A recent estimate tells us that 700,000 Americans are suffering from heroin addiction. If you abuse this potent opiate and struggle to find the path forward, please don’t become a statistic. A heroin addiction treatment program can help you.
Though it is one part of the overall opioid epidemic that affects millions each year, heroin addiction has been around for generations. This substance is relatively accessible, and it has gone down in price over the last decades. Unfortunately, this makes it a go-to opiate for those who have lost access to prescription painkillers and others who seek to dull the pain of life. If you seek heroin addiction treatment, our heroin treatment program in Rehrersburg, PA, can help you. Reach out to Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge today to learn more and have your questions answered. Call 888.546.2579 or fill out our online form.
The Danger of Heroin Addiction
Once someone has begun using an opiate such as heroin, certain inexorable steps lead to addiction. These are not steps anyone chooses to take but lead naturally from one to the next. The progression goes from use to tolerance to dependence to addiction.
Tolerance is the first warning sign. If you need an increasingly higher dose to get the same high, your body becomes accustomed to heroin’s effects. If use continues, your body becomes dependent on the heroin. For your brain to feel pleasure or contentment, it needs neurotransmitters like dopamine. Heroin has turned off your body’s natural dopamine production. Your brain’s receptors now rely on heroin to introduce this and other feel-good chemicals into the body.
When you are dependent, there is no stopping the drug without withdrawal symptoms. That consequence only becomes worse the further you proceed into addiction. You’ll find you experience intense cravings between highs and acute withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking the drug. However, heroin also leads to other consequences, such as:
- Constant drug-seeking behavior
- Days planned and lived around heroin use
- Neglect of responsibilities
- Job censure, probation, and loss
- Shattered relationships
- Homelessness
- Criminal behavior (i.e., stealing to acquire heroin)
It’s vital to seek treatment for heroin addiction to avoid these consequences.
How to Find Help for Heroin Addiction
When you are ready to get help, or if you have a loved one you are assisting in finding treatment, you can call PAATC immediately at 888.546.2579. When you call, one of our compassionate staff members will walk you through the next steps. You can also make a list of some rehab treatment options you believe will be important to you. For example:
- Outpatient or inpatient
- Faith-based or secular
- Holistic offerings
- Dual diagnosis treatment options if you have a co-occurring mental health disorder like anxiety, depression, or PTSD
- Aftercare options for post-discharge
As you seek recommendations and look online, remember that you always want your heroin addiction treatment program to provide evidence-based care. This type of treatment relies on solid research regarding effectiveness.
Seek Treatment at Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge
Whether you live in Pennsylvania or elsewhere, there is a superb heroin addiction treatment facility in Rehrersburg, PA, that may be just right for you or your loved one. Pennsylvania Teen & Adult Challenge has been around for more than 60 years, treating addictions in adolescents and adults of all ages. Our treatment offerings include:
- Individual therapy with a trained counselor who specializes in addiction treatment
- Group therapy will be directed by a professional therapist
- Trauma-informed therapy to help clients process prior trauma and symptoms of PTSD
- Faith-based therapy for people who use their faith in God in recovery
- Dual diagnosis treatment for those dealing with co-occurring mental health disorders
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help with improving emotional regulation and redirecting unhealthy cognitive habits
- Dialectical behavior therapy for changing behavioral patterns
These treatments and more may be included in your individualized treatment plan at PAATC. Finding help for heroin addiction seems like a daunting task, but we are ready to ease the strain by supporting you along the way as you begin your journey of recovery. Reach out today online by filling out our easy contact us form, or call 888.546.2579.
