Q: Who needs to go to a heroin rehab center?

A: Heroin rehabilitation facilities are structured to treat patients who are addicted to the heroin. Heroin is a powerful opiate that interacts with hormones and receptors in the brain. Once the brain is affected by the drug, addicts experience euphoric or dysphoric sensations that soon become addictive. Furthermore, an addict’s brain slowly changes in response to the drug. This makes the addict’s body crave and need heroin in order to function properly. Both the change in physiology and the need for the pleasurable sensation offered by heroin make it very addictive.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 281,000 Americans underwent treatment for heroin addiction in 2003. Signs of heroin addiction include:

• Chronic use of heroin
• Acting confused or disoriented, or suffering from hallucinations due to heroin use
• Using heroin despite drug-related problems at home or at work
• Using heroin in secret or alone
• Taking hostile actions when asked about heroin use
• Numerous wounds on the inner part of the elbow (“trackmarks”), the area where most heroin users inject the drug into their bloodstream
• Placing heroin use or buying heroin as the number one priority in life, causing financial problems, failings at work and domestic dilemmas
• Suffering from withdrawal (sweating, mood changes, anxiety, muscle tremors, etc.) when forced to stop taking the drug

If you or a loved one exhibit one or more of these symptoms, you should consider finding a heroin rehabilitation center.

Q: How do I find a good heroin rehab center?

The selection of a drug rehabilitation center is a multi-step process. First, you must determine some facts about the addict. Gender, age and socioeconomic status are all important when selecting a center. You will want to chose a center that has a population relatively similar to the addict’s personal characteristics. Also, make sure that the center is capable of handling a heroin addict. If the center specializes in other drugs, such as cocaine or alcohol, it is probably best to look for another facility.

Talking to a healthcare professional or other specialist (whether it be a an officer of the law or a family friend with experience in drug treatment) is also a pertinent step when selecting a heroin rehabilitation center. Often, these individuals have privileged knowledge about local or national rehab centers that allow them to match an addict to the best possible facility.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to contact a few rehab centers to inquire about their drug treatment programs and success rates. Ask about how long the treatment process is and how they plan to reintroduce the recovering addict to the outside environment. You should look for a comprehensive, organized plan that prepares the addict for a long-term, permanent recovery.

Q: What kind of treatment is offered at a heroin rehab center?

Treating heroin addiction is a complex process. The first step is helping the patient detoxify. This allows any remaining heroin to leave the body. This is often a difficult process that commonly causes withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, rehab centers are equipped to handle the symptoms of withdrawal. Without proper treatment, withdrawal can be deadly, but the professionals at a rehab center can prevent any dire situations from occurring while the addict is detoxing.

Once the patient has undergone detoxification, rehab centers institute a combination of medications and behavioral therapy to treat the heroin addiction. Medications, such as burprenorphine and methadone, are prescribed to help reduce the patient’s craving for heroin. These medications are slowly decreased over time, until the patient no longer needs them to stave off the urge to use heroin. Behavioral therapy, whether done in one-on-one meetings or in group therapy sessions, focuses on changing the patient’s ideas about drug use and providing the reformed addicts with other ways to cope with the compulsion to abuse heroin. Ideally, the dual-pronged treatment process (medication and behavioral treatment) will allow the patient to beat their current addiction and prevent any relapses.