What is Heroin?
Heroin is a derivative of morphine first produced as a cough suppressant, pain medication and step-down drug for morphine addicts in the late 19th century. Until 1914, Heroin was available via prescription from a physician and before that heroin was available over the counter or via mail order. Bayer Pharmaceuticals is commonly attributed with discovering and marketing heroin, though English chemist, C. R. Alder Wright, first synthesized heroin from morphine in 1874.
Currently, heroin is a popular and highly addictive illegal street drug. Heroin can be taken by snorting, injecting or smoking the substance. Once heroin enters the blood stream it is metabolized into morphine and travels to the brain, debunking the earlier notion of heroin being a step-down drug for those addicted to morphine. Heroin has both an analgesic and an anxiolytic effect, producing both euphoria and relaxation for the heroin user. Because heroin addiction leads to tolerance to the drug and the effects of intense euphoria experienced by heroin users, heroin, like most opiates, is highly physically and psychologically addictive.
What is Heroin Rehab?
Addiction to opiates is notoriously difficult to overcome. Sobriety from opiate drug addiction almost never occurs without some type of rehabilitation. Being of the opiate family of drugs, professional rehabilitation from heroin is considerably more successful than going “cold turkey” off of heroin.
Structured heroin rehab usually occurs in three phases:
Detox-the goal of heroin detox is to remove the drug from the person body. Heroin withdrawal begins between 6-24 hours after the last instance of use and can include these withdrawal symptoms:
- Sweating
- Malaise
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Cold chills
- Fever
- Diarrhea
- Cramps
- Severe muscle and bones aches
In some cases, suboxone, buprenorphine, subutex or methadone can be used during heroin detox to ease the painful symptoms of heroin withdrawal.
Behavioral Therapy-During therapy, the recovering heroin addict will establish new patterns for living drug free. Some common therapy models used in heroin rehab are cognitive behavioral therapy, one-on-one or group counseling and contingency management, all of which serve the goal of creating new ways of coping with life stressors while remaining sober. Suboxone, methadone and buprenorphine may be continued during heroin rehab to assist in establishing these new lifestyle patterns.
Aftercare-Most heroin rehab facilities will also provide aftercare to prevent potential relapse into heroin addiction. Aftercare may come in the form of providing a sober living environment or in continued outpatient treatment once a residential drug treatment program has been completed.
Types of Heroin Rehab Available
Heroin rehabilitation can be done in either a residential treatment environment or on an outpatient basis. Please note that heroin rehab using Suboxone can only be administered by a physician, but can, too, be done in either an outpatient or residential setting. While outpatient heroin rehab is less expensive and less intrusive to the recovering addicts daily life, residential treatment programs generally show a higher recovery rate and less relapse into heroin addiction.
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