Heroin is a synthetic drug produced from opium poppies. It is a brown or white powder that can be snorted, injected or smoked, and it mostly influences the brain. Heroin is extremely addicting and causes physical dependence and a slew of several other health problems. Heroin abuse as such can lead to a variety of detrimental effects on the body, such as lung complications, liver failure, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, heart valves and blood vessels infections and several other health issues. The drug users are also exposed to numerous other health conditions, like hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. Even mental and behavioral problems may crop up. Therefore, heroin addiction should be treated as early as possible. The method of heroin addiction treatment is often determined as per the existing condition of the addict.
Detox:
The main objective of a detoxification process is to relieve the heroin withdrawal symptoms a person experiences when the abuse of the drug is discontinued. Though detoxification is not a "treatment", it is frequently used together with other treatment procedures to rid the addict of the toxic materials heroin infuses in the body. However, detoxification is a major step during the course of the heroin addiction treatment process as it is essential for the long-term success.
Creative Arts Therapy:
The curative power of creative arts therapy encourages addicts to convey their inner feelings through different forms of art such as music, crafts, painting, writing etc. The research in this field reveals that the innovative process helps to reduce stress, manage behavior and develop self-esteem, which are three vital contemplations for successful recuperation from heroin dependency.
Family Therapy:
Having the support of family and friends is a valuable advantage in the recovery process. Addicts can request help from their family members, even if they become estranged from them in the past. Odds are high that as family members they have the addict's best interest at heart and love him/her deeply. Also, addicts who are going through the recovery process should avoid clubs and bars and also refrain from making the mistake of associating with old friends who do drugs. The addicts must encompass themselves with people who would support their sobriety and not those who entice them to slide back into old, hazardous habits.
Herbal Therapy:
Herbs are organic plant materials that have positive effects on physical functioning. Herbology is utilization of herbs to cure illness, which includes drug addictions. Herbs mainly help in detoxification and healing symptoms that assist in easier withdrawal period. Also, fortifying the body with herbal remedies during the recovery process may encourage prevention of relapse.
Behavior:
Treatments that comprise of behavioral components, such as concurrent management therapy utilizes a reward system for negative drug test helps the addict form a new lifestyle pattern that enhances their likelihood of staying clean, finding employment and reinstating brain functions.
Acupuncture:
While acupuncture may not be a perfect heroin addiction treatment, it does have a calming, comforting effect which is beneficial for people undergoing any type of lifestyle changes, particularly an alteration of the enormity of drug withdrawal. Moreover, medical success testimonials strongly recommend that acupuncture can relieve several of the serious signs of withdrawal, thus assisting in detoxification and motivating chronic addicts to continue with the treatment. However, to effectively beat addiction of drug, addicts need to learn to make choices based on their sense of self-worth and self-belief that they can modify their environment.
Yoga:
Yoga is a spiritual method that employs numerous physical postures and breathing techniques to enhance flexibility, improve focus and concentration, calm the mind and build endurance. This therapy is quite beneficial for an addict who has to deal with the pressure of withdrawal, detoxification and recovery.
Outdoor Therapy:
Outdoor therapy makes use of experiences in nature to aid an addict struggling to accomplish a temperate and healthy lifestyle. Learning survival skills, mountaineering, backpacking, rock climbing, white-water rafting can help the addict in developing self-worth, social skills, responsibility as well as a healthy lifestyle of nutrition and exercise.
Once heroin addiction treatment is completed, a former addict who received the suitable treatment will be capable of maintaining a life-time dedication to being sober and clean. Through drug treatment an addict develops new habits that help him to resist the urge of using drugs, however unless the addict is entirely committed and serious, the addiction will by no means end. Therefore, studies suggest that the success rate is more likely when the addict develops self-belief and strives towards a better lifestyle.