Heroin addiction is a chronic, long-lasting disease resulting in serious health problems, including significant alteration to your brain function, financial distress, and severe social and relationship problems. To overcome such an intense substance use disorder safely and successfully, a heroin detox center in a medically supervised setting is the best first step in lifelong recovery.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, contact Liberty Health Services online or call us at 855.959.4521 today. Our drug detox program can start your recovery journey and begin your healing process.

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is a highly addictive drug made from morphine, a mind-altering substance from the resin of the seed pod of the opium poppy plant. Heroin is an opioid, a class of drugs that include prescription pain relievers, like oxycodone and hydrocodone, and their well-known names, OxyContin and Vicodin, respectively.

When heroin reaches your brain, it attaches to molecules on cells known as opioid receptors that are located in various parts of the brain and body, but most notably in areas where the perception of pain and pleasure exists, in addition to the part of the brain in charge of regulating your breathing.

Heroin acts as a trigger, telling your nervous system to produce and deliver euphoric feelings of pleasure. Some of the short-term effects of heroin that last a few hours include a rush of those good feelings and clouded thinking while your breathing and heart rate slow. Once the drug wears off, you experience your first withdrawal characterized by a depressed mood and a craving to do it and feel good again.

What Happens During Heroin Withdrawal?

Detox is the term used to describe the body’s cleansing by removing every trace of heroin. Heroin addiction leads to changes in certain areas of your brain, and dependence can alter the circuits that handle mood and reward behavior. Being cared for by a skilled and compassionate team, like our Liberty Health Services team, can help with your heroin withdrawal because when the supply of heroin is cut off, your body and mind will react by going into withdrawal.

Some of the typical symptoms of heroin withdrawal include:

• Intense cravings
• Extreme abdominal pain
• Chills
• Nausea or vomiting
• Body aches
• Becoming easily agitated
• Severe mood changes

Not everyone will experience these symptoms in the same way. The degree of discomfort may vary and some people may not experience all the symptoms. However, there is rarely anyone who doesn’t go through at least a few of these symptoms experiencing severe distress.

Are There Medications to Help with Treatment?

A successful heroin withdrawal management program may involve the need for drugs to effectively treat your addiction, aid with making you comfortable during withdrawal, and block some of the painful symptoms experienced during detox. Medications will be used carefully while supervised and are often combined with further behavioral counseling. This approach teaches you positive coping mechanisms that promote recovery—this approach is known as medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

At Liberty Health Services, some of the medications that may be used during your heroin withdrawal management program include:

• Methadone
• Suboxone

Trying to quit heroin and manage withdrawal alone can be too dangerous as the symptoms are so strong, making it more likely that you relapse, often with deadly consequences. Your willpower and strong desire alone may not be enough for you to quit heroin and recover from opioid addiction. Skilled and compassionate medical supervision to manage your heroin withdrawal in New Hampshire starts a long-term process involving detox, rehab, and therapy to set you up for a lifetime of sustainable recovery.

At Liberty Health Services, you will be spending your time getting clean and sober in an addiction treatment center that is more like a luxury hotel than a hospital. Through a private heroin withdrawal management program, all in a wooden setting, you will be comfortable and safe throughout the entire process.

Begin to Heal with Liberty Health Services’ Heroin Detox

If you or someone you love is battling heroin addiction, learn how Liberty Health’s heroin withdrawal management program can be the safest first step in recovery. Contact us using our secure online form or call us at 855.959.4521 today to get started on your new way of life.