A heroin addiction can be an overwhelming, challenging obstacle in life. However, like most obstacles, it can be overcome with some hard work. In order to break free from an active heroin addiction, it’s important to know how to quit heroin in a healthy way. Learning about recovery is the first step toward sobriety.
Understand the Risks of Quitting Cold Turkey
Heroin is an opiate drug, which means that over a prolonged period of time the body and the brain can become chemically dependent. When quitting cold turkey and alone, individuals put themselves at extreme risk. To start, they increase their chance of serious issues such as cardiac arrest. Furthermore, those who try to quit heroin alone are less likely to succeed and more likely to face relapse in the future.
Knowing What to Expect in Withdrawal
One of the things that prevents individuals from actually taking steps to end an addiction is the fear of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. When addicts quit a drug like heroin, the nervous system reacts negatively. This is a stage of recovery known as withdrawal.
Unpleasant symptoms often accompany a heroin withdrawal. While this may be uncomfortable, detox centers are designed to relieve these symptoms. Through treatments such as sedatives, synthetic drugs, and weaning techniques, a detox facility makes withdrawal more comfortable. In addition, it may help to know that withdrawal is usually just a week, with ongoing rehab to follow.
Exploring the Benefits of Professional Addiction Treatment
No one is born knowing how to recover from addiction. Anyone who wants to recover fully and efficiently needs to seek professional assistance. The benefits of attending rehab include accountability, support, medical supervision and an increased chance of success.
In a rehab program for heroin addiction, patients receive comprehensive medical attention. Well beyond detox, medical care is important to ensure that patients are as healthy as possible.
Rehab also holds patients accountable for their recovery. In residential programs, this is accomplished in part through 24/7 closed premises. Even in outpatient programs, however, things like urine tests and regular assessments ensure that patients are resisting relapse.
To top it all off, rehab increases the chance of maintaining sobriety. Ongoing support and care can prevent relapse, a key part of the puzzle when it comes to quitting heroin and staying away from opiates for good.
How to Quit Heroin Through TheAppropriate Route to Recovery
Heroin addiction treatment includes a range of methods, just some of which are pharmacological treatment, behavioral therapy and group therapy.
These treatment approaches are available for all levels of care. Some of the options available to patients include the following:
- Inpatient/residential program
- Outpatient program
- Intensive outpatient program
- Partial hospitalization program
When wondering how to quit heroin, there are several approaches you can take, but it always needs to involve some form of rehab. At 1st Step Behavioral in Pompano Beach, Florida, multiple levels of care are available to help all patients. Call (855) 425-4846 if you’re ready to embrace sobriety.
