Heroin Addiction Treatment in San Diego
At Refresh Recovery in San Diego, we do not stigmatize heroin addiction, and we employ science-based treatments such as medication assisted treatment optional and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help our clients overcome substance abuse disorders such as heroin by attending its specific withdrawal and a human centered and integrative approach in the inspiring space of San Diego, California.
How Heroin Addiction Starts
Refresh Recovery offers a humane and caring approach to heroin abuse treatment in San Diego County, including evidence-based therapies and medication-assisted treatment optional, making it possible to withdraw carefully, reducing all types of discomfort, and increasing the outcomes.
There are many stories and individual experiences of how people ended up with a heroin dependency problem. We will communicate a pattern we have identified here at Refresh Recovery in San Diego. We found it very common for people who began consuming opioids (prescribed by a physician or not) and later transitioned to heroin.
Let us tell you about Arthur (this is not his real name) and his story. Arthur was run over by a car in Amsterdam one afternoon while walking home from school; he was seventeen years old. He went through multiple surgeries, and doctors managed his pain with oxycodone. Suffering from numerous spinal injuries, so much pain was unbearable without the help of such a strong prescription opioid. Fast-forward fifteen years into the future, he has still been prescribed oxycodone; however, he developed a strong tolerance to the drug and was taking significantly higher doses. This also started to affect his behavior as he would have a short temper and snap very quickly while being with family, friends, or maybe a random stranger at the supermarket. His family decided to speak to his doctors about his aggressive behavior. Without considering any potential withdrawal symptoms, the medical staff cut off his prescriptions for oxycodone. At the time, most of the medical community was in denial about the withdrawal symptoms of opioids. His doctors said he could do fine without the drug in absolute cognitive dissonance. Can you imagine being abruptly cut off from years of using such a drug? Arthur went through hell, simply put, he found injected heroin on the street. He got hooked immediately by the comfort the heroin had brought on and went on using for another fifteen years.
Arthur is not alone; many have followed the same path from prescription opioids to heroin.
It Usually Begins With Opiate Prescriptions
Opiate Prescription Leads to Heroin
Arthur realized he was going through substance use addiction and ended up looking for professional help for his heroin abuse problem. After detox, he enrolled in an outpatient therapy program at Refresh Recovery.
It is widespread to see how people who began using prescription opioids for pain management will later turn to heroin use. Today it is common knowledge that opioids are highly addictive and that abruptly discontinuing use will lead to severe withdrawal symptoms. It is recommended to go through a detoxification procedure to transition to addiction therapy safely. Withdrawal may lead to self-harm, such as self-mutilation suicide, or make the patient quit rehab altogether. The heroin withdrawal symptoms that affect mental health can be attended at Refresh Recovery such as depression, anxiety, and stress.
As with benzodiazepines, opioids were first thought not to produce withdrawal, and pharmaceutical companies kept the public in the dark about the crippling effects of discontinuing their use. Slowly the medical community started to acknowledge just how horrifying withdrawal from opioids can be, and today, medication-assisted therapy for opioid addiction is widely available.
Prescription Opiate Dillemma
Keep in mind that no matter if a doctor prescribes opioids, they are highly addictive. First, an individual will develop tolerance to the drugs needing a higher dose. The next step is to depend on the medication needing or craving heroin to feel good or simply to now feel as bad when ‘kicking it’ or coming off from it. The next step will usually be an addiction, and it tends to increase over time.
Opiate withdrawals such as those of heroin lead to mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression and other co-occurring challenges. It is not uncommon for those who have suffered from trauma or PTSD to self-medicate and be attending many of these mental health illnesses with heroin and other opiate drugs.
Do I Have A Problem with Heroin?
Talk to your medical professional if you are prescribed opioids and get reassurance that you genuinely need these opiate drugs, including Fentanyl, a widespread and more potent of these. If this medication is necessary, take it as prescribed in the doses and during the doctor’s period. Please do not continue to take prescribed opiates after you have completed the treatment cycle ordered by your physician, no matter how good they make you feel. Anyone can develop an addiction to opioids, and you can too. If you were a loved one or having a hard time getting off prescription opiates or have continued to use heroin, we are here to answer any questions you might have on getting help.
It is easy to let your guard down when you are confident that because the doctor told you to take a drug, it is safe to do so and continue taking it after your treatment is finished. Read more about what you are prescribed and seek advice and conversation with your doctor or contact an addiction treatment program for heroin like Refresh Recovery in San Diego, California.
If prescription opiates have led to the street or nonprescribed forms of morphine such as heroin, Refresh Recovery dual diagnosis and substance use disorder treatment in San Diego can answer your questions regarding the need for detox or outpatient. Our outpatient programs include innovative approaches like NAD therapy for a more positive rehabilitation experience.
Contact Refresh Recovery for help with Heroin Addiction
If you or some you love has developed a heavy use of opioid medication or has transitioned to heroin use, feel free to contact us at Refresh Recovery for help. We may help you with information, intervention, and in-house or outpatient treatment therapies.
Let us help you and trust our highly trained and professional staff, who are happy to receive you with open arms and empathy.