Heroin addiction is sometimes viewed as a life sentence when it isn’t. Patients feel like they’ve lost their lives to the addiction, the pain and all attached to it. However, the good news is there are tips to beat heroin addiction.

As of 2017, about 115 thousand people lost their lives to opioid overdose.  On the flip side, there’s a higher chance of being sober when you undergo medical treatment.

One tip to beat heroin addiction is to be ready for the challenges that come with quitting. Often, patients relapse because they want to escape the pain. Also, have a good support system as they will motivate you to keep going.

If you or your loved one needs heroin addiction help, this article is for you. Here we discuss ways to stop heroin addiction. Let’s start with the effects of heroin on the average person. person.

Effects of Heroin on a Person

The major part of the human body that heroin damages is the brain. Once the brain is affected, it goes on to wreck even severe damages on other body parts. Also, if you don’t seek medical attention early, these damages in the body can lead to disabilities or become irreversible.

When heroin enters the brain, it binds to opioid receptor molecules on the brain cells. You can see these opioid receptors in various parts of the brain.

The parts where you find opioid receptors in the brain include the pain and pleasure receptors. Also, you find these receptors at the part of the brain that controls respiration. So, unfortunately, regular intake of heroin affects the brain and how it functions.

While the benefits of taking heroin are temporary, the effects can be adverse and long-lasting. Benefits such as a sense of feeling “high” are short-lived as the effects outweigh the benefits.

One tip to beat heroin addiction is to know how badly it negatively affects the human body. Below are some negative effects of heroin addiction on a person.

Short term effects

The primary short-term effect of heroin includes a rush of good feeling and muddled thinking. These effects last for a couple of hours while people feel drowsy. There is a decrease in heart rates and breathing rates as well.

Once the drug wears off, a sudden feeling of depression sets in. The depression makes them crave for the drug to feel good, automatically leading to heroin addiction. The following are other short-term effects of heroin.

• Dryness of the mouth
• Heavy arms and legs
• Nausea and vomiting
• Clouded thought process
• The fluctuation between consciousness and unconsciousness
• Dangerous behaviours

Long-term effects

Unlike the short-term effects of heroin on a person that lasts for a few hours, long-term effects can last longer. Durations ranging from months to years or even throughout a person’s lifetime are not new.

These effects can cause irreversible damage to the person’s well-being and mar the person for life. Below are some long-term effects of heroin.

• Insomnia
• Nose tissue damages
• Liver and Kidney damages
• Lung problems
• Changes in menstrual cycles (for females)
• Sexual problems for (males)
• Mental problems

Related Article: Heroin Addiction and Abuse in Canada

10 Tips to Beat Heroin addiction

Beating addiction comes from a place of self realization, genuine reason to change, determination, and commitment to change. So look inward and be true to yourself. Do you want to beat heroin addiction? Are you willing to stay true to the process?

Overcoming heroin addiction can be quite challenging, especially with withdrawal symptoms and their severity. When a person stops the intake of heroin, such a person experiences a range of withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms are usually very unpleasant, and their severity varies depending on the level of addiction.

Furthermore, a person of a younger age may experience mild withdrawal symptoms. However, it’s always very critical for older people, especially those with compromised immune systems. These withdrawal symptoms start surfacing between 6 to 8 hours after the last usage.

48 to 72 hours after the last usage of heroin is when the acute phase of the withdrawal symptoms sets. These withdrawal symptoms range from appetite loss and unbearable muscle spasms to tremors and severe anxiety.

Below are useful tips to beat heroin addiction.

Surround yourself with a strong support system

You should change your circle of friends and people around you if they’re contributing to your addiction.  People you surround yourself with have a major role to play in how well you beat addiction.

Surround yourself with encouraging and supporting family members and friends. While it may be very difficult to break off from toxic relationships, it’s important.

Exercise

The role exercises play in every aspect of human health can’t be overemphasized. Exercising has huge benefits on the body and is important in how to overcome heroin addiction.

You’ll get a “natural high” from endorphins as your health (physical) improves, which simultaneously improves your mood. Furthermore, having a functional exercise routine helps to structure your day, which as a result, helps to avoid relapsing.

Eat well

Another tip to beat heroin addiction is eating healthy meals. Eating healthy and consistently will keep you in good condition. Doctors often advise patients to stay away from sugary drinks or unhealthy food.

Furthermore, the food you consume has a significant influence on your health. For instance, if you eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet, your body will stay in shape. Also, you’re in a good mood, and you’re less inclined to turn to medications to lift your spirits.

Confide in someone

You may need a trusted person to confide in about your recovery from time to time. It’s priceless to share your ideas with someone who can relate to your situation. Such a person can help you get through the tough moments of withdrawal. Then, when things get bad, find a therapy group, phone a trusted family or companion.

Seek professional assistance from medical personnel

Recovery from heroin addiction is difficult. Also, there’s no embarrassment in seeking further assistance from a medical professional if necessary.

With a well-structured program, health professionals and therapists can help you beat heroin addiction. In addition, this program can help you avoid relapse and stay sober.

Furthermore, it can be emotionally tasking to have a loved one battling heroin addiction. You may want to be of help but not know how to go about it. Also, in a way, you may be enabling such a person.

Here are five tips you can help your loved one to beat heroin addiction

Be educated about heroin addiction

As a family or friend to an addict, great responsibility lies on you. Take the time to study more about heroin addiction’s nature and behaviour.

Addiction is much more than abusing illegal or drug substances. It is a type of behaviour that results in underlying emotional problems, chemical imbalance, or other diseases.

These problems cause such a person to act in certain ways or result in self-medication. People that engage in such behaviours might get addicted to almost anything in an unhealthy way.

Furthermore, when a person is addicted, disorders such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder are present. Therefore, heroin addiction is more about maintaining homeostasis than feeling “high.”

The perceived benefits of heroin that initially drew them intend to wane over time. However, the urge and impulse persist. Addiction treatment programs, such as drug rehab,  address the root causes of addictive behaviour. Drug rehabilitation is an effective tool for bringing about good improvements.

Offer support but do not facilitate it

Facilitating a family member’s addiction comes in various ways. Some of which you may not know is facilitating, but they are. Therefore, it’s critical to understand these behaviours and activities. Facilitating behaviours can keep your heroin-addicted loved one in this harmful state.

Habits that can facilitate heroin addiction include:

• Allowing an addicted family member to live in your house  and abuse substances
• Engaging in these activities
• Making excuses for the individual
• Buying heroin
• Paying house rent for the individual
• Paying the individual’s bills

It may appear harsh to deprive someone you care about of basic care or love. Instead, understand your facilitating behaviour and take steps to quit it. Quitting these activities can aid in the recovery of your loved one.

Understanding that now is not the time for blaming is just as crucial as recognizing supportive conduct. It is now or never to take action. Your loved one may give you a variety of reasons for asking for money. Regrettably, all roads lead to financial support for drug misuse.

Set boundaries and stay true to them

Setting boundaries can be quite difficult, especially if it’s for someone you love. You don’t want to see them go through the pains and travails of withdrawal symptoms. Also, you need to know that how to beat heroin addiction isn’t by pampering the addict.

You have to decide that you are no longer taking part in your loved one’s heroin addiction. This means that you frown at anything that enables the usage of the drug.

Make them understand that you love them, and you have to set boundaries for their good.

One of the most difficult things to do is to get to that stage. It’s just as difficult to enforce such restrictions. First, be sure your limits are reasonable.

Is it true that you’re serious about them? Are you truly committed to sticking to any boundaries you establish? It’s also crucial to understand why you’re establishing boundaries. Setting a barrier to protect you and your family is a good motivation.

Having boundaries is better than trying to influence the behaviour of an addicted family member. Know that whatever limit you set, your loved one may react differently to it. However, standing by these boundaries can be quite emotional, but it’s needed.

Encourage them to seek assistance

Encouragement is a very powerful tool when helping a family member beat heroin addiction. However, you may wonder how you can balance love and support yet establish boundaries. You can only offer love and empathy when healthy boundaries are established, and you prioritize yourself.

Ensure that you do not let that individual hurt you in the process. Your safety is important.

Once you establish boundaries, you can take a more objective perspective to the problem. Encouraging them to get treatment from medical professionals can stop heroin addiction.

Be involved in the recovery process

Everyone must help an addict beat heroin addiction. If such a person has decided to change, you have to help them in their recovery process.  As friends or family members, you should take the necessary steps to help them.

Lack of support from family members can slow down their recovery process. Addicts need all the strength they can get. Getting involved may be all the strength they need. The use of a family program and therapy can help to speed up the healing process.

Addiction is frequently rooted in family problems and behaviours. It’s difficult for an addict to break the pattern if their family is still in chaos. Be involved in their recovery process by resolving all family issues that might be the cause.

Furthermore, helping yourself is as important as helping out a loved one who’s addicted to heroin. One tip to get rid of heroin addiction involves you as a relative seeking help.

The effects of a loved one being addicted to heroin can negatively affect your work and mental health. Therefore, family members need to enrol in a family therapy program.

After the patient’s completion of heroin addiction treatment, family members can keep attending family therapy. Family members need therapy to recover fully from behaviours and emotions surrounding the heroin addiction.

Related Article: What Is The Cost Of Heroin Addiction Rehab In Edmonton?

To Wrap It Up

The tips to beat heroin addiction aren’t solely for the addict. Family members need to realize they have a role to play in the recovery process. While addicts can do themselves a world of good by changing some habits, it isn’t enough. Patients need to fish out friends that influence their addiction and steer clear of them.

Conclusively, the steps to beat heroin addiction begins with the addict. They stand to lose a lot if they don’t treat their heroin addiction. Thankfully, there are proven tips to beat heroin addiction that works. This article is replete with those tips.

One of the tips to beat heroin addiction involves enrolling in an addiction treatment facility. At Inspire Change Wellness Centre, we provide patients with all they need to recover from heroin addiction and be the best in life. Contact us today to discuss treatment options with an expert!