Point blank: heroin is among the most potent drugs known to man.
Its highly addictive qualities mean that users can get hooked from just one use and while that may seem far-fetched it’s very much a legitimate fact because heroin is an opioid after all. The plague of which has decimated individuals and families from coast to coast.
As per the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 128 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids every day. Of course, that’s not just heroin, the deaths include those from prescription meds, synthetic opioids as well as heroin.
For that reason, heroin is classed as a schedule I drug by the DEA, meaning it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” In other words, it’s very illegal.
Why Do People Get Addicted to Heroin?
The addictive nature of heroin is well documented and its ability to grab hold of people and not easily let go is part of what makes it so dangerous.
Heroin is processed from morphine, which should already tell you all you need to know about its potency. It’s no joke and can be taken in a myriad of ways; by injection, snorting, sniffing or smoking.
The reason people get addicted to it so easily is that, like other opioids, heroin produces a wildly euphoric sensation.
NIDA notes that it works by binding to opioid receptors and activating “specific receptors in the brain called mu-opioid receptors (MORs). Our bodies contain naturally occurring chemicals called neurotransmitters that bind to these receptors throughout the brain and body to regulate pain, hormone release, and feelings of well-being. When MORs are activated in the reward center of the brain, they stimulate the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, causing a reinforcement of drug taking behavior”.
The danger of that reinforcement is massive because a user ends up constantly chasing the euphoric highs they felt the previous time which creates a vicious cycle of needing to take ever larger doses.
That leads to a higher and higher likelihood of overdose and we see that manifest itself in the explosion of deaths involving heroin; from 1,960 in 1999 to 14,996 in 2018.
Who Should Go to A Heroin Rehab in Los Angeles?
Heroin rehab in Los Angeles could very well be the game changer and life rearrange you need to break free from the chokehold of heroin addiction. There’s truly no sensible reason to try to be a hero and overcome it on your own.
It’s a powerful drug and having a dedicated team that truly understands what you’re going through, both physically and mentally, will help set you or a loved one up for sustainable sobriety.
Detox is arguably the toughest initial hurdle to clear and going it alone exacerbates the difficulty. The withdrawal symptoms from heroin, in particular, are so strong that it’s not uncommon for people to relapse rather than work through the discomfort. However, drug & alcohol detoxification under the supervision of people who know what you’re going through and have seen it before can help you get through it.
Detox is just the start and tackles the physical side of addiction to heroin. The important work of rehab is really the mental side and digging deep into what led to addiction in the first place. Developing new and healthy coping mechanisms in a safe and warm residential inpatient treatment environment where the process of laying the groundwork for a clean life is your only focus.
How All American Detox Can Help You
Located in Los Angeles, at All American Detox our focus is on helping you get your life back. With 30 plus years treating substance abuse and over 20 dedicated staff members who all have a connection to recovery helpline number, our individually catered programs are all about your unique needs.
