive drug in the opiate family and is known to be one of the most harmful drugs
. Heroin is consumed via injecting it with needles, snorting or smoking it. Intravenous injections produce the quickest and most intense high for the userand are also the most dangerous way to consume the drug.Heroin is a synthetic derived from the dried milk of opium poppies. The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 classified heroin as a Schedule 1 drug, stating that it has no acceptable medical use in the U.S. Heroin is commonly manufactured and smuggled into the United States from Mexico, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Canada, China, Columbia, Burma, Laos and Thailand, as well as other locations.
Heroin addiction brings about many dangers associated with it. It is often cut with other drugs or substances such as sugar, powder, baking soda or even poisons. A person using heroin is unlikely to know the strength of the particular batch they are using or what it was cut with and ends up risking overdose.
Using non-sterile needles and syringes to inject heroin is also dangerous, in that it can cause the contraction of such diseases as HIV and hepatitis. Addicts are also at risk for such conditions as collapsed veins, abscesses, miscarriage, lung complications, bacterial infections, liver and kidney disease.
Withdrawal from heroin is a difficult process that can begin as soon as a few hours after a person has last used the drug, depending on the last amount consumed and the degree of tolerance the addict has. Common symptoms that occur during withdrawal include:
"Chills
"Sweating
"Bone and Muscle Pain
"Vomiting
"Nausea
"Headache
"Diarrhea
"Cramps
"Fever
"Watery Eyes
"Insomnia
"Paranoia
"Anxiety
"Depression
Heroin Addiction is a very serious problem and affects people regardless of gender, race, age, religion or economic status. At least half of intravenous heroin users have experienced a non-fatal overdose. Many people experiment with heroin out of curiosity, to escape from their emotions or lives, or from peer pressure. Unfortunately, even just one-time usage can lead down a deadly path of addiction.
The majority of opiate abuse in this country involves heroin. Opiate addiction impacts the lives of millions of people each year, including the lives of those they love. An addiction takes over the addict"s life, affecting their personal life, family life, career, health and future.
Many professional treatment programs offer assistance in both detoxifications from the drug and continuing into recovery from it. Detoxification, or "detox", is the procedure of ridding the body of all of the remaining toxins that have built up over the course of the drug use. The cravings for heroin will continue as long as toxins remain in the body, making detox the first step in becoming clean.
Programs often offer medications that can help with the detox and alleviate a lot of the symptoms, making detox both easier and more likely to be completed. Other components of a treatment program come together to offer a well-rounded approach to assisting an addict in both completing the program and remaining drug-free once they return home. Therapy, including individual, family and groups, offers insight into addiction and any issues that may have contributed to it, as well as ways to cope with cravings.
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