Drug Rehab for Heroin Addiction

Heroin is one of the most dangerous and addictive substances in the world, but drug rehab clinics across the United States help thousands of heroin abusers make lasting recoveries every year. Inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient drug rehab programs help addicts from every walk of life develop effective coping strategies for dealing with stressful, craving-inducing situations. Here are some of the most important steps involved in drug rehab for heroin.

1. Rapid Detox

Detoxification is a crucial first step for most people attending inpatient addiction treatment. Addicts develop physical dependencies on drugs which consume their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Only a successful detox can remove these immediate physical dependencies and allow rehab patients to productively engage their therapies.

For people addicted to alcohol, cocaine, or psychotropic drugs, withdrawal symptoms typically last for the duration of their five to fourteen-day detoxes. Though depression, anxiety, acute pain, and other symptoms are hard to endure, they can be effectively managed.

However, heroin addicts’ withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous and even life-threatening. People addicted to heroin and other opiates have been known to suffer seizure, cardiac arrest, and heart palpitations as they are deprived of drugs. To speed up the detox process and mitigate these symptoms, rehab clinics often use specialized medications to induce rapid detox for heroin users. Patients undergo days of withdrawal within just hours and can quickly move on to their treatment programs.

2. Evidence-Based Therapy

The most effective treatments for heroin addicts are called evidence-based therapies – those which have been tested, proven, and mandated by private and government agencies alike. Of these, individual counseling sessions with rehab clinicians produce the most long-lasting results.

During counseling, heroin abusers uncover the root causes of their addictions. They learn the thought patterns and emotions which drove them to use in the first place, and they develop coping strategies for dealing with their personal addiction triggers. Although inpatient treatments last only one to three months, these strategies serve recovering addicts well for the rests of their lives.

Another evidence-based therapy which most addicts attend is group discussion. Rehab clinicians facilitate talks among addicts from inpatient, outpatient, and day / night treatment programs. People who are undergoing treatment for the first time can often gain valuable wisdom and insight from addicts who have relapsed and developed more effective strategies for dealing with cravings.

3. Reality Therapy

Most successful rehab clinics also use reality therapies. In part, these therapies are designed to teach addicts the difference between situations environments over which they have control – and those they cannot control. Once they recognize the difference, addicts can make healthy decisions as they face stressful situations in the outside world.

Reality therapies are also designed to help addicts connect their clinical treatments with real-world environments. By having residential inpatients cook, clean, and shop for themselves, drug rehab clinics mimic the outside world within the safe confines of their treatment facilities. Once heroin abusers return to society, they are already well-prepared to use what they learned as they face difficult situations and inevitable drug cravings.

If you or a loved one is currently struggling with addiction to heroin or other drugs, click the links below to find out about treatment options in your area now. Addiction is a serious disease, but attending a drug rehab program can help you get your life back on track.

Drug rehab can be the beginning of a whole new life.

For the most powerful treatment available, click here for inpatient drug rehab.