Heroin is a highly addictive illegal drug made of morphine. Opioid addictions, including heroin, have increased so much that they are considered a public health crisis in the United States.
Because heroin can cause extensive damage to your body, it’s important to get treatment if you’re dealing with a heroin addiction. Help is available at Harmony Treatment and Wellness, where we offer a variety of evidence-based treatments to help with heroin addictions.
What Is Considered a Heroin Addiction?
A heroin addiction occurs when someone who uses heroin finds that they can’t easily stop using it. Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs, with studies indicating that around 25% of people who try heroin become addicted.
Heroin addiction does not discriminate when it comes to who can become addicted. People of any age, race, background, or social status are at risk of becoming dependent on heroin if they use the drug.
But the good news is that this type of drug addiction can be beaten with the help of a good treatment program that’s specialized for your individual needs.
At Harmony Treatment and Wellness, we offer a variety of approaches to treating heroin addictions, including short- and long-term residential programs. You’ll work with therapists, doctors, and healthcare providers who specialize in treating addiction and can offer a safe environment for recovery.
What Are the Causes of Heroin Addiction?
As with any type of addiction, heroin addiction begins in the brain. When it enters your bloodstream, heroin interacts with your central nervous system and quickly causes an intense feeling of euphoria, which some describe as a “rush” of pleasure. That’s what makes heroin, like all opioid drugs, so addictive.
Because of how intense a heroin high feels, you might be strongly tempted to use it over and over again. But unfortunately, you’ll have to take more and more of the drug in order to experience that first euphoric high again.
This is exactly what can cause you to become addicted to the drug. What’s more, you might experience unpleasant symptoms if you try to stop using heroin. These withdrawal symptoms can start within hours after your last dose of the drug and can last for days if you go without heroin.
Heroin withdrawal is often responsible for keeping people addicted to heroin. Symptoms include:
- Insomnia
- Sweating
- Shakes and muscle spasms
- Intense drug cravings
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
Who Is at Risk for Heroin Addiction?
Anyone who uses heroin is at risk for becoming addicted. Risk factors for heroin addiction are similar to those of other drugs, including:
- Current or past substance use disorder: Particularly when it comes to heroin use, any past history of opioid use or abuse, even if it was a prescription drug, makes you more at risk for heroin addiction.
- Untreated psychiatric disorders: Mental health or psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and schizophrenia, often occur along with substance abuse.
- Peer influence: According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, peer pressure is a leading risk factor for drug and alcohol abuse.
Rates of Heroin Addiction in the U.S.
Rates of heroin use are on the rise in the United States. This could be partly explained by the fact that it’s become more difficult to obtain prescription opioids, and also because heroin is sometimes combined with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
Below are a few important statistics about heroin addiction:
- Opioid overdose deaths involving heroin rose from 3,036 in 2010 to 15,469 in 2016.
- 1.1 million people over age 12 in the U.S. used heroin in the past 12 months.
- 26,000 people over age 12 in the U.S. started using heroin in 2021.
- More males than females use heroin in the U.S.
What Are the Warning Signs of Heroin Addiction?
If you or someone you know is using heroin or has another type of opioid addiction, you may notice some of the following signs.
Mental health:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Lacking motivation
- Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
- Mood instability
- Unexplained personality changes
Physical health:
- Excessive drowsiness
- Small pupils
- Clammy skin
- Food cravings
- Skin abscesses
- Shallow breathing/excessive calm
Behavioral health:
- Erratic sleep patterns
- Withdrawal from social contact
- Difficulty making decisions
Try to get help for yourself or a loved one at the first signs of heroin addiction. At Harmony Treatment and Wellness, we will tailor a treatment program to your specific needs to help you achieve lasting recovery results.
Complications of Untreated Heroin Addiction
The list of potential complications that can occur if a heroin addiction isn’t treated promptly is long, and it includes physical, mental, and behavioral problems. But the greatest threat you might face is a heroin overdose.
Taking too much heroin can cause your breathing rate to slow down to dangerous levels, which can lead to loss of consciousness or even death.
Other complications of heroin addiction are the following:
- Insomnia
- Constipation
- Lung/respiratory complications
- Depression
- Antisocial personality behavior
- Nose bleeds (in those who snort heroin)
- Collapsed veins (in those who inject heroin)
- Infection with Hepatitis B, HIV or other blood-borne viruses (in those who inject heroin)
Heroin Addiction Treatment Options in Stuart, Florida
Harmony Treatment and Wellness is a top treatment facility in Stuart, Florida. We offer a range of addiction treatment options for people facing heroin addiction.
Here, you’ll find comprehensive care in a variety of formats, including short- and long-term care, residential or outpatient care. You’ll work with a qualified team of doctors and therapists who can help you or your loved one to detox and stay sober, which can lead to better health and well-being.
Harmony’s detox treatment program is a first line of defense for those struggling with a heroin addiction.
This outpatient program helps break the dependence on heroin by removing it from the body, with the goal of eliminating the need for further or more intensive treatment measures.
Our treatment professionals will monitor your health, supervise your safety, and keep you comfortable and supported during your detoxification.
Harmony’s medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program serves to support patients as they reduce their dependence on heroin or other opioids.
We do this by using medications meant to drastically reduce the withdrawal effects of heroin, such as:
- Naloxone
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
- Suboxone
Through careful, ethical dosing and continuous drug testing, the compassionate staff at Harmony assists you on your detox and recovery journey.
In our treatment center, you will step down through three levels of care: partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and aftercare.
Harmony’s outpatient programs are in place to help those who have struggled with addiction to transition back into the real world successfully. Our outpatient programs are meant to support patients as they return to work or school after they’ve completed a more intensive level of treatment.
As an outpatient, you’ll have access to plenty of support and continued assistance, and you’ll complete a minimum amount of weekly treatment sessions.
You and our healthcare providers will work to place you in the right program level, whether it’s intensive outpatient treatment or partial hospitalization.
Harmony Treatment and Wellness offers 10 different types of therapy aimed at getting and staying sober, in a variety of formats.
You’ll find exciting new offerings like EMDR and adventure therapy, along with tried-and-true methods like individual and group counseling, meditation and yoga, CBT and a 12-step facilitation therapy.
These programs can be combined with other recovery services offered at Harmony to give you complete and comprehensive care.
In addition to addiction therapies and treatments, Harmony offers mental health treatments to help you seek mental wellness. Addiction to heroin is both a behavioral and mental condition, so treating your mental health is crucial to heroin recovery.
These programs are structured with the understanding that many people dealing with heroin addiction also struggle with other mental disorders like anxiety, depression, PTSD or schizophrenia.
Now is the perfect time to begin to heal!
Find Heroin Treatment at Harmony Treatment and Wellness
Heroin addiction isn’t easy. Often, there can be a long, difficult journey to recovery. At Harmony Treatment and Wellness in Stuart, Florida, we believe this journey should be supported by caring, attentive staff and comprehensive treatment programs aimed at your specific needs.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, you’ll find 24/7 support at Harmony that can successfully address your addiction, and get you back on the road to physical and emotional wellness.
Call us today to learn more about our heroin treatment programs and how we can help.
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Heroin Addiction FAQs
There is no best treatment for a heroin addiction, as each person’s road to recovery will look different. Many treatment facilities start with an “abstinence” approach, where the patient stops using the drug and begins counseling and treatment to support their detox process.
In more extreme cases, a medication-assisted approach can help reduce the painful effects of drug withdrawal. Treatment options include a combination of therapy, medical treatment, and counseling in an inpatient or outpatient setting, or a combination of these.
While a heroin addiction is one of the more difficult addictions to break, the right treatment can certainly put you on the road to wellness, and an addiction-free life.
At Harmony Treatment and Wellness, you’ll work with a team of medical specialists to craft a comprehensive and individualized treatment program to ensure your success.
When you stop taking heroin, especially if you quit suddenly instead of tapering down slowly, you can expect a host of very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and health problems.
These might include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shakes and convulsions, sweating, extreme desire for the drug, restlessness and irritability, and muscle and bone pain.
A treatment facility like Harmony Treatment and Wellness can help you manage and reduce these withdrawal symptoms, which can ensure your success in detoxing and staying drug-free for the long-term.
Sources
- Anesthesia & Analgesia. “Risk Factors for Opioid-Use Disorder and Overdose.” Retrieved from: https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/fulltext/2017/11000/risk_factors_for_opioid_use_disorder_and_overdose.41.aspx. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- Get Smart About Drugs. “Heroin.” Retrieved from: https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/drugs/heroin. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- JAMA Psychiatry. “Risk of Heroin Dependence in Newly Incident Heroin Users.” Retrieved from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2681168. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- JAMA Psychiatry. “Behavioral and Social Effects of Heroin Self-Administration and Withdrawal.” Retrieved from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/491517. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “What are the immediate (short-term) effects of heroin use?” Retrieved from: https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-immediate-short-term-effects-heroin-use. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures.” Retrieved from: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates#Fig5. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Prescription opioid use is a risk factor for heroin use.” Retrieved from: https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-opioids-heroin/prescription-opioid-use-risk-factor-heroin-use. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “What are the medical complications of chronic heroin use?” Retrieved from: https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-medical-complications-chronic-heroin-use. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- National Institute of Mental Health. “Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Mental Disorders.” Retrieved from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/substance-use-and-mental-health. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” Retrieved from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39443/2021NSDUHFFRRev010323.pdf. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
- United States Drug Enforcement Administration. “Heroin.” Retrieved from: https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/heroin. Accessed on October 21, 2024.
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