Heroin is a narcotic often used as a pain reliever. Because of its addicting effects on the body, any user can be addicted to this drug for prolonged periods of time. When this happens, the person becomes physically dependent on the drug, in this case, heroin. If you are concerned with someone who is dependent on heroin, then a detox might be beneficial for them.
What is Heroin Detox?
Heroin detoxication is a process where a person literally flushes out the harmful toxins of heroin from the body. How is it different from just stopping heroin intake?
Picture this: a person who has been heavily reliant on heroin for the past few years finally wants to stop his or her drug abuse. Even if they are willing to not take heroin, they will have a hard time doing so because of the withdrawal symptoms that will take effect a few hours after the heroin intake.
Withdrawal symptoms vary from person to person. These change depending on the level of dependence the person has on the drug and the amount of heroin that has already been taken as a result of drug tolerance (when a person needs more of a certain drug because the body has developed a certain “tolerance” for it). Since heroin is a dangerous narcotic, there’s a high chance that a person undergoes severe symptoms.
Regardless of the symptoms, a heroin detox is needed since the withdrawal symptoms are difficult to endure. The detox is not simply a flushing out of the heroin. Rather, it uses several medical treatments that will make the withdrawal symptoms become more bearable.
How Does a Heroin Detox Work?
There is no doubt that a heroin detox requires a lot of work from the patient. Fortunately, the whole process is guided by a medical professional who will make sure that the whole detoxification process will be significant on the road to drug addiction recovery.
Every drug detoxification process starts with an assessment. For heroin patients, they will be tested for the amount of drug in the body and the dependence of the brain to the drug. Along with this assessment will be a serious of counselling sessions that will uncover the reason behind the drug abuse.
Once the test results arrive, your doctor will determine the kind of detoxification treatment that is needed. It is imperative that a doctor crafts your detoxification plan as battling withdrawal symptoms is a serious issue given that these symptoms can also affect a person’s physical and mental stability.
When the detoxification process starts, your doctors and medical staff will keep a close eye on the withdrawal symptoms that the patient will experience. Keep in mind that heroin detoxification does not get rid of withdrawal symptoms. If the patient has used heroin excessively, then withdrawal symptoms will be a normal effect of stopping the heroin intake. Nonetheless, what detoxification offers is a more guided and healthier approach in flushing out heroin toxins in the body.
What to Expect During Heroin Detox
When done right and with the help of a medical professional, a heroin detox will fully remove all the remaining drugs and toxins inside the patient’s bloodstream. The whole process can last up to 10 days with some finishing the whole process in just 5 days. It is important to note, though, that the detoxification timeline depends on a person’s ability to flush out the drugs.
During the patient’s heroin detoxification process, they will be closely monitored for changes of behavior and actions. Medical staff will be watching if the patient gets cravings for heroin or for other drugs. They will also observe if the withdrawal symptoms are severe or not.
In cases when there are severe withdrawal symptoms, there will be a medical intervention to ensure that the patient is not in a lot of physical or mental pain. To make sure that the detoxification is carried out properly, most patients will be asked to stay inside the detoxification facility. This is also a good thing since the patient will not be tempted to take heroin again.
Overall, a heroin detox is going to be helpful for those who want to stop their heroin addiction. The supportive environment and the medical assistance will be important factors in making the whole process a success.