Heroin is an opioid drug derived from morphine, a natural substance extracted from the seed pods of some poppy plants.

Heroin typically appears as a white or brown powder or as a black, sticky substance known as black tar heroin. Users inject, snort, or smoke heroin. Its use produces a rapid and intense high due to its effects on the brain’s opioid receptors.

Heroin is incredibly addictive, and treating it can be difficult. However, we at Liberty Home have experience in helping recover from addiction with effective treatment.

Heroin Addiction Treatment at Liberty Home

Liberty Home’s two facilities in South Africa offer world-class treatment options to help people overcome substance use, mental health disorders, and process addictions.

Primary Treatment

Our primary care facility, located in Cape Town, gives patients 24/7 care and support where they will receive intensive treatment. The facility is located in Marina da Gama, just a few minutes away from the beach and is patrolled by armed security, ensuring the safety of our patients.

It does not offer detox but does work closely with other institutions to refer patients who need to detox from heroin or other substances.

What to Expect in Heroin Rehab

Heroin treatment can seem daunting at first, but the process can be managed and help many people rebuild their lives after addiction. Here’s an overview of what heroin rehab looks like:

Inpatient rehab can be incredibly beneficial in treating heroin addiction. While in a residential treatment centre, a person who is addicted to heroin will be unable to engage in any form of drug use other than possibly taking medication administered by the care team.

While in a rehab facility, patients will be separated from their normal circumstances, sometimes by thousands of kilometres. This can give many people in recovery the space they need to reflect on their past drug abuse.

Inpatient treatment also gives those in recovery access to intensive, round-the-clock care and personalised treatment programmes to help them in their recovery from drug addiction.

Inpatient Rehab

CBT is a widely used form of treatment that is primarily focused on identifying and changing the patterns of thought that lead to behaviours such as using drugs like heroin. CBT is a highly adaptable form of treatment and can be used in treatment plants to address a variety of mental health disorders and addictions. CBT can also help those in recovery manage their drug cravings.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

DBT is an offshoot of CBT that focuses on helping patients manage strong emotions. It combines cognitive behavioural techniques with the concepts of mindfulness and acceptance. It focuses on four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Group therapy can be part of a person's treatment plan as it can significantly aid the recovery process. Many people who are in treatment for heroin addiction can often feel alone and isolated. Beyond withdrawing socially, many can feel as if the people around them do not truly understand what heroin abuse is really like, even if they take steps to educate themselves.

However, going to group therapy can offer someone a community of people who know what drug dependence is truly like and how hard it is to stop using heroin. This community can give many people who use heroin a source of encouragement and accountability.

Group Therapy

Family therapy can often be integrated into a person's treatment programme because addiction can usually strain relationships with loved ones. Family therapy can help repair some of the damage done throughout addiction, as well as help educate family members on the nature of addiction and how they can best support their loved one's treatment and rehab.

Family Therapy

What is Heroin Addiction?

Heroin addiction is a medical condition that is characterised primarily by the compulsive use of heroin. Someone who struggles with this condition, also known as Opioid Use Disorder, as heroin is a highly addictive opioid drug, will be unable to stop, reduce, or control their impulse to take heroin without outside intervention.

People who struggle with OUD may also face adverse effects as a result of their addiction but will continue to use heroin regardless. With the right substance abuse treatment, however, people can get off and stay off heroin.

Heroin Addiction Symptoms

Not everyone who takes heroin and other opioids becomes addicted to them. And now everyone who is addicted to opioids like heroin is aware of their addiction. But there are some signs of heroin addiction that a person can watch out for.

The most troubling sign of being addicted to heroin is tolerance, which is when a person’s body becomes more tolerant of the drug. When this happens, a person needs to use the drug in greater quantities to achieve the desired effects. However, this can greatly increase a person’s risk of overdosing.

The most obvious symptom, however, is craving heroin. People who are addicted to opioids such as heroin will crave it to the point where the drug may become the highest priority in their lives.

Another symptom of heroin addiction is that when a person does stop taking heroin, they go through withdrawal symptoms.

Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

Heroin withdrawal symptoms can be severe and affect both the body and mind. Individuals in heroin withdrawal often experience muscle aches, sweating, chills, and increased heart rate.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps are also common. As the body reacts to the drug’s absence, yawning, runny nose and watery eyes can also occur.

Withdrawing from heroin can also cause individuals to experience anxiety, irritability, and agitation. Many individuals in withdrawal can also have difficulty sleeping, which leads to fatigue and restlessness. Depression and a pervasive sense of unease or dysphoria are frequent, contributing to the overall distress.

Cravings for heroin are intense during withdrawal, making it difficult for individuals to focus on anything else.

These symptoms may vary in severity depending on the level of dependence and individual health.

Effects of Heroin Addiction

Heroin addiction has profound and devastating effects on user’s physical and mental health, as well as their finances, social life, and professional life. Chronic heroin use can result in severe health issues such as collapsed veins, heart infections, liver and kidney disease, and respiratory problems. Heroin users are also at increased risk of transmissible diseases such as HIV and hepatitis due to sharing needles.

Heroin use can often result in cognitive impairment, anxiety, depression, and intense cravings. Socially, addiction can lead to isolation, damaged relationships, neglect of responsibilities, and a decline in academic or professional performance. Some users may also experience financial distress as they spend all their resources on maintaining their drug habit.

Heroin addiction often results in a cycle of dependence, where the need for the drug outweighs all other considerations, leading to a significant decline in the quality of life and overall well-being.

Get Treatment for Heroin Use Today

Heroin addiction can have a long-lasting impact not just on the people who struggle with it but also on the people around them. But those effects, while durable, do not have to be permanent. It is possible to recover, given the proper treatment for heroin dependence. At Liberty Home, we make it our mission to give those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction the treatment that they need to live sober, healthy lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Liberty Home Clinic Offer Detox Services?

No, Liberty Home Clinic does not offer detox services. We work with institutions that provide medical detox.

What are the Conditions Treated Using DBT at Liberty Home Clinic?

DBT is used to treat substance use disorders, borderline personality disorder, self-harm and suicidal behaviours, PTSD, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.

What Types of Process Addictions are Treated at Liberty Home Clinic?

They treat gambling, shopping, gaming, sex, porn, internet, and social media addictions.

How Long Do Withdrawal Symptoms Last?

Heroin withdrawal symptoms typically last from a few days to a week. Acute symptoms peak around the third day, while physical discomfort generally subsides within a week.

However, psychological symptoms like anxiety, depression, and cravings can persist for several weeks or even months after the initial withdrawal period.

Why Are More People Using Heroin?

The increase in heroin use can be linked to the ongoing opioid epidemic. Many people are prescribed an opioid medication to manage pain. Opioids are highly addictive, so when a person’s prescription runs out, they turn to illegal substances to acquire the drugs they crave.