Heroin Fact and Fiction

The fictions that surround heroin addiction and heroin addiction treatment are often made up and perpetuated by heroin addicts who want reasons to avoid treatment and continue using.

It’s unfortunate that these heroin addiction myths exist, but when you take the time to discover the facts, you can get the help you need to break free from heroin addiction – or help someone you care about enroll in heroin addiction rehab.

If you would like assistance in finding the right heroin addiction treatment type that can provide you with detox and psychotherapeutic services, contact us at the phone number listed above.

Fiction: No One Really Uses Heroin Anymore

False. Unlike marijuana and prescription drugs, heroin is not often used by teenagers so perhaps it was this fact that spawned this heroin addiction myth. In fact, in the United States, the average age for first-time use is 24. After years of abusing other drugs and alcohol, many Americans “work their way up” to heroin abuse. It is estimated that about half a million Americans live with heroin addiction and a little more than half of them actively seek treatment each year. It is estimated that just under four million Americans have used heroin in their lives; people are certainly still using this deadly drug. Check out our heroin addiction statistics page for more information.

Interesting Infographics:

Fact: Heroin Detox Is Effective

There are multiple types of heroin detox and each one of them provides an effective and safe way to exit heroin addiction. Monitored by medical professionals in all cases, you may choose between a long-term medicated outpatient drug rehab detox and a short-term cold turkey heroin detox done in an inpatient facility. Both ensure your health and safety in the event of complications and provide you with guidance and support from caseworkers and/or therapists. They also guarantee that your physical addiction to the drug will be broken if you follow the treatment protocol as recommended by the doctor.

Medications are available on an outpatient or inpatient basis – methadone and Suboxone – that can provide patients with fewer and less intense withdrawal symptoms. Depending upon the dose of heroin you are taking when you quit, one type of medication will be more appropriate. Consult with your doctor and get your questions and concerns addressed before you begin.

Fiction: Heroin Addicts Always Relapse, Even After Treatment

Not true. There is a high recidivism rate (or rate of relapse) among heroin addicts even after treatment, but a slip doesn’t necessarily constitute a return to a full-blown heroin addiction. Some find that it takes a few trips to heroin rehab to build a sustainable base in recovery, but many find success after a single stay in treatment. Everyone is different and will heal more or less quickly according to a variety of factors, but thousands of heroin addicts have found the healing help they need at heroin rehab.

Fact: Heroin Can Be Addictive After a Single Use

Most heroin addicts report that they developed a physical dependence upon the drug after a few days of regular use. Many of them say, however, that their psychological craving for the drug happened after the first use. Depending on the other types of drugs and alcohol you use, your genetic predisposition for the development of addiction and the presence (or absence) of other psychological issues, it is possible to develop a heroin addiction that requires treatment after a very short period of time.

Fiction: Heroin Addiction “Preserves” Its Users

Not true. There is a rampant myth that heroin addiction in some way protects its users from chronic illness and aging. In fact, heroin addiction can cause bacterial infections, heart lining and heart valve infections, arthritis, collapsed veins, poor circulation, liver and kidney diseases, and lung ailments like tuberculosis and pneumonia. It absolutely does not keep you young or protect you from colds, the flu or any other disease. In fact, heroin addicts are more likely to contract diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C.

Fiction: Withdrawal Symptoms Can Be Avoided Through Rapid Detox

No. There is no magic surgery, potion or bullet that will help you avoid heroin detox withdrawal symptoms if you are addicted to heroin. Blood transfusions or surgeries that profess to break you of your physical dependence upon heroin overnight are dangerous. Books, subscription programs or supplements said to help you treat heroin addiction at home are nothing more than a scam. The only way that you can break free from heroin addiction safely and effectively is to enroll in a heroin detox and addiction treatment program that stays with you from start to finish and gives you the time you need to stop using heroin at your own pace.