Heroin Treatment

What is heroin?

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. It is processed from opium, a naturally processed substance derived from the poppy plant. It is usually sold as a white or brownish powder or as a black sticky substance known as “black tar heroin”. Most heroin is “cut” or made less pure by mixing it with other substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. It is sometimes even cut with strychnine or other poisons. Because heroin users do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. Heroin also poses other problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases which can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment.

How is heroin used?

Heroin is usually injected, sniffed, or smoked. Intravenous injection provides the greatest intensity or “rush” and the most rapid onset of euphoria, while injecting into the muscle takes longer. All routes of administration are addictive but injection continues to be the major method of heroin use among addicted users entering addiction treatment. In some studies, particularly among white suburbanites, smoking or inhaling is on the rise as they believe that they are less likely to become addicted. All routes of administration are highly addictive and lead to a myriad of psycho-social problems and oftentimes death. Lately, heroin treatment centers have seen a rise in the young (18-25) heroin addicts at an alarming rate. The combination of the drug abused and age of the client makes this addict extremely difficult to treat. Usually these clients require longer term treatment for a change to occur.

Treatments for Heroin Addiction

Detoxification:

The first phase in the treatment of heroin addiction is to minimize the severity of withdrawal symptoms and other medical complications. This is done with several medications that are usually synthetic that duplicate heroin in the body but can be given in tapered doses until the addicted person can eventually be drug free. Thus the primary objective of detoxification is to relieve withdrawal symptoms while patients adjust to a drug-free state.

Opiate withdrawal, while rarely fatal, peaks at 48-72 hours after the last opiate dose, but can take 7-10 days to disappear. Opiate withdrawal can be extremely difficult to withstand and when combined with the cravings difficult to complete. Addicts do not like to feel uncomfortable in any way. There is a delicate balance between the amount of medication prescribed by the doctor and the amount the addict thinks he needs.

Buprenorphine is the newest medication for treating opiate addiction. It binds to the same receptors as morphine/heroin but does not produce the same effects. It is much safer than other detox medications and in some combinations will block the euphoria of other opiates after ingestion. It is the first medication developed to treat opiate addiction in the privacy of a physician’s office. Buprenorphine, along with other medications, is an effective detox medication in that it produces a lower level of dependence thus making the transition to being drug-free less uncomfortable.

Methadone treatment has been used for more than 30 years to effectively and safely treat opioid addiction. It can be used as a maintenance drug, substituted for the addicts daily dose of heroin, morphine, or other opiates of choice. Ideally, methadone maintenance should last a year at the most while the addict goes about the task of getting his life back together, becoming employed, catching up on financial responsibilities, repairing relationships, and restoring physical health. Unfortunately, most methadone programs encourage participants to remain on the drug as each client on the program is a funding stream. Another use for methadone is for short-term detoxification. It is usually prescribed in a blocking dose and tapered down in 7-10 days. This, along with other medications, provides a safe and relatively symptom free process that enables clients to go on the next phase of treatment.

Short and Long-Term Effects of Heroin Use

Treatment for Heroin Addiction

At Ambrosia Treatment Center we have found that total abstinence coming into the program lays the groundwork for long-term sobriety. We have learned that the longer the stay and being involved in addiction treatment, the better chance of being successful. Our program begins at 30 days and can extend up to 6 months with a combination of half-way house and outpatient therapy.

Treatment for the heroin/opiate addict involves many facets of care. One characteristic of heroin addicts is that they don’t just use one drug. Throughout their using career many, if not most, have used and abused just about every drug you can name. Heroin addicts sometimes experience craving for weeks and even months after withdrawal symptoms are long gone. It is necessary for those addicted to go straight into a residential setting so that when cravings come, “and they will”, they are in a safe and stable environment. One in which they are able to express their wanting to use feelings to others in their peer groups. The addict eventually learns that they don’t have to use even though they wanted to…that these feelings of wanting to use pass if they talk about them.

We at Ambrosia provide a safe, nurturing environment for addicts to talk about their feelings, process their issues, and begin the healing process for long-term recovery. We provide them with the recreational vehicles to heal their bodies, whether through swimming pool, beach, full gym with racquetball and weight machines, or the sauna and steam rooms. We provide a Holistic healing approach through acupuncture, massage, and full-body detoxification. Being a small facility, we are able to formulate an individual treatment plan to best serve the clients needs.

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