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The Three Components Necessary For Every Successful Heroin Addiction Treatment

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So you have finally decided that you want to end your addiction to heroin. That is no small feat and no tiny decision. Considering that heroin is one of the most addictive illegal street drugs there is, that takes some courage and strength to want to end your addiction. As you get started on a heroin addiction treatment, just keep in mind that every successful heroin addiction treatment program has the following three components.

In-Patient Detox Time

You cannot detox on your own time. Heroin is a drug that causes incredible pain during detox, and you will feel things you have never felt before or want to feel again. That said, your treatment program will include several in-patient days in the hospital or drug rehab clinic of your choosing. The first week will be the roughest, but you will be in a place where doctors and nurses can help ease you through this. Most patients addicted to heroin are through the worst of it in seventy-two hours, but it also depends on how frequently you used, how much you were using before you entered treatment, and how many months or years you have been using.

Talk Therapy

Talk therapy may work for you in a group setting, or you may just want to start slow in individual therapy sessions. The purpose for this component is to get to the root of why you started using heroin, and it is usually tied to some trauma or need to get away from something you do not want to experience ever again. Group therapy may eventually be part of your program as well, since other members in the group who have been through this process can help you feel better and provide added support to keep you from slipping.

Methadone

Most former heroin addicts have trouble staying off of heroin once they exit their in-patient treatment program. For that reason, they are prescribed methadone. Methadone is a synthetic opioid that produces just enough "happy chemicals" in the brain without causing an addiction or trading one drug for another. It may take a year or more, but your regular methadone doses can help you move away from heroin and move on with your life. Eventually, your therapist and your doctor/psychiatrist will determine when they can start removing doses of methadone such that you do not have to take this medication the rest of your life. 

For more information, contact companies like Brightside Clinic.


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