Heroin addiction can take a terrible toll on people’s lives. To make matters worse, trying to quit using heroin on your own can be painful, dangerous and difficult. Plus, even when heroin addicts begin to kick the habit, many of them relapse time and again. The key to ending an addiction to heroin is to find a good addiction recovery center and stick with the program. What heroin rehab centers do differently to prevent relapse is combined medicine, counseling, a supportive team of well-trained, experienced, professionals, a well-designed program and facility and an effective after-care program.
Treatment Options
People trying to break their addiction to heroin have two basic treatment options. An inpatient treatment facility and out-patient care. Most people find in-patient treatment for heroin addiction to be the most effective. It removes the patient from the temptations, triggers, and enablers and ensconces them in a therapeutic environment where they can receive the medication and mental, psychological, social and emotional support they need to break the addiction and begin living a sober lifestyle. Outpatient care requires an unshakeable commitment to following the program and treatments outlined by an addiction recovery center.
Breaking Heroin’s Hold
Ending an addiction to heroin can be challenging and even dangerous. People who abruptly discontinue using heroin can experience serious health issues and severe side-effects. Ideally, the process for breaking the drug’s hold on a patient should involve doctors, clinicians, proper medication and a safe, supportive environment. That’s the safest way to ensure a successful recovery and a return to sober living. It involves:
- Detoxification
- Medication
- Therapy
- Support Groups
- Group And Individual Counseling
- Lifestyle Changes
Detox
The process of detox helps the body to flush out the heroin and its metabolites while managing the withdrawal symptoms. This is always the first step in helping a person overcome a heroin addiction. A skilled medical professional oversees the process and administers specific drugs designed to address the symptoms of withdrawal as well as loosen the psychological and physical grip heroin tends to have on people addicted to it. The detoxification process can take weeks and physicians often prescribe medication to reduce the patient’s discomfort while their body slowly readjusts to not having heroin in its system.
The Road To Recovery
There are many types of heroin addiction treatment centers throughout the country. Many of them have unique approaches to and levels of success with treating heroin addiction. The key is to find a heroin rehabilitation center that addresses the specific needs of the person seeking treatment. Some facilities focus on helping people end their addiction to heroin, while others are more effective in helping people with a poly-drug abuse problem. It’s essential to select a treatment center that’s properly equipped and has a successful track record treating patients with heroin addiction that manifests itself like it does in the person seeking treatment.
Healthy Structured Activities
One important way in-patient drug rehabilitation centers can help patients prevent relapses is by guiding them through healthy structured activities each day. These activities include:
- Daily Therapy
- Regular Exercise
- Stimulating Field Trips
- Exciting Excursions
- Hiking, Running, Biking, Sports
- Mental Health Exercises
- Relaxing Activities
These structured activities help recovering patients to develop healthy new pastimes, sweat out toxins and teach them ways to have fun without using heroin. The in-patient programs create a structured routine with support groups and services former heroin users can continue to embrace when they leave the facility. The routines also teach valuable skills patients can use to resist social and environmental factors that threaten their sobriety.
Heroin Addiction Medications
There are several effective medications physicians commonly prescribe to reduce cravings, relieve withdrawal pain, wean people off heroin and help prevent future relapses. Those medications include:
- Buprenorphine
- Methadone
- Naltrexone
- Suboxone
An Excellent Aftercare Program
One of the most important things heroin rehab centers do to prevent relapse is design excellent aftercare programs. They include regular therapist visits to help identify and overcome triggers, teaching methods for dealing with heroin craving and introductions to effective support groups that help recovering users remain focused on their sobriety. The ability for people in recovery to speak with caring, compassionate, treatment experts 24/7 can play a vital role in relapse prevention and staying sober long-term.
Good aftercare programs help people go to meetings, continue counseling, find new sober friends and hobbies to combat boredom, encourage them to continue taking their prescribed medications, show them ways to deal with stress, alleviate temptations and prevent symptoms of post-acute heroin withdrawal. This helps to prevent relapse. Call a counselor today at 844-639-8371.