Even after years of synthetic opioids and dangerous new designer drugs, heroin remains one of the most addictive substances known to modern medical science. This highly potent painkiller is derived from the same opium poppy that gave us morphine and other medically useful compounds. But heroin works quickly to hijack the chemical reward system in your brain that keeps you alive, creating a powerful physical and psychological dependency that is very hard to escape.
“Cold Turkey” Can be Painful and Dangerous
Heroin addiction invades your mind’s ability to find meaningful pleasure in anything else. Once you need heroin to feel content and happy, other parts of your life can’t compete with the rush that it delivers. In addition, users of heroin quickly build up a tolerance, meaning that they will need more and more of the drug just to feel normal.
Without heroin, a person who suffers from dependence will go through withdrawal symptoms that make relapse seem like the only reasonable choice. These symptoms will include mental and physical effects such as:
- Constant nausea or being “junk sick.”
- Runny nose and cold sweats
- Vomiting and medically dangerous dehydration
- Muscle cramping and bone aches
- Fatigue and insomnia
- Loss of pleasure and ability to concentrate
- Restlessness, anxiety, and/or irrational anger
The human mind cannot function without a sense of reward or wellbeing. This is why so many people struggle with recovery and often fall into chronic relapse.
What Good Heroin Addiction Recovery Looks Like
A strong, evidence-based program like the one at Gulf Breeze Recovery is not an easy thing to build. You need a team of professionals, including doctors and therapists, who work together to build custom treatment plans for each client.
The first step in heroin addiction treatment is usually detox. This is the initial recovery period when the client stops taking heroin and must go through the pains of withdrawal. This can be made easier with the help of doctor-supervised medical intervention in a comfortable environment. Depending on the individual, this step usually takes somewhere from five to ten days.
Once withdrawals have subsided, the real work begins: identifying all the triggers and possible mental health disorders that may underpin addiction and building a new life with skills that allow you to thrive. This “rehab” step of recovery can last up to three months, and depending on the client, may include the following or a combination:
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP) — Involves overnight stays with medical supervision, similar to detox, but with the introduction of counseling, therapy, and other intensive interventions.
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) — With this option, clients will keep their day jobs and create a treatment schedule with the care provider that includes therapy and skill-building.
- Mental health screening and treatment — As is often the case, clients with substance use disorders often suffer from other, often more profound co-occurring mental health disorders. A strong recovery program will diagnose and treat these simultaneously with heroin addiction counseling and treatment.
Gulf Breeze Recovery Has Skill and Compassion to End Heroin Addiction
Our top-notch professional team of medical doctors and therapists at the Pensacola center is ready to lift you and change your life with lasting results. We are located at a quiet beach on the Gulf of Mexico, where you can be mindful and focused. You may have tried to get sober and relapsed before, maybe many times. It doesn’t matter. We honor and encourage every brave attempt to change, and we can give you the skills to make it permanent this time.
Our program is holistic, meaning that we pay careful attention to every aspect of your life, and your program will be specialized to fit only you. To learn more about this, have a look at our resources here. Your recovery will take full advantage of our programs, which include:
- A medically supervised detox wing with private rooms and spas with neurofeedback exercise and 24-hour nursing.
- A diverse set of therapy activities like art, meditation, qi-gong, and yoga, all scheduled to allow you continued employment and connection with your life.
- Telerecovery programs that will help you stay engaged on your own schedule
- Customized mental health care that includes a combination of individual therapy and group therapy.
- Residential treatment in a beautiful natural setting.
Start Your Healing Journey and Call Gulf Breeze Recovery Today
You don’t have to do this alone. Call us now at 833.551.2304 and ask us anything about our programs and how you can get started on a lasting change.
