If you have struggled with heroin addiction, it is important to recognize the signs that you need inpatient rehab treatment.
This type of treatment, sometimes called detoxification, is a way for you to flush the heroin from your body and manage your withdrawal symptoms safely. The experience will differ from one person to the next based on how long you’ve been addicted to heroin, how much you usually take, and if you take any other drugs.
Signs of Opioid Abuse
There are many signs of heroin abuse that physically manifest somewhat similarly to someone having the flu. You might notice ongoing effects, such as irritability, a runny nose, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, watery eyes, and restlessness. These symptoms and signs can be dismissed when they happen periodically, but the more you use and abuse heroin, the more likely the symptoms will remain.
There are also behavioral signs of heroin abuse. When you become addicted to a drug, that drug becomes a priority in your life. This means everything else becomes less important, including your family, your friends, and your job. When heroin becomes most important, you might find yourself withdrawing from friends and family so that you can get high instead, engaging in illegal activities like stealing to pay for another fix or even dealing drugs yourself.
Signs that you need an inpatient rehab treatment for heroin addiction can include:
- Stealing money or valuables
- Changes in your behavior, perhaps commented on by friends or family, usually erratic or aggressive
- Intermittent heroin use
- Legal trouble
- Lying and secretive behavior
- Depression
- Track marks left on your body from drug use
- Withdrawal from your family, friends, or social engagement
Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal
There is a growing risk of heroin withdrawal even among people who try it just once. The withdrawal process can happen as soon as you stop using heroin and your body starts to flush the residual drug from your system. Just like overcoming a virus, the symptoms have to get worse before the body heals.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has listed the following as the most common withdrawal symptoms include short-term withdrawal symptoms of:
- insomnia,
- muscle aches,
- anxiety,
- teary eyes
- and a runny nose
And long-term withdrawal symptoms, which can be much worse, and include:
- blurry vision
- elevated blood pressure
- fast heartbeats
- severe vomiting and nausea
What Is Inpatient Rehab Treatment?
Inpatient rehab treatment involves a person essentially “living” in a facility for a set amount of time and requires proper management of medication, sleep, and medical professionals on hand. Using an appropriate rehab facility for heroin withdrawal management can make you feel more comfortable during some of the more difficult aspects of withdrawal. Moreover, medical professionals at an inpatient rehab center can help you slowly cleanse your system of heroin using other medications to taper and limit the severity of the symptoms.
For example, if you are recovering from heroin addiction, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends the medical use of Suboxone and Subutex as part of an effective rehabilitation program.
What can I expect during inpatient rehabilitation?
Effective inpatient rehab starts with understanding that addiction, especially heroin addiction, might be complex but remains treatable. Heroin alters the brain, so no single treatment is going to work for every person. Getting help from a reliable rehabilitation center gives you access to medications that might be a significant part of your recovery.
An individual treatment plan might be modified as you make progress with your recovery. True recovery from addiction requires more than just flushing the heroin from your body. It requires behavioral therapies that help prevent relapses. It is up to you to continue treatment by finding ways to manage your stress or your cravings, something that an inpatient center can help you achieve.
Relapses may very well occur. It’s that simple. And this is why having medical supervision through an inpatient treatment at your initial withdrawal stages can be so helpful. Medically assisted detox can help overcome the physical, cognitive, and emotional withdrawal symptoms you feel, while subsequent therapies can give you the resources to quit heroin for good.
Finding Inpatient Rehab Treatment Near Me
You can find an inpatient rehab treatment center near you. At Hillside Mission, you will have a higher chance of quitting your heroin addiction long-term. There are many paths to getting better and what matters most is that you find yours. Of the many treatment options, inpatient rehab centers can give you customized treatment and improve your overall chances of success. Let our team help you take the first step on your path to a better life.
