People talk a lot about how difficult life is for a heroin addict. That should go without saying. The reason you don’t see many old heroin addicts on the streets is that one of two things happen to them before they can get old.
They either see the light and get help or they die prematurely from an overdose or the toll the drug takes on their body. If you want more evidence about how horrible heroin is on the human body, you should try detoxing after months or years of heroin abuse. What happens to the body while it works its way through the detox process is nothing short of brutal.
In fact, it can lead to a week or two of brutality. During heroin detox, the body is subject to some really harsh withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are the body’s way of protesting the absence of the substance on which it has grown dependent. Several factors will play into how severe a heroin addict’s withdrawal symptoms will likely be. These factors include:
- The length of time the heroin addict has been abusing heroin
- The amount of heroin that is used in a single episode
- The amount of heroin that is used in a day/week
- The frequency of heroin abuse
- Extenuating circumstances surrounding the heroin abuse
You can decide for yourself what you might be facing if you are a long-time heroin user. As for the actual withdrawal symptoms, it is our belief that if someone read about heroin withdrawal before they ever started abusing heroin, they might consider another path. Why? Take a look at these heroin withdrawal symptoms:
- Confusion and the inability to focus and concentrate
- Escalating breathing problems
- Dangerously high blood pressure and heart rate
- Profuse sweating
- Severe muscle cramping in the stomach region
- Nausea and vomiting
- Auditory and visual hallucinations and nightmates
- Muscle convulsions and tremors throughout the body
- Onset of psychological issues like depression and anxiety
These are just some of the things the human body could go through as it detoxes off heroin. If you are addicted to heroin, this is a picture of what you might face when you stop using. However, there is a way to mediate these symptoms. You could do that through a medically monitored detox program.
Medically Monitored Detox Program
Severe withdrawal symptoms often act as a deterrent for people to stop using their drug of choice. The moment they feel the pain and discomfort is the moment they start using their drug of choice again. That is exactly why rehab facilities offer access to medically monitored detox programs. The goal of these kinds of programs is very simple, keep the client safe and comfortable while they go through withdrawal. This is done by monitoring each client’s progress as they go through the detox process. The hope is each client can do this naturally with a focus on exercise and nutrition. Unfortunately, heroin withdrawal is not usually that kind.
The moment a client starts to show signs of being in pain or distress, the medical staff will intervene. If necessary, they will intervene with medications that will help keep the client comfortable for the duration of detox. We would be remiss to not mention that the withdrawal symptoms associated with a severe heroin addiction call for a special process. That process is called a tapering program. Since the danger to the client’s body is so high if they attempt to get off of heron too fast, doctors will prescribe a tapering medication like suboxone. Suboxone is also an opiate but not nearly as addictive as other opiates. The doctor will give the client suboxone as a substitute for heroin and slowly start decreasing the dosage until the client can safely detox the rest of the way.
Now that you know a little about what you might face when you decide to stop using heroin, you can see why you need our help. Not only can we get you safely past your withdrawal symptoms, but we can then provide you with the therapy you will need in order to recover from your heroin addiction. We would like to be there to help you through the entire process. We can get you started if you will call one of our staffers at 833-820-2922. Now is the time to fight against your addiction.