When heroin gets its hooks in you, it can be hard to unhook and stay unhooked. Author and cultural icon William S. Burroughs became addicted to heroin and although he tried to quit several times, and did for awhile, he kept going back to it.
Burroughs first quit in 1950, apparently cold turkey, when he fled to Mexico to avoid a charge of forging a prescription, then relapsed after he accidentally shot and killed his common-law wife. He quit again in 1960 with the assistance of a heroin abuse treatment devised by a Dr. Dent using apomorphine (apparently a type of aversion therapy; the drug makes you vomit). He quit once more in 1974, but by 1979, was back on the smack, except for brief periods off, for the rest of his life. At the time of his death in 1997 at age 83, he was reportedly on a methadone maintenance program.
If you’re abusing heroin – and all use is abuse, since heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug – and worried that might be hooked, heroin addiction help is available. If you’re ready to go into treatment, there are placement agencies that can help you find an available center in your area that fits your insurance and treatment needs.
The reason heroin addiction is so hard to overcome is because in addition to the carrot – the pleasurable effects of heroin – there also is a stick – the pain of withdrawal. Once addicted, if you stop taking heroin, you will feel painful withdrawal symptoms in as little as six hours. If the addiction is severe enough, those symptoms can be life-threatening, including dehydration and asphyxiating on your own vomit. The worst effects can last a week, and recur intermittently for months. That’s why it’s not a good idea to try to go through withdrawal on your own.
It’s recommended you go to a dedicated <a href='https://notehub.org/s4vsx' title='heroin detox center' target='_blank'>heroin detox center</a>if possible. (it may not, because among abused drugs, heroin is not as prevalent as others, such as prescription drugs, though its use has been increasing.) There you will have medical supervision of your detox, sometimes with drugs such as methadone to wean you off the opioids, or buprenorphine or naltrexone to reduce the craving for heroin.
You also will have to decide if you want inpatient or outpatient care. Outpatient is like visiting the doctor then going home. In patient is akin to staying at a hospital until you’re well, though you’re not confined to a hospital bed for the duration of your stay, usually one to three months. The best inpatient drug rehab centers feature accredited staff, 24-hour-care, treatment plans tailored for each client, a variety of psychotherapy options – cognitive, behavioral, group – both 12-step and non-12-step support groups, and pleasant surroundings. They also offer extensive aftercare options, from support groups to sober living arrangements if needed.
If you’d like more information, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has an online publication about heroin – drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/letter-director – detailing what heroin is, its short-term and long-term effects, and what treatments are available.
Burroughs first quit in 1950, apparently cold turkey, when he fled to Mexico to avoid a charge of forging a prescription, then relapsed after he accidentally shot and killed his common-law wife. He quit again in 1960 with the assistance of a heroin abuse treatment devised by a Dr. Dent using apomorphine (apparently a type of aversion therapy; the drug makes you vomit). He quit once more in 1974, but by 1979, was back on the smack, except for brief periods off, for the rest of his life. At the time of his death in 1997 at age 83, he was reportedly on a methadone maintenance program.
If you’re abusing heroin – and all use is abuse, since heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug – and worried that might be hooked, heroin addiction help is available. If you’re ready to go into treatment, there are placement agencies that can help you find an available center in your area that fits your insurance and treatment needs.
The reason heroin addiction is so hard to overcome is because in addition to the carrot – the pleasurable effects of heroin – there also is a stick – the pain of withdrawal. Once addicted, if you stop taking heroin, you will feel painful withdrawal symptoms in as little as six hours. If the addiction is severe enough, those symptoms can be life-threatening, including dehydration and asphyxiating on your own vomit. The worst effects can last a week, and recur intermittently for months. That’s why it’s not a good idea to try to go through withdrawal on your own.
It’s recommended you go to a dedicated <a href='https://notehub.org/s4vsx' title='heroin detox center' target='_blank'>heroin detox center</a>if possible. (it may not, because among abused drugs, heroin is not as prevalent as others, such as prescription drugs, though its use has been increasing.) There you will have medical supervision of your detox, sometimes with drugs such as methadone to wean you off the opioids, or buprenorphine or naltrexone to reduce the craving for heroin.
You also will have to decide if you want inpatient or outpatient care. Outpatient is like visiting the doctor then going home. In patient is akin to staying at a hospital until you’re well, though you’re not confined to a hospital bed for the duration of your stay, usually one to three months. The best inpatient drug rehab centers feature accredited staff, 24-hour-care, treatment plans tailored for each client, a variety of psychotherapy options – cognitive, behavioral, group – both 12-step and non-12-step support groups, and pleasant surroundings. They also offer extensive aftercare options, from support groups to sober living arrangements if needed.
If you’d like more information, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has an online publication about heroin – drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/letter-director – detailing what heroin is, its short-term and long-term effects, and what treatments are available.