Whether you are a seasoned drug addict or are trying to stop using heroin for the first time, it’s important to understand the process of detoxing from opioids. This can help you make the right decision for your treatment.

Withdrawal symptoms can be debilitating and difficult to manage. This is why most people choose to go through a medical detox program.

Medical Detox

Medical detox is a process for ridding the body of toxins from drugs and alcohol. It is a crucial step in drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

A medically supervised detox prevents dangerous complications of withdrawal from drugs and alcohol. It can also ease the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms, making it more comfortable and easier to achieve sobriety.

In most cases, people who need to withdraw from opiates and heroin will need to do so under the care of a team of licensed medical professionals in a specialized detox facility. The team will monitor your health and help you through the withdrawal process, as well as transition into a treatment program for continued recovery.

Detox usually lasts about seven to ten days. The length of time depends on your physical and psychological health, the type of substance you’re trying to withdraw from and the amount of time you have been using. You may experience cravings, mood changes and physical side effects such as irritability, sweating and nausea.

Medications

There are many medications that can be used during Opiate and Heroin Detox to help with symptoms. These include naloxone, which helps reverse the effects of heroin, and buprenorphine, which reduces cravings for opiates.

Withdrawal from opioids is a painful process that can take days, weeks, or months to complete. It begins with mild head and body aches, low-grade anxiety, and restlessness. These symptoms progressively get worse and can include profuse sweating, chills, goosebumps, vomiting, diarrhea, and drug cravings.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is an effective, evidence-based approach to treating opioid addictions. It uses FDA-approved medication to support behavioral therapies and counseling.

For example, methadone is a long-acting opioid that has been shown to help decrease withdrawal symptoms and reduce the chance of relapse. However, methadone is a powerful opiate and should be monitored closely during detoxification to avoid an overdose. Buprenorphine, or Suboxone, is a partial agonist that blocks opiate receptors in the brain and helps to reduce cravings during treatment.

Counseling

Counseling is often the first step of treatment and it helps people learn new skills that can improve their well-being. These include coping strategies for dealing with stressful situations, emotion regulation, assertiveness and problem-solving.

Counselling is used to help with many different problems, including addictions. It is also useful for coping with life events, such as the loss of a loved one.

In the counseling process, a professional will assess you to see what your issues are and how they can be helped. They will then set a goal for you and guide you through the process.

There are different types of counseling available for people with opiate and heroin addiction. The most common type is medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, which combines medications with counseling and recovery support to help you stop using opioids.

Support

When an addict stops using heroin, opioids or other drugs, their body needs time to recover. This is a painful and debilitating process called withdrawal.

Withdrawal symptoms can begin just a few hours after the last dose of an opiate. They include intense cravings, body aches and flu-like symptoms.

They can be severe and even fatal if the person does not seek help. That’s why detox is so critical to anyone who has a substance use disorder and wants to stop abusing opiates or heroin.

A high-quality detox program will offer emotional support to reduce the impact of withdrawal and promote a positive sense of wellbeing during this difficult period. It may also involve complementary therapies like massage or restorative yoga to ease stress and encourage healthy behaviors.