The Struggle of Heroin Addicts Renaissance Ranch Outpatient 9160 South 300 West, Suite 13 Sandy Utah 84070 801.572.4325
Heroin abuse, like all addictions is difficult to stop, and can be treated with both behavioral and pharmacological treatments. Just in 2012, there is said to be 669, 000 Americans who are reported heroin drug users, and the number has been on the rise since 2007. The Effects of Heroin Heroin is an opioid—a drug that closely resembles morphine, lessens pain and heightens pleasure, physically and emotionally. Constant tampering with the brain’s function with drug use can permanently damage its function, and only through the aforementioned methods can normalcy be ushered back to the brain’s processes and function. The drug causes deterioration to the brain’s white matter, and may affect decision-making abilities, behavior control, and stress response. Once the body has tolerated the consumption of the drug, it becomes dependent on it, and lack of its intake can show signs of withdrawal.
Why it is Hard for Heroin Addicts As hard as it is to deal with the addiction, treatment is not widely available to everyone. Moreover, facilities that do require money, something most addicts don’t have enough of. With the effects of heroin to the behavior, self-admittance and voluntary desire of getting better is not easy to achieve.
Nobody Understands The lack of empathy and people to turn to has made it harder for addicts to feel accepted, because it feels difficult to reach out and ask for help—all because of unawareness, an issue that needs to be addressed for heroin addicts to get the help they need. Cheaper Drugs When the treatment costs more than the drug the user would choose to stay dependent on the drug that will cost less money and is easily accessible. This truth is alarming and disturbing. Moral or Medical Most times, the addiction is treated as a moral failure and overlooked as a medical problem. This makes addicts feel as though they are the problem.
Treatment Methods For some addicts, it is important to feel like they are not prisoners to the rehabilitation center. With new treatment methods, treatment to addictions can now be done as an outpatient, which means there is no need to conform to a special schedule or meeting, and patients can easily incorporate the changes in their daily routine. This option is also for people who work best and thrive on their own, as the treatment is solely focused on an individual and nobody else. RESOURCES: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-treatmentsheroin-addiction http://www.renaissanceoutpatient.com/ http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/03/8_questions_about_heroin_add ic.html