Heroin Addiction is rampant across the globe. At the time of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death from an overdose of heroin in 2014, the founder of Drugfree.org took every opportunity available to remind people that Hoffman, it seems, immediately realized heroin was not good for him. ‘hit from the outside in like some sort of hitman after you always screamed at him that taking some heroin would be an excellent idea.’
Some people use heroin or in heroin addiction simply as a recreational drug, but statistics show that an estimated 669,000 Americans use heroin on a regular basis, judging from a 2012 survey by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, heroin abuse is the most serious drug problem that exists across the United States, or one of the most serious drug problems. The governor of Vermont claimed a month before Hoffman’s death there had been a 250 percent increase in heroin addiction among the residents of his state since 2000.
Many heroin addiction consumers are aware of the potency of the poison, however their dependence on the drug robs them of protective instincts or self-control. I would advise other citizens to use heroin responsibly and be able to restrain themselves once and for all. Having seen the light at the end of the tunnel and experiencing some of the positive impact heroin addiction rehabilitation and therapy programs can have on the lives of individuals on both sides of the fence, I can honestly say they have put a smile on my face and changed my life for the better.
Does Heroin Addiction Require Treatment?
What is the simplest explanation of who needs treatment for a heroin dependence is, of course, encased in the obvious, “heroin addiction.” However, how do we become somebody who is not aware of their dependency on heroin? As heroin takes a long time to manifest its negative consequences, many people are left with the false impression that they have conquered their addiction.
An author of Cracked.com has compiled a list of 5 things that depended upon my experience with heroin addiction. The writer states that the slow spread of an addiction to heroin causes the problem to get worse. It’s true there are withdrawal symptoms after first using heroin, but since these disappear after some time, the user becomes “clear as a bell,” without any cravings. There is nothing that suggests that a problem is brewing when people think they are among the cleanest and most innocent of Americans. This is what encourages many to continue heroin addiction, as they do not see any signs of problems brewing in their environment.
Yet the question as to why people keep taking heroin is one we need to answer, as we need to take into account how the brain works as a whole.
According to an episode of the television show Frontline on PBS, the effects of heroin addiction and other opiates on the brain are comparable to the effects of endorphins.
Heroin addiction studies tells a chemical compound by the name of endorphins, the human body creates them in response to emotional stress, physical pain, and fear. If you have ever experienced a rush of sensory stimulation such as when watching a scary movie or exercising in a gym, then we have little doubt that your endorphins are at work.
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Researches of heroin addiction tell a chemical substance or plant-derived substance (like opium, morphine or heroin) can also supplant the effects of your own endorphins, similar to how endorphins are the body’s own opiates.
You get stronger rushes than what you get from exercise, thrills, sex, etc. when using an ecstasy, which is more powerful than the body’s natural chemicals that are produced internally, which emerge less than 30 minutes after administration.
Frontline says that since we are all pleasure-seeking mammals, consumers will seek out another trip due to the fact that that is what drives our urge to drink. But that is what causes heroin addiction the way they are. Often times, people introduce heroin to their lives because it gets them the sensation of stronger rushes. They then no longer want to experience normal, non-drug experiences. You may try to experience these situations again if you want to, but why would you do it when heroin addiction provides a vastly improved and seemingly harmless substitute for them?
Then, after you have been using for weeks and weeks, you may decide to try cutting down on your usage. In the meantime, the brain is so thoroughly affected by the presence of heroin that the chemistry has been completely rewired. With the brain suddenly deprived of drugs, the body overreacts to heroin addiction flooding itself with chemicals that it has been suppressed for a long time. There’s an extreme withdrawal feeling, so all it takes for you to escape is another hit, but it seems you’ll have to get through it for the rest of your life.
One study published in the Journal of the US National Library of Medicine discusses heroin addiction: neurotransmitters in the brains of abusers of drugs and how drug addiction may affect neurotransmitters in those who abuse drugs.
Heroin addiction for a long time, particularly over one to two years, changes the brain’s dopamine systems, which are the brain centers that are responsible for producing your positive neurochemical reactions in response to doing something enjoyable. Moreover, people who are vulnerable to psychology are prone to being psychologically manipulated and contaminated by addictive substances. In the long term, continuous heroin addiction results in the brain becoming accustomed to the substance, and eventually it is addicted to it.
What Are the Symptoms of Heroin Addiction?
When a person is using heroin, it has a different effect on them than when they are abusing it and it isn’t in their body but still trapped in it.
It Can Be Difficult to Tell Whether an Individual Having Heroin Addiction Is High or Not if They, in Fact, Suffer from Some of The Following Symptoms:
- Feelings of invulnerability or confidence
- Fatigue and sleepiness
- Having difficulty breathing
- Pupils that have dilated
- Feeling of dry mouth
- The skin appears flushed
- Itchiness
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In the Days to Come, as The Heroin Is Being Eliminated from The Body, Heroin Addiction Users Will Experience Withdrawal Symptoms, Like These:
- An increase in heart rate
- Increase Sweating
- Unrest and Seizures
- Anxiety and agitation
- Vomiting and nausea
- Abdominal cramps
- Condition of Diarrhea
Although injecting intravenously with heroin by heroin addiction individual is widely depicted as one of the most common ways to abuse the drug, snorting powdered heroin is a simpler and less detrimental method of getting high. The powder is generally white, in color; however, it can also appear brown.
A story in US News & World Report tells us that since heroin today is more concentrated and potent than it used to be (50 to 60% pure, as per a story in the magazine), high-end buyers are justifiably enticed to seek out stronger hits.
The high doses of heroin that will be used in this way will probably be to inject the dissolved heroin directly into the bloodstream of each heroin addiction individual. Some may use paraphernalia like spoons or spoons and needles to mix the powdered heroin and convert it into a liquid before injecting it, as well as belts to enlarge their veins while the heroin is being administered.
What Does Heroin Addiction Treatment Look Like?
There are two parts to the treatment of substance abuse and heroin addiction — addressing both the physical and psychological reasons that led to the addiction and combating the psychological concerns that led to the addiction. Why were they not satisfied with the natural feelings that were a part of life’s journey? Have they felt something lacking in their life that they tried to replace with the sensations that came with heroin addiction?
There are a number of drugs, like methadone and Suboxone, that are used to reduce a chemical heroin addiction.
On PsychCentral’s drug profile page about heroin addiction, it discusses methadone, noting that it has been a mainstay of the medical model of recovery for humans suffering from opioid addiction for the past thirty years.
Several studies are reported in the profile of heroin addiction, showing enrollment in methadone programs improves mental and physical health as well as lowers mortality rates arising from addiction to opioids. One of the most important aspects of the treatment program is the proper administration of methadone that can subdue withdrawal symptoms and diminish a complainant’s desire for more heroin.
Suboxone is often used to treat heroin addiction withdrawal symptoms, which include cravings and physical symptoms of withdrawal. Suboxone is an opioid combination that consists of buprenorphine (an opioid that doesn’t create the same intense effects as heroin) and naloxone, an opioid-counteracting agent that can be used together. With the advent of Suboxone in detoxification programs, heroin addiction users are gradually weaned off heroin, without suffering the withdrawal symptoms, and are often relieved of the problems they might face if they had to quit cold turkey. It is also safer to use Suboxone than heroin because it does not have the high it would cause with heroin, and the drug can even be seen as a safer temporary replacement for heroin.
Many heroin addiction persons, find that being able to withdraw from heroin is a difficult process, making many of them wish they could pick it up again just to keep from getting nauseated, cramped, and upset from withdrawing from their physical dependency on heroin. Detoxification under the supervision of qualified health professionals could enable an individual to transition into a new life after heroin use with the use of drugs such as methadone and Suboxone (and similar medications where applicable).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Psychotherapy
Typically, as part of a heroin addiction treatment program, the addict’s psyche is addressed to understand why and how they became addicted to the drug and how to be free of it. In private, group, or family therapy, the recovering addict can identify and eliminate the behaviors that forced her to seek heroin in the first place by eliminating emotional, psychological, and physical things that contributed to the addiction. The user of Heroin Addiction may also be able to control thoughts or behaviors that continually contributed to the dependency.
There is a method of treating depression known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is a very effective form of therapy that helps people make sense of the mental reasons behind their substance abuse. A treatment for chemical dependency is known as cognitive-behavioral therapy, which not only helps patients reduce their drug use or heroin addiction, but also teaches them skills to deal with the day to day challenges to stay sober without being bound to a drug. Essentially, it gives the patients the ability to take control of their lives again and to make informed decisions about their health and well-being in the future. It shows them new, healthier ways to confront the problems they used to avoid by indulging in heroin.
Numerous individuals wish to advantage from professional Heroin Addiction restoration. Heroin Addiction treatment can offer assistance to an individual halt utilizing Heroin so that they may continue a more advantageous, beneficial life within the longer term. Despite Heroin’s exceedingly addictive nature, numerous have experienced fruitful treatment for opioid utilize dis-arrangements. Through a combination of behavioral therapies that advance cheerful thought designs and behaviors, and pharmaceuticals to oversee the withdrawal from Heroin Addiction, individuals can start long-term recuperation.
Investigate shows the aptitudes individuals will learn after the completion of treatment through cognitive-behavioral approaches. The current inquiries department joins the CBT with the purpose of behavioral therapies or sedate. A computer-based CBT framework has to be created and appears to be viable in making a difference in diminishing medicare utilization taking after standard medicated treatment. It helps to properly cater the heroin addiction.
We, too, have backslid avoidance advisors who were uncommonly prepared to assist individuals suffering from Heroin Addiction to recognize backslide thought patterns and behaviors. Rather than doing the same adverse action, the individual who had a heroin habit has recently arranged a backslide avoidance to disturb the cycle of backsliding and an expanded probability of permanent victory.
Getting Help for An Heroin Addiction
Since heroin is one of the most dangerous and risky illicit substances out there due to its slow-acting, insidious nature, it is used by the people of the country, and across other countries. A simple phone call could really mean the first step to treatment for you. Getting some help in addressing your mental and physical addictions and learning how to live with clarity and focus can be an excellent way to break free from your addictions that are keeping you from feeling present and focused. We can help you understand your situation and give you the assistance you need. If you have any questions about the admissions process or if you would like more information, please contact our admissions coordinators. Please call now to know more about heroin addiction treatment.
Ben Lesser is one of the most sought-after experts in health, fitness and medicine. His articles impress with unique research work as well as field-tested skills. He is a freelance medical writer specializing in creating content to improve public awareness of health topics. We are honored to have Ben writing exclusively for Dualdiagnosis.org.