Heroin Treatment Center In Missouri​​

Grand Falls Center for Recovery​

Overview of Heroin Addiction​​

Heroin addiction frequently arises out of a struggle with prescription drugs. Each year, thousands of prescriptions for opioid pain medications are written by medical providers to help individuals struggling with a range of chronic pain conditions. Unfortunately, dependency and addiction to opioid pain medications is a widespread struggle across the nation. As federal, state, and local agencies struggle to find safer and effective ways to manage the opioid epidemic, medical providers have drastically reduced prescribing of opioid medications. 

This has led people who struggle with an addiction to opioids to seek alternate substances. Heroin is often a substance of choice, as it is easier to obtain than many opioid drugs. Heroin is also highly addictive, and the process of overcoming an addiction to heroin can be dangerous if attempted without help from a heroin addiction rehab. 

Heroin is a manufactured drug. It is created by processing the seeds of the opium poppy, a plant native to several countries in Mexico, Asia, and South America. Heroin is derived from morphine which occurs naturally in the opium poppy plant. Heroin can be produced in various ways. Each form leads to a different variation in the appearance of the drug. Heroin may be a brown or white-colored powder. Heroin may also be a sticky, black substance called black tar heroin. Heroin also goes by several “street names,” like hell dust and smack. 

Heroin can be introduced to the body in several ways, making it easier to use than some other illicit substances. Depending on how it is produced, it can be snorted, smoked, or mixed with liquid and injected directly into the veins. Heroin can also be combined with cocaine to form a far more potent substance. This process is known as speedballing and can significantly increase your risk of overdose and overdose-related death. 

When you use heroin, regardless of the mode of use, the time between using and feeling the effects of the drug is very short. However, certain methods of use produce effects quicker, sometimes within a matter of seconds. When heroin enters the brain, it binds to specific locations (receptor sites) on the brain and associated nerves called opioid receptors. These locations are the same areas of the brain prescription opioids (pain killers) used to help slow or temporarily stop the flow of pain messages from the brain to other areas of the body. These receptor sites are also linked to several vital body functions, including heart rate, breathing, and sleeping patterns. 

As previously mentioned, research has suggested that prescription opioids may act as gateway drugs to heroin. Both prescription opioids and heroin produce similar effects making heroin an adequate substitute for someone who can no longer access prescription opioids. Also, recent statistical data indicates a percentage of people who formerly struggled with prescription opioid abuse switched to heroin when they could no longer get their drug of choice either because their prescription ran out or they could not “find” it through other means. 

Heroin Addiction Treatment​

Heroin Addiction Treatment in Missouri​​​

The first steps on your journey to recovery from heroin addiction should occur at a professional heroin addiction rehab. At a heroin treatment center like Grand Falls Recovery, you will receive the support and guidance you need to safely detox and recover from heroin addiction because heroin detox can lead to overwhelming withdrawal symptoms, the safest and most supported way to detox from the physical and phycological challenges of heroin addiction. Like many other opioid drugs, when you reduce or stop using heroin, you will experience withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms you may experience as the levels of heroin in your body decline can be dangerous and potentially fatal. While some may be mild to moderate, it is the potentially dangerous medical complications linked to heroin detox that make seeking heroin rehab so important. 

During detox, you will experience a range of symptoms. The severity, intensity, and duration of your symptoms will vary widely depending on factors specific to your addiction. If you have used large doses of heroin for a long time, you will (likely) experience more severe symptoms as your body must work harder, for longer, to cleanse itself of the drug. Examples of mild heroin withdrawal symptoms include stomach upset, body aches and pains, fever, shaking, sleeping difficulties, appetite changes, and uncontrollable leg movements. 

Moderate and severe symptoms often accompany withdrawal for those struggling with a severe addiction to heroin. Examples of severe symptoms include seizures, DTs (delirium tremens), abnormal heart rate, difficult or erratic breathing, and coma. Without prompt medical intervention and support, the more severe symptoms of heroin detox can lead to potentially fatal medical emergencies. 

The first symptoms of heroin withdrawal will occur within six hours after your last dose. In most cases, withdrawal symptoms resolve within one to two weeks; however, in severe addiction situations, they may last more than two weeks. Because of the risks associated with heroin withdrawal, seeking help at a heroin rehab program like Grand Falls is vital to ensure your health and safety. During medically supported detox, members of your treatment team will monitor your vitals and, if necessary, administer medications that can reduce the intensity of some withdrawal symptoms. Also, medical supervision can ensure medical support is immediately available should you need it. 

Physical, Psychological, or Behavioral​

Signs & Symptoms of a Heroin Addiction ​

Signs of heroin addiction may be physical, psychological, or behavioral. It can be challenging to recognize heroin addiction in a friend or loved one early on as symptoms are often mild; however, symptoms generally progress quickly. 

First, when someone struggles with an addiction to heroin, they require certain paraphernalia to use. Depending on how they introduce heroin to their system, you may find needles, spoons, pipes, tourniquets, etc. You may also notice physical symptoms such as track marks (from injecting), constricted pupils, breathing changes, stomach issues, and skin problems (itching, redness, etc.). Your friend or loved one may also experience problems with concentration, decision-making skills, and memory. 

Certain behavioral changes may also occur with heroin addiction. Common examples include isolation, changes in clothing choices (long sleeves to hide track marks), changes in personal and professional relationships, financial problems, and legal issues.