Are you fed up with how heroin is impacting your life and thinking of quitting cold-turkey? It’s great that you’ve reached this place where you’re ready to quit. But there are some risks of quitting cold-turkey you need to know before you start that process.
Why is quitting a substance like heroin abruptly so dangerous? Contact Viewpoint Dual Recovery and find out what you need to know about heroin addiction treatment.
Heroin Dependence & Mental Health
Regardless of how you use it, heroin changes the structure of your brain. Opioids like heroin affect the brain’s survival centers, causing people to feel that heroin is necessary for their survival. As a result, you may have gotten to a point where you only feel like you can function “normally” when you use it. The brain thinks this is the new normal and does the best it can to “make good out of a bad situation.”
So what you have now is a brain that only knows how to function with heroin. But take the heroin away suddenly. Then the brain won’t know what to do.
That’s what causes all of the horrible heroin withdrawal symptoms. It’s like you just turned the lights off on your brain. It’s stumbling around, trying to find the light switch.
That stumbling leads to all the bizarre withdrawal symptoms and the risks of quitting cold-turkey.
What’s Heroin Withdrawal Like?
Heroin withdrawal is particularly nasty. You can expect several of the following:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Very achy bones
- Severe cramping
- Diarrhea and dehydration
- Running nose and tears
- Tremors
- Agitation
- Extreme anxiety
- Significant cravings that are hard to deny alone
Why Is Heroin Withdrawal Dangerous?
First, the amount of time you’ve been using, and how much, impact how bad these symptoms are for you. These symptoms can become more than a person can handle on their own.
Second, that last symptom (cravings) is particularly a bad risk of quitting cold-turkey because you might be able to suffer through all of this for a day or more. But if those cravings overtake you, you find yourself back as square one, having to go through it all over again.
Third, a dual diagnosis mental health disorders like bipolar, schizoaffective disorder, or trauma can make the experience even worse. You may experience a breakdown of the body and/or mind and end up needing emergency treatment to survive the ordeal.
Heroin detox in a specialized heroin addiction treatment center is a safer way to detox.
Supervised Heroin Detox: A Safer Way
After an assessment by a mental health and addictions professional, heroin detox is a first step toward starting a heroin addiction treatment program. In supervised detox, you’ll get the clinical supervision and support you need to reduce the risks of quitting cold-turkey. These centers can manage any mental health conditions you may have in addition to withdrawal to ensure a safer and smoother detox process.
When an addiction and mental health condition co-exist, this is called dual diagnosis and always requires personalized consideration and support.
After detox, you can enter a heroin addiction treatment program where you’ll learn how to manage your dual diagnosis effectively to prevent relapse and live a more fulfilling and healthy life in recovery.
How Viewpoint Dual Recovery Center Can Help
Viewpoint Dual Recovery Center specializes in helping clients for which the risks of quitting cold-turkey are incredibly high. That’s those with dual diagnoses. Our on-staff Psychologist assesses your unique needs and develops a personalized plan to support your dual recovery.
We offer a full range of treatment options, such as:
- Partial hospitalization program
- Intensive outpatient program
- Outpatient treatment program
- Aftercare / Continued Care Program
If you’re ready to quit, consider the risks of stopping abruptly and call us at 855.746.3633 to discuss as a safer way to detox.
