Heroin is a dangerous substance, especially when used on a compulsive basis. If you’re using heroin and cannot stop, a San Antonio heroin rehab may be the best tool available to you. Treatment within a professional heroin addiction treatment program creates opportunities for comprehensive mental and physical health improvement.
A Heroin Addiction Treatment Program Could Save a Life
One of the core reasons to invest in treatment for heroin addiction is because continuing to use this substance could lead to a fatal overdose. The body can become used to heroin over time. As that happens, a person needs to use more to get the same type of high or pain relief. As that occurs, the body cannot handle the increased toxins, creating a risk for overdose.
In a heroin addiction treatment program, the first step is detox. This is a natural process in which the body removes the substance. Over a period of a few days, a person doesn’t feel the intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms they were experiencing. With heroin, common withdrawal symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Agitation
- Depression
- Muscle cramping and spasms
- Shaking and sweating
- Nausea
Cravings for the drug also stop during detox. In a professional setting, this process is managed medically. That means a person doesn’t have to feel many of these symptoms. There’s less pain, less fear, and more opportunity for healing. Those who go through a professional detox may be more likely to avoid relapse in the future.
Benefits of a Heroin Addiction Treatment Program
It’s a significant step to decide to enter treatment. Yet, substance abuse treatment programs provide all of the tools necessary to recover and abstain from using heroin again. Some additional benefits these programs offer to achieve this include:
- A safe, drug-free place to live while healing (if enrolling in a residential treatment program)
- Individual therapy to work on past trauma, stress management, and life circumstances
- Group therapy for learning about addiction and how to manage it in daily life
- Creating a way to rebuild relationships through family therapy sessions
- Resources to help develop life skills and confidence
These programs create these opportunities by offering a range of therapy programs. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy is a standard individual therapy program. In it, a person learns to control negative thought processes that are often inaccurate and damaging. This may allow them to avoid adverse outcomes commonly associated with stress or frustration.
Other programs deal with the underlying cause of the addiction to heroin. In some cases, it begins when a person is using a prescription drug for chronic pain. When they cannot get help from that prescription, they may turn to heroin for help. In this case, working to resolve the underlying cause of the pain may help with addiction. For others, there’s painful trauma in their history. Dealing with that trauma effectively enables and supports addiction treatment.
Addiction Treatment Creates Options
With these heroin addiction treatment programs, a person is finally able to break free from these drugs. As a result, they are able to get back into life. They can create new and rebuild old relationships. It’s possible to start thinking about a positive future again.
Those that do not take action may limit their ability to control their future. Yet, with treatment, there’s no limit to what you can do in the years to come.
Explore the Options in Treatment Today
Don’t put off getting treatment for drug addiction of any type. Even if you’re unsure if you need treatment for heroin, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll benefit from professional help if you’re using this drug consistently. To get it, call one of the local programs to find out how to get help.
