People from all walks of life use heroin every day. Contrary to popular belief, heroin users often maintain relatively normal lives. They may be students, parents, and working professionals. For loved ones, it’s important to know the signs of heroin use and when to get a loved one to help with a heroin addiction treatment program.
At Fort Behavioral Health, our inpatient and outpatient heroin addiction treatment programs provide a continuum of care with evidence-based and alternative therapy for addiction recovery and co-occurring disorders. Don’t let heroin stop you or a loved one from living healthy lives. Call us now at 844.332.1807 or contact us online to learn more about our treatment programs and get started today.
What Is Heroin?
Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid. Originally derived from the opium poppy, heroin is known for its euphoric effects and painkilling properties. In the 1800s, heroin was developed in medical labs as a painkiller but has been replaced by medications like OxyContin and other opioids. Heroin today is an illicit street drug. This means that heroin production is not monitored by the FDA, so it’s difficult to know how strong a dose is or what is really in a dose of illicit heroin. Unfortunately, today’s heroin is often laced with other drugs that make it more addictive and can increase the risk of overdose.
Like other opioids, heroin is highly addictive. It works by stopping pain receptors in the brain and can change a person’s brain. Like other opioids, the more heroin someone takes, the more heroin they will need for the same effect. This is called “drug tolerance.” It’s easy to quickly build up a heroin tolerance, which makes it very easy to overdose with higher doses.
What Are the Signs of Heroin Use?
People commonly smoke, snort, or inject heroin. The way someone takes heroin can affect visible symptoms. Smoking and snorting heroin can lead to a cough and runny nose. Injecting heroin will lead to visible track marks from the injection site. If someone in your life is suddenly wearing long sleeves in warm weather, they could be covering track marks.
Other physical signs of heroin use include:
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Sweating
- Itching
- Nodding off easily
- Nausea and vomiting
- Impaired speech
- Lack of coordination
- Flushed skin
- Increased sleeping
While physical signs of heroin use may not change much from person to person, emotional and cognitive changes may be more severe. If someone is living with a co-occurring disorder or unprocessed trauma, they will experience heightened emotional symptoms and can engage in reactionary behavior around others. While many young adults try heroin, addiction and regular use are most common among people over thirty.
Heroin Addiction Treatment at Fort Behavioral Health
If someone in your life is showing signs of heroin use, do not encourage them to quit cold turkey. Quitting opioids and opiates cold turkey can be dangerous. Instead, call the team at Fort Behavioral Health. With a range of addiction treatment programs, our state-of-the-art addiction treatment center helps the people in Fort Worth recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Our dual diagnosis treatment pairs clients with master clinicians for behavioral and alternative therapies.
Our therapies include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- 12-Step group therapy
- Somatic experiencing
- Motivational interviewing
- Trauma therapy
With men’s and women’s inpatient and outpatient recovery programs, we have a treatment plan that fits your needs and schedule. Don’t let heroin take over your life or the life of someone you love. Our team at Fort Behavioral Health is here for you. Call us now at 844.332.1807 or contact us online to learn how our heroin addiction treatment program can help you.
