Heroin Drug Rehab in Kentucky​

UNDERSTANDING SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Heroin Addiction In Kentucky

The impacts of opioid use and addiction are not limited to a single demographic, city, or state. In areas all across the United States, millions of people have been touched by the opioid epidemic in some way. Whether it is a friend, family member, loved one, or your addiction that you face, many have struggled with addiction to opioids or even lost their lives to overdose. An opioid is a broad term used to describe a range of substances, including both legal and illegal drugs. Drugs including prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin and illicit drugs like heroin are classified as opioids.

The heroin epidemic in Louisville, Kentucky, remains troublesome. Hundreds of Kentucky residents lost their lives to a heroin overdose in the last year alone. In 2017, the rate of overdose (specifically related to opioids) was nearly twice the national average. Heroin is a drug manufactured from the naturally occurring substance morphine. Morphine is obtained from the seed of the opium poppy plants native to Asia, Mexico, and Columbia. Depending on how it is manufactured, heroin can be a white or brown powder. It can also be a brown sticky substance known as black tar heroin due to its color and consistency. Heroin is referred to by a variety of names, including smack and hell dust. Although the most common way to use heroin is by inhaling it through the nose, there are other ways people use heroin. It can be smoked or liquefied and injected into the body. Some people also mix heroin with crack cocaine to create a more potent drug. This practice is known as speedballing.

Heroin, regardless of how it is used, causes a rapid and intense high. When heroin enters the brain, it operates similarly to other opioid drugs. The drug binds itself to the opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and throughout other areas of the body. Opioid receptors are the locations throughout your body responsible for transmitting feelings of pain and pleasure. They are also responsible for vital, life-sustaining functions, including breathing, heart rate, and sleeping patterns.

In recent years, the number of prescriptions written for opioid drugs has significantly reduced. This is likely due to the active effort by the medical community, and local and federal agencies to reduce the amount of opioid drugs that are available “on the street.” Because prescription pain medicines such as Oxycontin and Vicodin have similar effects to heroin, research suggests that prescription painkillers are often gateway drugs to heroin. As the number of opioids available decreases, those who struggle with an untreated addiction to opioid drugs seek another way to achieve the same high provided by prescription opioids. Heroin is often the most effective option. Surveys conducted within the last few years show a percentage of those who misused prescription opioids often switched to heroin.

HOW TO KNOW IF SOMEONE IS ADDICTED

Signs & Symptoms of A Heroin Addiction ​

Similar to other opioids, heroin is a highly addictive drug. When someone uses heroin, tolerance develops quickly. Tolerance occurs when someone begins using heroin and over time needs more and more of the drug to maintain or achieve the high they received from that first use. As tolerance builds, more frequent and higher doses of heroin are needed to obtain the desired effects. As tolerance increases, so does one’s risk of overdose or death.

Depending on the individual, the signs or symptoms of heroin addiction may be challenging to see. There are many factors that contribute to how heroin affects each person. Depending on the severity of their addiction and how long they’ve been using heroin, symptoms may be mild early on and then progress rapidly as they continue to use or as their tolerance builds. The physical symptoms of heroin addiction are usually the ones that occur first and are the easiest to notice. When someone injects heroin, they feel the symptoms of euphoria and happiness, often in a matter of seconds. Other means of using heroin do not produce reactions as quickly, although the signs and symptoms of “being high” occur once the drug reaches the brain.

Some of the most noticeable physical symptoms of heroin use include flushed skin, itching, vomiting, constricted pupils, and in the case of IV drug use, needle marks or track marks. Other physical symptoms that may not be outwardly visible include stomach problems, dry mouth, and decreased respiratory function. Also, someone who uses heroin regularly will often need to use laxatives or stool softeners as ongoing heroin use can lead to severe constipation. Other signs of heroin use that you may notice that are not necessarily physical include drug-seeking behavior, the presence of drug paraphernalia, new or worsening legal and financial problems related to heroin use, and increased isolation.

Addiction is a disease that affects each person differently. Therefore the above list of potential sites and symptoms of heroin addiction is by no means exhaustive. However, it does provide a starting point and possible signs you can look for if you are concerned a friend or loved one is struggling with heroin addiction.

PREPARING FOR TREATMENT

Heroin Rehab in Kentucky ​

Overcoming heroin addiction requires professional, comprehensive addiction treatment. Someone who has developed an addiction to heroin (including physical and psychological symptoms) will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop or reduce the amount they use. Heroin, like other opioids, can produce dangerous and potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, seeking medically supervised detox is vital to your health and safety as you begin to seek sobriety. Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms people experience when detoxing from heroin include fever, shaking, stomach issues, body pains, difficulty sleeping and eating, and uncontrollable leg movements.

People may experience delirium tremens, or DTs, abnormal breathing, abnormal heart rate, and seizures in more severe cases. It is these more severe withdrawal symptoms that can lead to potential medical emergencies. Depending on the duration and severity of one’s addiction, withdrawal symptoms can occur in his few as six hours after their last dose and may last for up to two weeks or more.

Because of the potential for dangerous withdrawal symptoms, choosing to overcome heroin is best done at a heroin rehab in Kentucky, where highly trained professionals can assist you through the detox process. During detox, a team of medical professionals will continuously monitor your vitals and potentially administer medications to help reduce the severity and intensity of withdrawal symptoms. This helps make the detox process more manageable and provides the greatest opportunities for safe and successful detox from heroin.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE ROBERT ALEXANDER CENTER

RAC Can Help You on Your Path to Recovery from Heroin ​

If you, or a loved one, struggles with a heroin addiction, it is vital to seek treatment. Chronic heroin addiction can lead to detrimental physical and psychological challenges. At RAC, our caring and compassionate team of addiction treatment professionals will work with you to design a comprehensive treatment program to help you overcome heroin addiction. We understand the decision to seek treatment is not easy. However, overcoming heroin without seeking the help of an addiction treatment center like RAC Can be more difficult. Often, the pull of heroin addiction is so strong that those who try to withdrawal “cold turkey” often relapse as they cannot adequately manage the severity of their symptoms without assistance.

At our heroin rehab in Louisville, KY, we provide a full range of treatment options to help you overcome heroin addiction and maintain lasting sobriety. Beginning with supported detoxification services and continuing through evidence-based therapy and comprehensive aftercare planning, our team at Robert Alexander Center for Recovery are here to provide the support and guidance you need to out addiction in the past. If you, or a loved one, are ready to begin your sobriety journey, contact us today to learn more about how addiction treatment at Robert Alexander Center for Recovery heroin rehab in Kentucky can help you take your first steps.