Is Inpatient Heroin Rehab Right for Me?

Many people have to consider what type of treatment facility to attend when they need professional help to fight their heroin addictions. If you are trying to choose a facility, you may have wondered if inpatient heroin rehab is right for you. Consider the possible advantages and disadvantages of inpatient treatment for heroin addiction along with your personal treatment needs, and you can discover whether or not this particular treatment will be effective for you.

Severe Addiction to Heroin

Those who are severely addicted to heroin, experience intense cravings for the drug, abuse it every day, and/or have been doing so for many years should absolutely consider inpatient heroin rehab. This type of treatment would be especially beneficial to you if your addiction to the drug is severe, as it

Provides a controlled environment where you will not be triggered or tempted to abuse heroin the way you might if you are only visiting an outpatient facility
Includes 24-hour surveillance and care which can be necessary for the recovery of someone who is extremely addicted to heroin
Allows patients to interact just with other patients and doctors, counselors, and nurses, all of whom want to help the patient recover to the best of their ability
Often has more treatment options available to patients who especially need them

Residential heroin addiction treatment may be just what you need to step back and focus on your recovery.

If you feel that you might need these treatment aspects in order to help you with your severe addiction to heroin, inpatient treatment could be very beneficial to your needs. According to the NIDA, one of the most common long-term inpatient treatment models is the therapeutic community model which lasts from six months to a year. “Treatment is highly structured and can be confrontational at times, with activities designed to help residents examine damaging beliefs, self-concepts, and destructive patterns of behavior.”

Co-Occurring Disorders

Many heroin addicts experience other, co-occurring mental disorders in addition to their heroin addictions. For these individuals, being treated in an inpatient rehab center is more beneficial, even necessary in some cases. While outpatient centers often do not have the ability to treat co-occurring mental disorders in addition to addiction, inpatient facilities often provide treatment for both at once. They also keep patients out of the stressful situations they experience in their daily lives which helps them focus better on their recoveries.

In addition, many individuals experience painful, dangerous, or even life-threatening side effects as a result of their heroin abuse, and inpatient rehab programs often have the necessary equipment to treat them. As stated by the NIDA, “Heroin abuse is associated with a number of serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, and infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV.” If you are experiencing one of these physical issues, inpatient treatment can provide you with the help you need.

Other issues that co-occur with heroin abuse are:

Abscesses
Pulmonary problems
Heart lining and valve infections
Collapsed veins
Kidney disease
Clogged blood vessels
Gastrointestinal problems

No Social Support System

Some individuals are lucky to have friends and family members supporting their choice to stop abusing heroin. These individuals can receive visits from loved ones during a difficult time and can even stay with family and friends while they are going through withdrawal, addiction treatment, etc. But if you do not have a strong support system, it can be much harder to cope with the effects of heroin addiction and recovery.

As stated by a study from the NCBI, “Patients with… a poor social support system are predicted to have a better outcome in inpatient treatment.” This is because it can be very hard for a patient who does not have the support of others to go through addiction treatment and recovery alone. Often, an individual like this will get down, to the point where they will want to quit treatment. If no one is there to talk to them and help them, they may relapse and even overdose.

If you do not have the kind of support system that you can count on, you may be able to find it in inpatient rehab. Heroin addictions are hard to fight, but it is easier in a place where you cannot readily obtain the drug. And, because in an inpatient rehab facility you are surrounded by people who want to see you get better, you can make an effective social support system out of the individuals there. In fact, that is exactly what a therapeutic community model is all about.