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Holistic Addiction Treatment for Heroin Use, Abuse and Addiction
In our Western society, we subscribe to quick fixes. Take a pill to make it better. Have a surgery to cut it out. No wonder our lust for instant gratification leads many to opiate use and dependence. For heroin abuse, there is no quick fix.
Treatment must be ongoing, varied and should rely on a holistic approach to treat heroin use, abuse and addiction.
What Does Holistic Mean?
Merriam-Webster defines the term holistic as "relating to or concerned with complete systems rather than individual parts". With heroin, the only way to effectively treat this powerful addiction is with a holistic approach.
Heroin affects a person's mental, physical and emotional/spiritual condition. It only makes sense to treat every facet of this deeply seated illness to achieve success in recovery.
Mental Therapy
People who are addicted to opiates suffer from significant changes in their brain after being on the chemical for even a relatively short time. These changes lead to rampant thoughts about how to get more and more of the drug. Cognitive therapy is necessary to combat the mental obsession driving most addicts.
Physical Therapy
Because of the brain changes and the way opiates alter brain chemistry, medical treatment may be necessary to aid an addict in detoxing from heroin. Prescription medications such as methadone therapy may help lesson withdrawal symptoms. However, some opt for alternative therapies in conjunction.
Some holistic therapies to treat physical withdrawal may include:
- Acupuncture
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Diet and Exercise
- Herbal Remedies
- Massage
- Oxygen Therapy
- Emotional/Spiritual Therapy
People who reach for heroin are searching for solutions. Whether they are looking to alleviate pain or to get high, seeking answers in a vial at some point became a viable option despite the known risks and dangers of using such a powerful opiate.
Helping alleviate the root cause of why a person might seek to use heroin in the first place is critical to the recovery process. The following are some holistic approaches to aid emotional and spiritual recovery:
- Meditation
- Religious Services
- Prayer
- Counseling
- Art Therapy
- Music Therapy
- 12-Step Support Groups
- Family and Friends
When it comes to addiction, the family suffers too. Watching a loved one fall prey to the horrible cycle of craving, compulsion and humiliation is heart-wrenching. Families and friends of heroin addicts need help in learning to support the addict's recovery without enabling the destructive emotional and mental cycles to continue destroying the family.
Connections
Addicts need the understanding support of someone who has shared the same addiction. Family and friends also benefit from having people to talk to who have lived with active addiction. Good holistic treatment programs offer these supports and build connections with others in the recovery community.
Holistic Addiction Treatment
When heroin addicts arrive in an emotional, mental and physical state in which they are ready for treatment, seeking a holistic approach is best. Heroin ravages the body, mind and spirit. Rebuilding each part of a person is necessary for an addict to embrace a new way of life and release the chemical that has chained him/her in a life of degradation. Such treatment centers are available to help people begin this rebuilding process.
