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Heroin Addiction and Abuse Withdrawal Symptoms
What are the Withdrawal symptoms Associated with Heroin?
Withdrawal is a way of describing symptoms that are associated with long term use of a substance when a person decreases their use or stops all of a sudden. Heroin abuse and addiction causes physical and emotional symptoms and can be quite uncomfortable. The individual becomes restless and agitated, they experience discomfort and sometimes pain in their muscles and bones, they can't sleep, they may have diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and experience cold flashes. When a heroin user is going through withdrawal they also feel uncomfortable, hopeless, unhappy and depressed.
Depending on the duration of heroin use, intense cravings to repeat their use are also experienced during withdrawal. The urges to repeat heroin use are uncontrollable and can be quite intense.
How Long do Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms Last?
The symptoms can last for several days and be very uncomfortable but unfortunately the symptoms of hopelessness, unhappiness and depression can last for many weeks. When abusing heroin the user experiences euphoria and withdrawal symptoms react just the opposite causing deep depression sometimes. Withdrawal symptoms vary in intensity, the heavier and longer a person has abused heroin, the more intense their symptoms usually are. Because heroin abuse also affects a person's health, this can make a difference in how uncomfortable or serious withdrawal symptoms can be.
Is It Safe to go Through Detox and Withdrawal Symptoms on My Own or By Myself?
It's never a good idea to detox completely on your own from any substance if the individual has heavily used for any length of time. Heroin is a very powerful drug and the effects the drug has on a person can be serious. It's always medically and emotionally safer to seek medical advice and treatment from someone that's experienced in the field of addiction and detoxification.
Today there are excellent detox or substance abuse treatment centers that provide medically supervised detoxification and many provide their patients with medications to decrease these symptoms. Medications can be administered by qualified medical professionals to decrease heroin cravings and the physical withdrawal symptoms in a safe and monitored environment.
