Heroin Addiction Treatment

Heroin Treatment

Heroin is a fiercely addictive drug, but you might be surprised to know that beating opioid addiction is perfectly possible with the right heroin treatment.

What to Expect During Heroin Addiction Treatment

NIDA reports that around 500,000 adults in the United States use heroin regularly. Data shows that up to 25% of these people will develop heroin use disorder.

Fortunately, despite heroin’s strong potential for addiction, there are many heroin addiction treatment programs tailored to helping people just like you.

While heroin addiction treatment should be intensely personal, most heroin rehab programs unfold along similar lines.

Heroin treatment centers can offer medication-assisted treatment to streamline some of the more unpleasant withdrawal effects associated with heroin detox. These medications include:

• Antidepressants
• Anxiety medications
• Sleep aids
• Anti-vomiting medications
• Anti-diarrhea medications
• Anti-nausea medications

You can also take advantage of FDA-approved medications that work on the same opioid receptors as your brain heroin targets, but without producing the rewarding effects of opioids.

There are three types of FDA-approved medication:

• Opioid agonists: Opioid agonists fully activate your opioid receptors
• Partial opioid agonist: Partial opioid agonists mildly activate your opioid receptors
• Opioid antagonist: Opioid antagonists block your opioid receptors, negating the rewarding effects associated with opioids like heroin

Here are the most commonly prescribed of these medications:

• Methadone: You take this slow-acting opioid agonist in a controlled setting such as an OTP (opioid treatment program). Used to treat heroin addiction in heroin rehab centers since the 1960s, methadone is often effective where other medications have failed.
• Buprenorphine: This partial opioid agonist helps to soothe some of the more unpleasant withdrawal symptoms of heroin detox. With buprenorphine injectables and implants, the obstacle of daily dosing is removed. Suboxone is a combination medication containing both buprenorphine and naloxone.
• Naltrexone: This opioid antagonist counters the effects of opioids like heroin, but without delivering the sedating effects that can lead to addiction. Naltrexone is also available in injectable form as Vivitrol. 

Medication-assisted treatment can be a vital component of heroin treatment, but MAT is most effective when delivered in combination with psychotherapy. 

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) are the most common forms of psychotherapy or talking therapy. You’ll explore what triggers you to use heroin, and you’ll discover how to stop yourself from impulsively giving in to the powerful cravings you will encounter during detox and recovery.

You can also expect the following types of therapy at heroin rehab:

• Individual counseling
• Group counseling
• Holistic therapies
• Contingency management
• Adventure therapy
• Vocational development
• 12-step support groups like NA 

Most cases of heroin addiction respond most favorably to residential rehab.

Benefits of Heroin Addiction Rehab

A body of research demonstrates that heroin addiction rehab involving MAT – whether for heroin use disorder or opioid use disorder – minimizes the dangers of withdrawal.

Beyond this, pharmacological interventions for heroin addiction also achieve the following:

• Decrease criminal activity
• Reduce transmissions of diseases like AIDS and hepatitis
• Lower drug use
• Improve retention in addiction treatment

Why You Should Consider a Heroin Rehab Program

Giving up any kind of opioid is challenging, with heroin addiction one of the toughest to unpack alone and without assistance. The powerful cravings and the intense discomfort of withdrawal make it only too easy to buckle when you are at home and you have access to opioids.

Choosing to engage with a heroin rehab program – whether inpatient or outpatient – allows you to start the process with FDA-approved medication minimizing your chances of relapse.

While in heroin treatment, you’ll have a chance to overcome your drug problem and to build a firm foundation for sustained recovery, and you will also have the aftercare and vocational support you need to transition back into daily life opioid-free.

Heroin Rehab Centers in California

If you need help finding the right personalized treatment to help you move beyond heroin addiction, reach out to admissions at (866) 559-4256.