Why is Heroin Abuse Rising?
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, it’s important to recognize heroin abuse signs and get help when possible. Centric Group offers dual diagnosis services for individuals struggling with signs of heroin use, mental health disorders, or other addictions.
Centric Behavioral Health Group offers top-rated addiction treatment centers designed for your needs.
What is Heroin?
Heroin is a drug derived from the poppy plant in South America. It is a highly addictive drug. It goes by many names and, while initially used as a medication, is considered highly illegal today. There are similar derivatives prescribed in the form of opioids, and addiction to prescription opioids has led to an increase in signs and symptoms of heroin use.
How is Heroin Used?
Heroin can be smoked, snorted, or injected. No matter how it is used, heroin reaches the brain very quickly. After using heroin just once or twice, you are at risk for severe addiction. Heroin provides an immediate rush of Good Feelings but then slows down after several hours. It blocks pain receptors and reduces your heart rate and breathing, which increases the risk of severe overdose.
Heroin is commonly used to contend with anxiety, fear, or stress. Studies indicate that seventy-five percent of people who show signs of heroin use have mental health disorders like depression or bipolar disorder.
Why is Heroin Abuse Rising?
There is an increased need to recognize signs of heroin use because the number of people abusing heroin has increased steadily over the last several years.
The biggest reason more people are looking for the signs and symptoms of heroin use is that there has been an increase in the number of prescriptions for opioid painkillers that are derived from natural and chemical processes similar to heroin. When individuals become dependent on prescriptions, they turn to alternative sources like illegal heroin.
As a result, opioid overdose deaths have risen over four hundred percent since 2010.
Short-Term Heroin Use Signs
Short-term signs of heroin use can be physical or psychological. Physical signs include:
- Euphoria
- Dry mouth
- Upset stomach
- Problems concentrating
- Itching
- Heavy feelings in extremities
- Moving in and out of drowsiness
You might also notice other heroin use signs like track marks if individuals are injecting heroin. If they aren’t, you might find different drug paraphernalia like spoons, lighters, and aluminum foil.
Additionally, heroin abuse signs can take the form of behavioral changes. It’s not uncommon for individuals to manifest physical symptoms and sudden and unexpected behavioral changes. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of heroin use include a change to personal hygiene, unexpected mood swings, changes to sleeping and eating patterns, and irritability.
Signs of heroin use might extend to lying, stealing, and running into financial problems when money intended for things like bills ends up being spent on more heroin.
Long-Term Heroin Abuse Signs
Long-term signs of heroin use are primarily physical signs. For example:
- The development of mental health disorders
- Liver and kidney disorders
- Skin infections
- Hepatitis
- Insomnia
- Heart infections
- Lung diseases
- Menstrual issues
- Collapsed veins
The longer someone struggles with signs of heroin use without treatment, the more likely they are to develop subsequent mental health disorders or addiction to additional drugs. It’s essential to get help as soon as you recognize early signs of heroin use.
Heroin Abuse Treatment
Treatment for heroin addiction starts with medication-assisted detox. After the initial detox, you can transition into inpatient or outpatient care to help you replace negative coping skills with positive alternatives. With medication-assisted treatment, you have to go to a licensed facility where you can receive FDA-approved medications to help reduce the severity of your withdrawal symptoms.
Centric Group provides detox services as well as varying inpatient and outpatient levels of care. If you have a supportive home environment and want short-term heroin rehab services, we can discuss our outpatient programs. If you need supervision around the clock, you can start treatment for inpatient heroin addiction.
If you are ready for help with heroin addiction, the Centric Group is here. We provide immersive heroin abuse treatment programs across the country. Our innovative addiction treatment services start with detox and transition you seamlessly into the level of care best suited to your needs. We also work with many major insurance providers, so you can reach out to our staff and verify your benefits today.
Call us at 844-233-8205 today to learn more.
