Heroin addiction has swept the nation taking hundreds of thousands of lives along the way. Just in the past ten years, the number of heroin related overdoses and deaths has more than doubled according to NIDA. Abuse of this illicit drug which is a Schedule 1 drug according to the DEA which means it has no medical use so any use is considered abuse. Sadly, nearly 60K people die each year as a result of opioid overdose despite the inpatient rehab for heroin addiction and similar conditions that is readily available throughout the country.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with an addiction to heroin, inpatient rehab centers can help you get sober once and for all. Call 1-888-605-7779 to speak with a caring treatment specialist about the options that are available to make your recovery a reality. We realize that it takes a huge leap of faith to make this call—but you’ll feel so much better once you do.

Who’s At Risk of Heroin Addiction?

Addiction does not discriminate—it can impact the lives of those who are any age, race, sex, color or socioeconomic status. This means that whether you are old or young you can become addicted to heroin if you use it. This means that whether you are rich or poor, you can become addicted to heroin if you use it. This means that if you are black or white, Native American or Alaskan Eskimo, you can become addicted to heroin if you use it. Heroin, and similar drugs that lead to addiction, does not care who you are, what you’ve done or how you’ve done it—if you use it, you’re at risk of becoming addicted.

Likewise, Mayo clinic outlines some factors that may increase your likelihood of developing an addiction to heroin even after just one use, these include:

  • Having a family history of addiction – this includes having a parent or sibling that is an addict.
  • Being male – men are generally more prone to the risk of addiction than women—but this doesn’t mean that simply being a man means you will be an addict. The progression of addiction tends to impact women much more quickly than men.
  • Dual diagnosis or mental health disorders – if you have another mental health disorder such as PTSD or ADHD, you could be more prone to addiction to any drug that you use, not just heroin.
  • Struggling with family involvement or not having a strong support system – people who do not have communication with family or who do not have a strong support system are often at increased risk of addiction.

If you are prone to addiction, and you take heroin, the risks of becoming instantly addicted are heightened. This drug is a generally addictive drug anyway—this is why the DEA classifies it as a Schedule I substance which means it has no known medical use and that it is highly addictive. Many users report that they became addicted to heroin after the very first use—and they keep using over and over again from the start.

If you’re already addicted, or if you know someone struggling with addiction to heroin or other drugs, call 1-888-605-7779 to speak with a treatment provider. We’ll help you find an inpatient rehab center that treats heroin addiction so that you can get sober, and live a life of recovery and healing.

What is Inpatient Heroin Rehab?

Inpatient rehab provides significantly more care and monitoring than any outpatient program. When you enter inpatient heroin rehab you can expect:

  • Around-the-clock monitoring and support.
  • Medication maintenance or medical intervention to ensure your safety during withdrawal and throughout the recovery process.
  • Detox and interventional services to help you stabilize physically in preparation for psychological recovery.
  • Behavioral therapy that helps to reduce the instance of negative behaviors and improve recovery outcomes.
  • Individual and group therapy programs including CBT as well as other treatment modalities.

The goal, no matter what inpatient heroin rehab center you go to, is generally the same—to help you overcome the physical and psychological dependence on heroin so that you can live a healthy, happy, life without drugs or alcohol. Every inpatient rehab center uses different treatment modalities and combinations of care, but they all generally focus on the same end goal and most use the same types of treatment offerings listed above.

Signs and Symptoms of Heroin Addiction

Early recognition of the signs of heroin abuse and addiction can lead to a greater chance for recovery IF the user seeks professional treatment right away. Users generally get high on heroin by snorting, smoking or injecting the drug. Each method of use has some distinct signs and symptoms that can signify substance abuse. Likewise, a number of symptoms of heroin abuse are seen regardless of the method of use.

Here’s a look at what you can look out for:

  • If an individual is smoking heroin, he or she may suffer from lung infections, burnt lips, or other sores around the mouth.
  • If an individual is snorting heroin, he or she may have sinus infections, runny nose, or sores in or around the nose.
  • If an individual is injecting heroin, he or she may have track marks, sores, infections on the skin, or could lose a limb as a result of the substance use.

Overdose is another serious sign of heroin addiction. As a user develops a physical dependence on the drug, he or she will also develop a tolerance. This means that more of the drug is required in order to produce the same effects as before. The addict will continue to take heroin in larger quantities, or more frequently, always searching for that high that he or she just can’t seem to achieve the way it “originally” was. As a result of this frequency of use and increase in dosage, overdose risks increase with heroin addiction.

Thousands of people overdose on heroin every year—the numbers are rising significantly as the opiate epidemic continues to play out. If heroin overdose occurs, according to Medline Plus the following symptoms may be present:

  • Shallow breathing
  • Slowed breathing
  • Inability to breath
  • Dry mouth
  • Pinpoint pupils
  • Blue lips or tongue
  • Lowered blood pressure
  • Weakened pulse
  • Blue under the nails
  • Stomach cramps and spasms
  • Coma
  • Disorientation
  • Involuntary muscle movements

If you suspect that someone has overdosed on heroin, call 911 immediately. Do not waste any time—heroin overdose is treatable, but without professional help, you or an individual that has overdosed could die.

The First Step to Recovery From Opiate Addiction

For many, the first step to overcoming an addiction to heroin or other opiates is to actually admit that there is a problem—and that they cannot overcome the problem on their own. If you’ve made the decision to seek help, call 1-888-605-7779 and we’ll place you in an inpatient heroin rehab center that will help you get sober. Because heroin withdrawal symptoms can be so difficult to cope with, and are the leading cause for relapse, your first step in the recovery process will likely be detox.

Heroin detox provides you with:

  • A safe place where you can get sober without the worry of withdrawal ruining your recovery efforts.
  • A medically monitored environment that ensures your health.
  • Medications and intervention as needed to help you feel comfortable during the withdrawal process.
  • Everything you need for physical stabilization from heroin addiction which prepares you for psychological counseling and healing.

Do I Really NEED Inpatient Treatment?

Do you need heroin just to get by? Does it rule every element of your life?

You likely need inpatient rehab if:

  • Heroin is on your mind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you’re high, you’re thinking about where your next fix will come from when you come down. When you’re not high, you’re thinking about how sick you are and what you can do to stop the pain.
  • Heroin has managed to get you into trouble. You’ve lost your job. You’ve lost your house. You’ve quit handling your responsibilities and no longer properly care for yourself or for your family members.
  • Heroin has caused health problems such as withdrawal, infection, sores or other serious conditions for which medical treatment is required and you are still using the drug.
  • You have made promises to yourself or to others that you would cut back or quit using heroin and you have failed more than once to keep those promises.
  • You have already been in rehab before, and you have relapsed.

These are just a few of the sure signs that you should consider rehab for heroin addiction. If you need help finding a rehab program that’s right for you or someone you care about, call 1-888-605-7779 today and we’ll connect you with a treatment specialist. We realize how difficult it is to make this call for help. When you call, a caring advisor who has been in your shoes will support you and guide your recovery journey.

How Heroin Addiction Begins

Doctors believe that the heroin addiction epidemic started when drugs such as Oxycontin and Oxycodone were widely prescribed for pain in the early 2000s. Far more lenient regulation was placed on these drugs at the time, and as a result millions of prescriptions hit the streets as pill mills and doctor shopping became the norm in the early years. People started taking Oxycontin regularly, and they became addicted very quickly. Lower doses of painkillers such as hydrocodone were unable to cure the withdrawal symptoms that set in when the supply of Oxycontin was reduced and became more difficult to get on the street.

Users realized that they could reduce the negative impact of withdrawal by using heroin which was both cheaper and easier to find. Just one or two times of use and the individual is addicted—studies have even said that using heroin just one time creates a sense of dependence within the body physically.

Many users became addicted to heroin as a result of first being prescribed painkillers. They get the drugs legitimately for pain for a set period of time and then the doctors may say that the pain is no longer significant enough to get the medication anymore. As a result, the prescriptions run out and the patients are required to fend for themselves. While some are able to taper off and no longer think about the opiates, others are no so lucky. Those with an addictive personality, or who are predisposed to addiction, resort to other “options” to fuel the addiction that started as a result of a legitimate prescription to painkillers.

Either way, the end result is an addiction that is difficult to treat and equally difficult to cope with.

What Treatment Options are Provided During Inpatient Rehab?

According to NIDA, the following treatment options are provided to assist you with recovery from heroin addiction:

  • Medications including methadone, suboxone or subutex
  • Behavioral therapy including CBT or contingency management.
  • Support groups including NA and similar programs.

Inpatient rehab for heroin addiction provides you with around-the-clock care so that you are monitored for safety and for your continued recovery with the least risk for relapse. While you may be inclined to seek the help of an outpatient rehab program initially, most find that inpatient care provides the greatest chance for long-term recovery by offering a controlled environment where you are removed from the situation in which drug or alcohol use is taking place.

If you’re not sure what type of treatment is right for you, call 1-888-605-7779 and we’ll help you get the treatment you need and deserve.

Medication for Heroin Withdrawal and Detox

Several medications are currently prescribed in the treatment of heroin withdrawal and to help curb cravings allowing those who are addicted to heroin to lead a semi-normal lifestyle.

The most common medications used in detox include:

  • Opiate agonists
  • Opiate antagonists

Each of these reacts differently within the body. Full opioid agonists are those that completely activate the opioid receptors in the brain. Drugs that do this include Oxycodone, Methadone, and Hydrocodone among many others. In heroin detox, the primary opiate agonist medication that is used for withdrawal treatment is methadone.

Opiate antagonists are those which block the opioids from attaching to the opioid receptors. Opiate antagonists provide a similar chemical reaction to the brain that is much like that experienced from an opiate. The endorphin rush, and numbing of pain is experienced but the longer term effects of the opiate itself are not experienced. As a result, opioid antagonists are often used in the treatment of heroin addiction.

The most common of these medications is:

  • Naltrexone which is taken either orally or via injection by a doctor or rehab specialist.
  • Naloxone which is taken via injection to stop overdose.

Then you have partial agonists which activate the opioid receptors in the brain but they act in a very much smaller degree than a full agonist does. Some act as both agonists and antagonists meaning they both block the opioid receptors AND they operate as an opioid by suppressing symptoms of withdrawal.

The most common type of medication that can act as both an opioid agonists and an opioid antagonist is:

  • Buprenorphine which is usually taken orally and often combined with other medications to help ease symptoms of withdrawal from heroin.

It’s important that you work with a rehab specialist in order to get the proper medication for your needs. Call 1-888-605-7779 before you take ANY medications so that we can help you by providing you with the appropriate care and recovery resources that you need to get sober. Remember that every case of addiction is different so you must be prepared to do what’s right for you and your needs if you really want to get well.

How Long is Heroin Rehab?

Every case of addiction is inherently different from the next. This means that you cannot define your addiction, or your recovery standards, based on what someone you know did.

The amount of time that you spend in rehab for heroin addiction will depend on a variety of factors including:

  • The severity of your addiction.
  • How long you have been addicted.
  • Whether you are addicted to anything else besides heroin.
  • Whether you are struggling with mental illness or dual diagnosis.
  • Whether you have been in rehab before.
  • The amount of heroin you are using and the frequency of use.

Generally speaking, heroin rehab lasts a period of 30-days or longer. Most programs provide at least 7-14 days in detox followed up 28-30 days of hospitalized rehabilitation which is then adjusted based on patient needs. You and your treatment provider will work together to define recovery goals, and can adjust your treatment to help ensure that your recovery goals are being met.

Long-term rehab for heroin addiction provides 120-days or more of specialized care for those struggling with the most difficult to beat cases of addiction. Not all recovering addicts will require extensive care such as this, but don’t be upset with yourself if it takes you a bit longer to recover—this is all a part of the healing process which includes accepting what YOUR needs are and learning how to care for yourself.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “good outcomes are contingent on adequate treatment length.” This means that treatment programs MUST provide an adequate level of care for YOUR needs in order for the treatment to lead to a positive outcome—recovery. Participation in at least 90 days of heroin rehab, consisting of some combination of detox, behavioral therapy in a residential rehab center, and outpatient care is recommended as a minimum for opiate addiction recovery. If you’re on methadone maintenance or using any of the other medications such as Suboxone or Subutex for maintenance of heroin addiction, the minimum treatment time that is considered effective is extended to at least 12-months or one full year.

How Does Inpatient Rehab Work?

When you first decide to seek help for an addiction to heroin, it’s common to have a whole list of questions and perhaps fears about treatment. How long will it be? What is inpatient heroin rehab like? Will it be painful? Will I be able to see friends and family? All of these “fears” or apprehensions can make the decision to call for help a tough choice.

We’ll explain everything you need to know about inpatient rehab, all you have to do is call 1-888-605-7779 for help.

Here’s a look at how inpatient rehab for heroin addiction works:

  • After you call, we’ll place you in a rehab center that provides the balance of treatment and amenities that is ideal for your recovery needs.
  • When you enter rehab, you will first be assessed so that the treatment provider can determine the best course of care for your needs.
  • Be honest during assessment, this is where your recovery plan is defined.
  • Following assessment, you will enter medical detox—this period will last 7-14 days and may last up to 30 days depending on your individual needs. During detox you will be provided with medications to help you remain comfortable and to keep symptoms of withdrawal to a minimum.
  • Once you have stabilized physically, you will enter inpatient rehab where you will receive support, counseling and therapy to help you learn how to cope with addiction and what you can do to prevent relapse when you leave the rehab center. This process will take 30 days or more depending on your needs
  • Following your time in inpatient rehab, your heroin addiction treatment continues in an outpatient recovery program. Some patients spend 90 days in outpatient care, others will spend 120 days or more in outpatient rehab. Again, this all depends on your individual needs.

If you have questions, or if you are ready to get help for addiction to heroin, call 1-888-605-7779 and we will assist you in any way we can. Our treatment specialists are ready to take your call and answer any questions you have about inpatient rehab so that you can begin the journey to recovery without worry.

Choosing the Best Rehab for Your Heroin Addiction Treatment

If you’re still on the fence, or unsure about what type of treatment is going to be best for you, consider the following:

  • Inpatient rehab is ideal for those who have the most difficult to treat addictions. Generally heroin addiction falls into the “difficult to treat” category.
  • Inpatient rehab will provide you with around-the-clock care even during the most challenging times of your recovery so that you have the smallest risk of relapse—no other program offers such a minimal relapse risk.
  • Inpatient rehab provides you with medical care that ensures your safety, comfort and stabilization in recovery—outpatient programs are not able to provide this level of care.

When you begin your search for rehab, it’s important to consider the following:

  • Seek a program with a low patient to staff ratio.
  • Seek a program that provides adjustable treatment options that are based on YOUR needs—there is no one-size-fits-all method of treatment that works for everyone.
  • Choose a program that is located outside your comfort zone. As much as you may want to seek help close to home, studies have proven that choosing inpatient heroin rehab that is located a significant distance from home is often the ideal choice simply because it removes you from the situation that has become your “comfort” area where you feel safe and “ok” to abuse drugs.
  • Consider amenities but do not make your treatment choice based solely on amenities that you WANT—consider your NEEDS first, and your ability to pay for care.
  • Many inpatient heroin rehab programs accept insurance, our helpline can verify your insurance and help you find a center that will accept your policy to offset costs.

Are you ready to get sober? Make the call to 1-888-605-7779 today and begin the journey to recovery from heroin addiction. Now that you know what to expect when you call, let us help you find the perfect heroin rehab center for you or a loved one.