You didn’t think that you’d ever develop a drug habit. However, lately, you’ve suspected that you display heroin addiction symptoms. Because you fear the withdrawal, you’re thinking of enrolling in treatment. Here’s what you need to know about staying at a heroin addiction rehab center.
Common Heroin Addiction Symptoms
How do you know that someone fell victim to dependency? You’ll notice that they have severe mood shifts. When they’re on heroin, they’ll be mellow. Nevertheless, off the drug, there’s a chance that they suffer from depression.
Next, there’s the erratic behavior that nodding brings on. Nodding off, which coined the phrase, can happen suddenly when someone’s on the drug. Just as suddenly, the person is vigilant and participates in conversations. It’s challenging to deal with these abrupt changes in demeanor.
If you’re the one using, you’ll know all about the missing shoelaces that you’ll use to tie off. Besides that, there are the needle marks on the arms or legs. You have spoons with burnt residue. Most importantly, you lie and steal to keep the habit going.
Signs of Heroin Withdrawal
Because heroin’s an opioid, it’s challenging to quit. As a nervous system depressant, it alters the way you perceive sensations. When you withhold the drug, the nervous system suddenly springs to life. That’s painful.
Arizona heroin addiction treatment center specialists urge you to go to a detox facility. There, you work with medical professionals who’ll help you quit. With the support of medication-assisted treatment, you can initially taper off use. Besides that, you receive medications that control cravings and minimize pain.
During a week, you overcome withdrawal symptoms. You entered treatment with addiction only to wake up a week later and not suffer withdrawal symptoms. However, there’s still more to do. It’s not enough to end the physical addiction.
Next, you need to work on the psychological hold that heroin has on you. If you fail to do so, there’s a good chance that you’ll relapse.
Overcome Psychological Heroin Addiction Symptoms at Rehab
Why did you start abusing heroin? Answers vary. Almost all people have a reason why they reached for this drug. For some, it was a peer group.
For others, there was a painkiller dependency that became a gateway. Still, others struggle with an underlying mental health condition. Because of overwhelming thoughts or emotions, they looked for ways to numb themselves.
That’s why therapists at rehab facilities will evaluate you before customizing a care protocol. They’ll want to know what caused you to take the drug. With this understanding in place, they can put together several modalities.
Examples include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy that encourages you to recognize dysfunctional coping strategies you want to change
- Dialectical behavior treatment for reaching emotional equilibrium
- Motivational interviewing as a means for reaffirming your commitment to lifelong sobriety
- Group therapy, which encourages peer counseling and accountability
- One-on-one counseling for relapse prevention, social skills development, and life skills training
Dual diagnosis treatment helps you figure out how to deal with underlying mental health conditions. Many people with heroin habit have anxiety or depression. The drug masked these conditions for a while. However, in the long run, it caused them to worsen.
Therefore, you must receive care for these conditions. You learn how to manage depression or anxiety with medication. Talk therapy also helps. Because you receive treatment at the same time as therapy for addiction, you eliminate triggers for heroin use.
Overcoming signs of heroin addiction on your own doesn’t typically work. Withdrawal symptoms get too intense. Even if you succeed in quitting, there’s still the post-acute withdrawal. The safest and most effective means of kicking the habit is to enter detox and then rehab.