Heroin dependence is the most common form of addiction on a global scale. Heroin addiction is deadly and can cause several physiological and psychological disturbances. It is also vital to remember that heroin addiction has the most OD-related deaths among all other substances and alcohol. That is why when it comes to heroin addiction treatment, you need specialized care, medication, and comprehensive therapy to rid your system of harmful drugs.
When it comes to heroin addiction, the key thing to remember is that nothing is as addictive as it. Therefore, the physical and psychological dependencies are on a grander scale. With that comes severe withdrawal symptoms that will require medical intervention to overcome without losing sanity. Remember, severe withdrawal symptoms include slowing down blood pressure, heart rate, heart stoppage, and even brain stroke.
If you are a local, you should immediately start looking at methadone-based treatment in Kentucky for your heroin addiction treatment. In the following post, we have gone over the necessary details of methadone treatment for addiction and everything that you need to keep in mind before getting into rehab.
Understand the goals of methadone treatment
Methadone treatment and dosage have one goal only; it allows the individual to return to society, cured of addiction. Keep in mind methadone is not just a simple solution to a complicated issue like an addiction. While methadone will allow you to go through the withdrawal period without the symptoms, you will need therapy sessions, vocational counseling, educational assistance, and psychoanalysis to eliminate addiction. However, here is some good news for you – around 25 percent of individuals admitted to methadone treatment can resume regular life within three months.
Methadone – how it works?
Addiction works in odd ways. According to a study, around 80 percent of addicted individuals know and understand that addiction has severe effects on the human body. Yes, the grip of substance addiction is so strong that people are unable to stop using. That is why many individuals relapse even after a lengthy and challenging detox. This experience of struggle puts off people from the repeated efforts of going for drug de-addiction.
Methadone treatment, however, has more subtle symptoms as far as withdrawal is concerned. Methadone was synthesized as a painkiller to be used in emergency cases since the world became wiser about the ill-effects of morphine. In simple words, methadone is a synthetic opiate that blocks the receptors that are activated when you use heroin. This long-acting opioid will stay in the body for 56-72 hours and ease withdrawal symptoms when you stop using heroin.
Benefits of Methadone Use
Methadone treatment leads to stability, which is the most vital aspect of addiction therapy. For de-addiction, you need to address the root issues and not treat the symptoms. You need to understand that a simple cold-turkey approach to stay-off the drug won’t do any good in the long run. Ideally, you should be able to look for a job and concentrate on your life after securing release from the rehab. You will also need to maintain regular attendance for the post-recovery therapy sessions and the NA meetings.
Read on to know more about methadone treatment benefits.
Reduction in drug usage
As stated previously, there is nothing more important than going through the withdrawal safely and comfortably. This is where methadone plays a crucial role in maintaining the safety and sanctity of the recovering individual. Keep in mind that methadone is a regulated drug, and depending on your situation, you might need to keep using it for a long time. Therefore, you need to use methadone strictly under medical supervision.
Here are some more advantages.
- Greater success of treatment since continual drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms minimize
- Reduction in infectious disease rates which are on the rise due to injection-drug abuse viz. heroin
- Reduction in criminal activity since individuals do not need to resort to illegal means to “score”
- Improvement in the overall quality of life for individuals
- Higher chance of success for long-term recovery
- Improved social skills and functioning
- Improved participation in various therapy sessions and forms of addiction treatment
Last words
You need to keep in mind that methadone is just one among many medications under MAT or medical-assisted therapy for addiction issues. However, there has been a lot of research on methadone, and right now, it is one of the safest options out there for opioid addiction treatment. Methadone treatment works, and there are several success stories that you can find through a quick internet search. Additionally, you need to understand that you need professional help. Look for experienced and reputable Baltimore methadone clinics and check-in to get the best possible care. Rehabilitation centers are there to help and this is your one genuine chance at redemption. All the best!