Signs and symptoms of heroin addiction
Heroin can come in many forms and is often mixed with a number of adulterants. This makes it incredibly dangerous because users do not know exactly what they are taking and there is no way to know how strong any given heroin is. Heroin is also incredibly addictive. It can alter chemical signals in the brain resulting in both a physical and mental addiction.
Do I have a problem with heroin addiction?
Someone struggling with heroin addiction is far more likely to overcome their dependence on the drug with professional treatment. This includes a medically assisted drug detox which gets the person clean and helps them overcome the often severe withdrawal symptoms of heroin addiction. After the person is clean it is important to have help and counselling available to address the reasons behind an addicts desire to use heroin. If either of these steps is missing, addicts are likely to relapse.
Common symptoms of heroin addiction
Whether someone is addicted to heroin, an opiate-based drug, or even a prescription opiate, many of the symptoms are the same. Heroin addicts will struggle to maintain relationships as the addiction consumes more of their lives and energy. Addicts may also have financial problems which might push them to steal. This often coincides with problems at work. People with a heroin problem begin to focus on the drug rather than other commitments like work. This can lower productivity or even get someone fired. Often addicts will become isolated as their addiction progresses, cutting off contact with friends and family.
Symptomatic denial
Denial is a common symptom of heroin addiction. You may deny that you have a problem both to yourself and to others, through:
- Minimising the effects of your heroin use
- Criticising those around you for making too much fuss about your heroin use
- Concealing your use of heroin from your loved ones
- Considerably underestimating the amount of heroin you are taking
- Placing the blame for your heroin use on other people or situations in your life, such as “I take heroin because my life is so stressful”
How Can Life Works Help
Life Works heroin addiction treatment program combines medically assisted detox and residential group therapy to help our clients. These treatment types can be combined as needed to provide individuals with the best treatment for their problem.
Our medically assisted detox helps people get clean while also dealing with anxiety and other problems related to detox. Our 24/7 nursing staff is on hand to help in any way they can.
Many people forget about medically assisted detox when looking for help but it is a very important part of treatment. Not only does the medically assisted detox help our clients manage their withdrawals, it is necessary before counselling and other treatments start. Someone who is dealing with withdrawal will struggle to take part in a group therapy or other treatment method and so they must be given time for their bodies to fully adjust to a heroin-free life.
While medically assisted detox focuses on the physical aspect of addiction, residential group therapy treatment works on the mental aspect. Once a client enters residential treatment, they start therapy to understand the thoughts emotions and motivations behind their heroin use. The idea is to understand what motivates each client to use drugs and teach them appropriate coping mechanisms. This gives heroin addicts the emotional toolbox to cope without using heroin and helps them start recovery.
If you think that you or someone you know may have a heroin addiction, please feel free to contact Life Works in the strictest of confidence and we will be more than happy to help.