Recovering from an addiction can be a scary thing. There are so many unknowns that an addict has to look in the eye and overcome. That’s why it’s so important to get good information about addiction recovery into the hands of addicts.
It might make the process of deciding to get clean a little easier.
Heroin recovery can be particularly daunting. It’s a notoriously difficult drug to bounce back from, but with the right team of qualified caregivers even lifelong users can transition into sobriety safely.
If you or your loved one is thinking about trying to get sober, keep reading to find out what you can expect from heroin recovery.
Inpatient Heroin Treatment
When they enter inpatient therapy for heroin addiction, they are getting rid of any external factors, like a poor environment or friends who also use, from the equation. The best hope that an addict has of recovery is going to inpatient rehab.
The prospect of going to an inpatient treatment facility can be intimidating to many addicts. There’s a lot of unknown there, and it’s a big leap to go from living life as a heroin addict versus being in treatment.
To take away some of this fear and apprehension, we’re going to take a look at what a day in rehab looks like in the average facility.
A Day in Rehab
Most places will require that you wake up early to eat breakfast and attend an early meeting or class. You’ll be given a healthy breakfast that’s packed full of nutrients that will help your body heal and recover. Each day in rehab should start on a healthy foot.
Many places offer relaxing classes to kickstart the day. Think yoga or meditation or other activities that you can continue after rehab is over to live a healthy life.
After your healthy morning, many places have group sessions. Group sessions are large conversations that a therapist or counselor leads. During group sessions, people talk about things like the 12-steps and other various aspects of addiction.
To understand the root of addiction, you have to understand the things in your life that led you to make the choices that you made to get to where you are. And while one on one therapy sessions are great for digging deep in this way, group sessions offer a unique way for you to talk to other people in similar situations and learn from them as well.
In the afternoon, your more intense therapy will start. You’ll get a healthy lunch and then get started on your one on one therapy for the day.
Several different therapies can be very helpful for heroin recovery. A few to keep in mind are:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Group therapy
- Anger management
- Stress management
- Grief counseling
- Family therapy
Many rehab centers also offer changes to listen to guest speakers and participate in art and music therapy, dance therapy, and exercise therapy!
After your daily therapy sessions, you might have some free time on your hands. Most rehabs will have things for you to do like watching TV, playing basketball, or reading from their library selection. If you can, try to pick up a hobby that can keep you busy after rehab is over.
In the evening, you’ll eat dinner and attend a 12-step program meeting. These meetings are great for connecting with your fellow addicts and achieving sobriety in the long term.
From there, you’ll head to bed for lights out and start the whole thing over again.
Medications to Ease Heroin Recovery
Buprenorphine is a medication that acts the way heroin does by stimulating the opioid receptors in the brain. It can help reduce cravings and symptoms of withdrawal and can even help people with chronic pain issues. However, there is still a risk of withdrawal and overdose with this medication.
Methadone is a popular choice for many addicts who want to get clean. It’s stronger than buprenorphine and because of this, it can be just as addictive as heroin. However, when used as prescribed it can be a great way for addicts to get and stay clean.
Those are the day to day things you can expect from heroin recovery. However, the part of recovery that many addicts fear is the withdrawal. Withdrawl from heroin addiction can be painful and even dangerous if not handled the right way.
That’s why there are medications designed to help wean addicts off of heroin without the dangerous side effects.
Treatment After Rehab
After rehab, you must continue to seek medical care for your addiction. Staying in contact with a doctor and seeing a therapist regularly can be the difference between recovery and relapse.
It’s also important that you continue to attend meetings. You can’t leave rehab and go back into your old environment and expect things to change. You often have to overhaul your whole life to get clean.
Preventing Heroin Relapse
Relapse is a part of the recovery process. However, you should make every effort to prevent relapse if you can.
This means you will have to cut out your friends who use heroin, change the places you hang out, and learn a whole new way of life.
Make a list of people who you can call if you feel tempted to use. Make sure that you give these people a call if you have to, use them as a lifeline to staying on the path to recovery.
The Struggle is Worth It: Get Help Today
Heroin recovery isn’t easy but it’s worth it. Not only will you be free of a dangerous and expensive addiction, but you will be able to regain control of your life. All the struggle will be worth it when you can face any obstacle without the need to use.
If you or your loved one suffers from addiction, contact us today for information about how to recover for good.