What’s the first step toward overcoming an addiction? Most addiction treatment facilities won’t allow clients to get admitted into their programs without first going through a drug detox center.
It’s highly recommended that people with substance use disorders don’t attempt detoxification alone. Instead, they should go to drug detox centers. If possible, they should choose facilities specific to their addiction — such as heroin detox centers or opioid detox centers.
These health care facilities will have teams of trained professionals that will monitor and supervise you and your health throughout the process of detox. Withdrawal may sometimes be painful and can last weeks for some clients. At a detox center, physicians can prescribe medication to minimize discomfort and help clients slowly adjust to life without substance dependency. Clients may also receive nutritional support and treatment for co-occurring issues.
What Is the Heroin and the Opioid Epidemic?
Nearly 50,000 Americans in 2019 died from opioid-involved overdoses. This is due to the rise of opioid addiction and misuse. This epidemic involves illicit drugs, like heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and prescription pain relievers. It is a national crisis that severely affects public health, as well as economic and social welfare.
This epidemic has led to devastating consequences, including increases in opioid misuse, fatal overdoses, and the rising incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) due to opioid use during pregnancy. The complementary increase in injection drug use has also contributed to the spread of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV.
Even though there has been a strong government and public response to fight this epidemic, the likelihood of an American developing an opioid use disorder is still significant. The risk of addiction depends on many factors, such as the length of time a person is prescribed to take opioids for pain and the length of time that people continue taking opioids. Addiction is still a risk even when opioids are used as prescribed, and intentional misuse greatly magnifies that risk.
What Can You Expect From Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment Programs?
Because of the heroin and the opioid epidemic, many addiction treatment health care facilities offer detox and treatment programs for those dealing with opioid use disorder. To plan for and customer the most effective treatment for each client, trained professionals consider many factors, such as:
- How long you’ve been using opioids, heroin, or other opiate drugs
- How often you dose and the amount you take each time
- Whether or not you use alcohol other drugs in addition to opioids
- Your current physical health condition
- Any co-occurring mental health issues you may have
The length of time it will take for you to complete your addiction treatment program successfully will also be based on your individual needs. There is also a range of treatment program options: inpatient vs. outpatient, age-specific, or gender-specific.
Like diabetes or hypertension, addiction is a chronic disease. There is no cure for addiction — only a lifetime of maintaining your sobriety. You will need an excellent addiction aftercare plan to help you do this, especially during your first year rebuilding your life after treatment.
How Do You Choose the Health Care Center Where You Can Begin Your Journey To Recovery?
When you’re tasked to choose the best heroin and opioid addiction treatment program for you or someone you care about, you should always look for one that provides the greatest likelihood of a positive outcome. You should look for the most comfort, the most variation in treatment, and — if possible — the most specific treatment program for your needs. You should also look at addiction treatment facilities’ track records and certifications and whether or not they have a detox center. You may need to go to a different facility to detox before getting admitted into an addiction treatment center of your choice.
With a severe addiction, you may also be required to get admitted into an inpatient treatment program — which means that you’ll also have to take into consideration living arrangements, food arrangements, luxuries provided, and also the overall cost of all of these extras.
After clients with severe substance use disorders leave an inpatient program, they are strongly encouraged to continue treatment. In general, trained professionals will recommend entering a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or being a resident of a sober living home. After that, they might consider entering an intensive outpatient program (IOP). Finally, they can begin rebuilding their lives with standard outpatient care and memberships to support groups as part of their addiction aftercare plan.