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Treatment for Heroin Addiction

Heroin addiction mechanism

Treatment for Heroin AddictionWhen an individual injects, smokes, or snorts heroin, it moves into the brain and is converted into dopamine, a neurotransmitter that attaches itself to the brain’s pleasure receptors. When this occurs, it produces a euphoric effect or high that causes a rush of pleasurable sensations. This can result in an overdose unless they admit to having a problem with the drug and seeking out professional treatment for heroin addiction.

Tolerance can build up rapidly and the onset of addiction can occur within 2 or 3 uses. It goes without saying that heroin is a powerfully addictive substance and the addiction to the drug is viewed as a serious public health threat by the government agencies looking after the health care and different other medical organizations.

The damage to the body that heroin causes

Heroin abuse, addiction, and dependence can all cause damage to critical body areas and systems when it continues over a prolonged period of time. Granted, the high or euphoric side effects that heroin produces are almost immediate. However, the primary area of damage involves the pleasure receptors of the brain which lose their sensitivity to the drug. This causes you to need increasingly more of the drug in order to get high. After a long period of de-sensitization, the brain loses its ability to convert the drug into dopamine.

There other critical areas of the body that heroin damages. One area are the respiratory organs as heroin slows down their functions during the euphoria stage. In some cases, the individual’s respiration slows down so much that it paralyzes the lungs so the person will suffocate and die. Secondly, the body is desensitized to the extent that feeling pain is nearly impossible. In other words, if you injure yourself seriously, you may not be aware of it for a while. You could contract a serious infection and not even be aware of it.

7 warning signs of heroin use

Heroin AddictionIf you are concerned about someone with heroin addiction, here are 7 warning signs that you should watch for:

  • Behavior and personality changes that aren’t normal
  • Body mutilation in the form of “tracks” or points of injection
  • Drug paraphernalia or the tools of heroin addiction (e.g. needles and syringes, scales, small plastic bags, and spoons)
  • Financial problems result because feeding one’s heroin habit is not cheap
  • Groups of friends change from long-time personal friends to newer peers most of which are also drug users and suppliers
  • Poor performance in school or at work
  • Possessions begin to disappear because the individual needs to sell them in order to finance their addiction

If any of the above applies to you or a loved one, it’s time to find a professional treatment for heroin addiction. The Delray Recovery Center is known for having some of the most effective addiction rehab programs in the US such as our 5-Phase Step Down Model or our Strength to Change program. These comprehensive in-patient rehab programs will enable you to overcome your addiction to heroin. Please contact us about either one today.

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