Benefits of Heroin Rehab Centers: Help for Heroin Addicts

Heroin rehab centers are facilities specifically designed to handle heroin addiction issues including heroin withdrawal and heroin recovery. Heroin rehab centers often provide the best chance at quitting heroin and a long-term heroin recovery due to the physical and psychological treatment available 24-hours a day.

Heroin rehab centers provide a safe and clean space away from all the people and places the addict associates with drug use. Being around specially-trained addiction treatment staff and other addicts in heroin recovery allows the addict to feel like part of a new, healthy, supportive community.

The best heroin addiction treatments involve acute withdrawal from heroin (detox) under medical supervision and then heroin treatment in a therapeutic community residential program lasting 3 - 6 months.¹ Some programs run for one year, although not all of that is residential.

Heroin Rehab Centers - What Help for Heroin Addicts is Offered?

There are different types of heroin rehab centers, but typically heroin rehab centers offer the following services:²

• Detoxification (detox) - Detox is the period immediately following the cessation of heroin. This is when withdrawal symptoms are at their worst. Detox is overseen by medical staff and help for heroin addicts may include medication during detox and longer withdrawal periods.
• Counseling - Counseling takes various forms in heroin rehabilitation. There is often one-on-one counseling, group counseling and support groups.
• Aftercare - Aftercare indicates supportive services available once the addict has completed heroin rehab. Heroin recovery aftercare can include continuing counseling, support groups and sober living facilities.

Heroin Rehab Centers - Types of Heroin Rehab

The two main types of heroin rehab are residential (or inpatient), or outpatient. Both types of heroin rehab are offered through heroin rehab centers, although they can also be offered through general drug rehab facilities or hospitals. Both types of heroin rehab can lead to successful heroin recovery when their program is closely followed by the heroin addict.

Types of heroin rehab:

• Residential (inpatient) - In residential heroin rehab, the addict lives at the heroin rehab center and care is offered 24-hours a day. Residential heroin rehab centers employ both doctors and addiction counselors to facilitate withdrawal management, counseling, and support. Residential heroin rehab centers may have hotel-like amenities and stays last from one month to one year.
• Outpatient - In outpatient heroin rehab, the addict spends days in the heroin rehab center but goes home each night. Schedules vary, and programs last for up to one year. Outpatient heroin rehab programs are best suited to those who have a safe and supportive home environment.

Heroin Rehab Centers - Tips for Successful Heroin Recovery

Heroin rehab centers have the benefit of offering staff specially trained in heroin addiction. The staff is there to help, but help for heroin addicts can only be successful if the addict commits to the process and works the program.

Tips for successful heroin recovery include:³

• Listen to the staff - being in a new place with new people means an adjustment period, but heroin rehab center staff are experts at helping make the transition smooth and successful.
• Commit to the process - heroin rehab isn't easy but being drug-free is worth the short-term sacrifices.
• Stay healthy - in addition to staying clean, getting healthy improves the odds of heroin recovery. Heroin addiction and heroin rehab are psychologically and physically very challenging, so eating right and exercising is important.
• Focus on today - as 12-step programs say, take it one day at a time. Heroin rehab is a process that can seem overwhelming when thinking a year or a lifetime in advance, but considering each day sober as a success makes heroin recovery much more achievable.

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