Heroin Addiction Treatment - California Rehab Center

 Without fail, the young man or woman who find their way to our rehab centers and are addicted to heroin graduated to using the drug from more "harmless" substances like marijuana and (especially recently) OxyContin, Vicodin, or other prescription medications.  Heroin addiction puts the user in a dangerous situation with every use. Not only can heroin be fatal at any given time,  the consequences of heroin abuse range far beyond the individual user. Potential negative consequences of heroin abuse include HIV/AIDS, crime and violence, tuberculosis, fetal effects, and disruptions in family, workplace and educational environments.

Heroin abuse has seen an upward trend in the past several years. its prevalence is even higher than in the early 1990s. According to a recent National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (which may actually underestimate illicit heroin use) an estimated 2.4 million people had used heroin at some time in their lives. Heroin is very often cited as the primary drug of choice in drug abuse treatment admissions throughout our rehab facilities.

This widespread abuse of heroin, even in school-age youth, combined with its glamorization in music and films, its increased purity and decreased prices, points out how important it is to understand this drug - and the destruction it brings.

Put simply, heroin is an illega drug that is highly (and rapidly) addictive drug that is processed from morphine. Morphine is a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as a black sticky substance known on the streets as "black tar heroin." Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is "cut" with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine.

Contributing to the danger is the fact that heroin abusers don't always know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents. Drug dealers, for example, often cut street heroin with strychnine or other poisons, putting abusers at risk of overdose or death. Fortunately, the availability of professional treatment to manage heroin addiction - and the development of new treatments provide hope for individuals who suffer from addiction and for those around them.

Special Treatment Programs for the Heroin Addict

Sober Living by the Sea has found that heroin addicted individuals (coming in to our facility at an increasingly young age) have special needs that we address by creating a customized recovery program.  Some components that are included:

Relapse Prevention Education. Users of heroin and opiates are at a very high risk of relapse and so they will benefit from intensive workshops educating them about triggers for relapse and giving them tools to overcome cravings to relapse.

Fun and Enjoyable Rehab Activities

Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship

Suboxone Supported Detox and Early Recovery