Have you become entangled in the sticky web of heroin addiction? If so, know that professional heroin addiction treatment is your only real way out. Perhaps you tried heroin once and didn’t really know what you were getting yourself into, and now you have become stuck.
We at Asheville Detox understand your dilemma and are here to help you. If you are like many others, perhaps you have questions about heroin that you would like to have answered. Here are the answers to a few common topics that many people wonder about.
1. Why Is Heroin Such an Addictive Substance?
It is not uncommon to do heroin one time and become completely addicted to it, post-haste. What is it about heroin that makes it so addictive? Experts suggest that one reason why is that when you use heroin, the brain becomes completely overtaken with pleasure in a very short period of time. It is either inhaled, smoked, or injected directly into the veins. This method of delivery makes a heroin high immediately rewarding to your brain.
Chemical changes in your brain begin to happen as a result. In time, your brain won’t be able to pump out any feel-good chemicals on its own, without the help of heroin. At the same time, you begin to need more and more heroin in order to feel like you once did when you started taking heroin. You become unable to feel happy at all unless you have access to heroin.
You might try to stop using heroin, but as a result, you start feeling sick, almost like you have the flu. You may be unable to sleep or eat and as you become uncomfortable, you find it hard to focus on anything but wanting to use heroin. Without professional help, you return to using heroin again. This has become your pattern of addiction, and this is why it has become so addictive for you.
2. How Does Heroin Addiction Alter Your Behavior?
When you are addicted to heroin, it becomes the number one priority in your life. Because of this, there are sure to be behavioral changes that appear in an individual. Here are some red flags that you or a loved one has become addicted and are in need of heroin addiction treatment.
- You possess drug paraphernalia
- Your personality is different
- Valuables or money have gone missing
- There are track marks on your body
- You are having legal problems
- Being secretive or lying
- Using heroin intermittently
Those who are addicted to heroin often display aggressive behavior, feel depressed, and separate themselves from social engagements. New associates may appear, who may appear disheveled and have track marks.
3. What Are the Medications for Heroin Addiction Treatment?
Methadone is the most widely used medication to treat opioid use disorders such as heroin addiction and has been so for 40 years. A synthetic opioid agonist, it works by eliminating withdrawal symptoms and relieving drug cravings. It does this by acting on opioid receptors in the brain. Because it works slowly, it doesn’t produce any euphoric feelings.
Buprenorphine is another medication that may be given to someone fighting heroin addiction. It works like methadone to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms without euphoria. It is available as a tablet, an implant, or a monthly injection.
Naltrexone is the third medication that may be given to treat opioid use disorder. It works by blocking any pleasure that you would normally feel if you use an opioid. It is given as an injection that lasts for weeks.
4. What About Heroin Addiction and Pregnancy?
When a pregnant mother uses heroin, the baby also becomes dependent upon it. Once the child is born, it often cries excessively and is irritable, has fevers, gains weight slowly, may have seizures, tremors, diarrhea, vomiting, and their life may even be threatened. This condition is known as neonatal abstinence syndrome or NAS. In order to relieve symptoms, the baby is often given small amounts of morphine.
What can be done for an expectant mother who is addicted to heroin? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, giving buprenorphine treatments to opioid-dependent mothers is safe for both the unborn child and for the mother. This means that there is help and hope for you and your unborn baby if you are addicted to heroin.
5. Why Are Relapse Rates So High Among Heroin Users?
Wouldn’t it be nice if all you had to do is go through rehab for heroin addiction and you never had to worry about being tempted to use it again? Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Relapse rates among heroin users are some of the highest of any drug that there is. Why is this the case?
One of the main reasons why individuals relapse with heroin is due to its strong physiological power. It alters the actual structure and pathways of the brain. It also deteriorates some of the brain’s white matter, which makes it harder to deal with stress when you aren’t using it.
Another reason why heroin users so often relapse is that they have underlying issues such as mental disorders that they fail to address. If your treatment program doesn’t tackle your mental health problems during your recovery, it may be very difficult to stay clean from heroin.
Some heroin addicts relapse because they go right back into the same environments that triggered their addiction. It is critical to avoid the same people and environments that you used to frequent when you used heroin.
Receive Help at Asheville Detox
If heroin has led you down a dark path, know that professional heroin addiction treatment can help make it right again. We at Asheville Detox know how to guide you towards making a real and lasting change that will positively impact you and your loved ones. Contact our team of friendly and discreet professionals today and head back in the right direction.
