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Signs You Need Heroin Addiction Treatment
Many people are unable to realize or admit that they need help with heroin addiction.
The drug can consume a person's thoughts and make him or her feel as if heroin is the only thing that matters. If you are beginning to feel this way, you should seek treatment 800-853-1387 for your addiction to heroin.
Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms
If you are already having withdrawal symptoms when you aren't able to get access to heroin, you are physically dependent on the drug. This means that you will experience symptoms such as:
- Flu-Like Symptoms (Runny Nose, Sweating, Chills)
- Fever
- Pain in your Muscles, Bones, and Joints
- Nausea, Vomiting, and Diarrhea
- Abdominal Cramps
- Insomnia
These withdrawal symptoms "can occur whenever any chronic use is discontinued or reduced" and should be monitored in treatment (NLM).
Endangering Your Life for Heroin
This symptom of addiction, called drug-seeking behavior, occurs when a person does not consider the personal risks caused by his or her search for more of the drug. This is a definite sign of a need for behavioral counseling treatment.
Heroin Tolerance
Building a tolerance is another sign of addiction. This can be particularly dangerous, as it leads to many users overdosing on heroin as they attempt to do more of the drug to feel its effects.
Heroin Overdose
Because heroin overdose is so dangerous and can cause respiratory depression that leads to coma and death, you should seek treatment if you have overdosed on heroin. "Naloxone is sometimes used as an emergency treatment to counteract the effects" of the overdose, but it is not a treatment for heroin addiction itself (NIDA).
Isolating Yourself from Friends and Family
It is very difficult to fight heroin addiction without a strong support system. Many people become alienated from their friends and family simply because they only want to spend time with those who facilitate their addictions.
Using Heroin Alone
This is a common sign of addiction, and one that points to your heroin use as being more than an occasional social occurrence.
Needing to Seek Heroin Abuse Help
The people in your life who know you best and want you to be safe and healthy will often tell you if they believe you should seek treatment. Listen to them.
Neglecting Your Responsibilities
If you have lost your job, home, other important aspects of your life, or if you have neglected your responsibilities because of drugs, causing irreparable consequences, you should seek treatment for your addiction.
Self-Medicating with Heroin
The NLM states that "in many cases, a person starts using drugs to try to self-treat mental illness." If you are coping with another disorder, like depression, seek treatment for both the disorder and your addiction immediately.
Full Blown Heroin Addiction
This occurs when you no longer can stop taking heroin, even if you want to. If you are in this situation, treatment is necessary for your recovery from heroin addiction.
