When you or a loved one’s drug habit spirals out of control, a heroin addiction treatment program is a must. However, you wonder what goes on behind closed doors. How is it possible that a heroin detox and withdrawal management program can help you end physical dependency?
How a Heroin Detox and Withdrawal Management Program Works
Enrolling at a heroin addiction detox center means you’re taking the first step toward sobriety. This is the venue where you’ll break the physical addiction. Later on, at a rehab facility, you’ll work on psychological dependence. Most importantly, you learn how to live without the drug.
Almost all program participants have tried detoxing on their own before. It doesn’t work well. Opioid withdrawal is painful. Therefore, it makes the most sense to quit using in an environment that understands your challenges.
At a heroin detox and withdrawal management program, therapists may rely on medication-assisted treatment. This means that they use pharmacological support to wean you off the drug. Methadone’s a good example. It helps you taper off drug use.
That said, some facilities won’t use it any longer. Instead, they use alternatives that curb cravings and undo pain. Doing so enables you to quit using right away. It’s an excellent opportunity for kicking a heroin habit in about a week to ten days.
Besides medication-assisted treatment, therapists also rely on other care approaches to help you deal with signs of withdrawal.
Examples include:
- Group therapy for peer accountability and counseling
- Massage therapy that relaxes your muscles
- Nutritional support, which encourages your body to remain stable throughout withdrawal
- Dual diagnosis treatment for the bouts of depression you may encounter
- Trauma treatment, which helps you deal with flashbacks and similar experiences
The goal is to ready you for rehab. Of course, you can’t attend clinical care until you end the physical dependency on heroin. Almost all program participants succeed in doing so within about a week.
What Comes after an Institutional Heroin Detox and Withdrawal Management Program?
If you’re detoxing at a center that also offers rehab, you seamlessly transition to clinical care once you’re ready. Everyone else needs to make a move to such a facility. That’s because you’re still dealing with a psychological addiction – even after kicking the habit. If you neglect to take this step, there’s a greater chance that you’ll relapse.
Most people will choose a residential heroin addiction treatment program. You live at the facility and immerse yourself in the healing atmosphere. Besides that, you have access to therapists and peers around the clock, which helps with accountability. Similarly, you have the supervision you need to prevent relapse.
That said, residential care isn’t your only option. Some facilities also offer partial hospitalization. It’s an excellent opportunity for the client with a strong support network. When it would benefit you to live at home during treatment, this program works. You attend therapy every day at the facility.
This means that you need to have the motivation to visit the facility and not put off treatment. Similarly, you need to have the means of making it there every single day. When you have these in place and have the emotional support you receive at home, you can succeed in healing.
At the facility, therapists will customize a care protocol for you. Examples of modalities could include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy that helps you devise healthy coping mechanisms
- Dialectical behavior treatment, which focuses on gaining control over intense emotions
- Motivational interviewing that enables you to maintain a strong belief in your ability to reach sobriety
- Contingency management therapy as a tool for motivating you
- Family counseling, which encourages loved ones to join you in this time of healing
What Comes after Heroin Detox and Rehab?
For many, an outpatient heroin rehab program is the next step after program graduation. It’s a great way of stepping down care. Besides that, you might also attend 12 Step meetings for support.
However, until you end the physical addiction, you won’t be able to benefit from these programs. Therefore, call a good-quality detox facility today.