Understanding Addiction to Support Recovery Stop Overdose

Follow-up care can include periodic appointments with your counselor, continuing in a self-help program or attending a regular group session. The confidential and anonymous resource for persons seeking treatment for mental and substance use disorders in the United States and its territories. Therapy also helps people recovering from heroin addiction recognize and understand their dysfunctional behaviors. It teaches them strategies to overcome difficult situations without resorting to drug use.

• During this process, the body experiences withdrawal symptoms from heroin that can be difficult to handle alone.
• After an inpatient or outpatient program, aftercare programs can offer additional recovery support services, such as job assistance, housing assistance, and case management.
• These therapies can be delivered in an inpatient or outpatient setting, but residential treatment is recommended after detox or the initiation of maintenance medication.

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Infants of mothers who use heroin may also be afflicted with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which means the baby experiences withdrawal symptoms upon delivery. MAT during pregnancy may also reduce the severity and length of the NAS, but infants still will likely need NAS treatment. While methadone and buprenorphine treatment is better than continuing to use heroin, it can result in a milder form of NAS for the fetus.

HHS announces Maternal Mental Health Task Force’s National Strategy, Report to Congress

Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. People who go to support group meetings, such as Narcotics Anonymous, Heroin Anonymous or other recovery groups, tend to have more heroin addiction treatment success than people who don’t access support resources. Maen Chuol, 24, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on April 24, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

Drugs & Supplements

As with any medication, consult your doctor before discontinuing use. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is available in most heroin rehab programs (more on these later). MAT uses medication to treat heroin withdrawal, overdose, and cravings. Detoxification is the first step in any heroin addiction recovery treatment program. The goal of heroin detox is to help the person rid the drug from their system. Switching some therapy time with “screen time” has shown positive results according to two different studies.

Many behavioral therapies exist, but the National Institute for Drug Abuse only suggests two for heroin addiction (explained below). In a majority of cases when pregnant women use heroin during pregnancy, their fetus is at risk of fetal death, intrauterine growth retardation, and prematurity. One of the best ways to prevent these complications is for the mother to seek medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for heroin addiction as soon as possible. Although more data is available for methadone, the National Institute on Drug Abuse tested buprenorphine and determined it to also be safe for the mother and child.

Inpatient Rehab

People who have co-occurring disorders can benefit most from a dual diagnosis rehab program. Heroin addiction can be treated in an inpatient, residential, or outpatient rehabilitation program. Becoming addicted to heroin doesn’t mean someone will be addicted to heroin the rest of their life. With treatment, achieving recovery from heroin addiction is possible.

• While relapse is a normal part of recovery, for some drugs, it can be very dangerous—even deadly.
• MAT includes prescribed medications as well as support services like therapy.
• Contact SAMHSA’s regional OTP Compliance Officers to determine if an OTP is qualified to provide treatment for substance use disorders.
• Learn more about substance misuse and how it relates to HIV, AIDS, and Viral Hepatitis.
• Dr. Kevin Wandler of Advanced Recovery Systems talks about types of medication-assisted therapies for opioid addiction.

For people with addictions to drugs like stimulants or cannabis, no medications are currently available to assist in treatment, so treatment consists of behavioral therapies. Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems. Although there’s no cure for drug addiction, treatment options can help you overcome an addiction and stay drug-free. Your treatment depends on the drug used and any related medical or mental health disorders you may have. Your medical team can help you find the treatment plan that works best for you.

Developing and Alternative Treatments for Heroin Addiction

An important task is to match the best treatment approach to meet the particular needs of the patient. Rates of use for methadone, another effective treatment, were generally even lower. Because opioid and heroin addiction is so prevalent and dangerous, the FDA has approved many types of medications to help with heroin detox and rehab therapy.