The United States is experiencing an opioid crisis. The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids is leading to more and more overdoses and death. A side effect of the prescription opioid epidemic has been the rise in illicit opioid use in the form of heroin. Because Oregon has one of the highest rates of prescription opioid abuse in the nation, it’s seen a heroin use climb as well. At our heroin rehab center, Gresham residents struggling with heroin addiction can get the treatment they need. As one of the most addictive and dangerous opioid drugs, overcoming heroin use can only be done with proper, committed support. Crestview Recovery believes in getting you or your loved one healthy.
The Challenges of Heroin Addiction
Heroin alters brain chemistry. Naturally produced neurotransmitters regulate pain and generate pleasure. Dopamine is one such neurotransmitter. Heroin, like other opioids, binds the brain’s neurotransmitter receptors. In doing so, heroin spikes the release of dopamine throughout the body. This is why heroin is so addictive. Depending on the amount taken, the form it is taken in, and the regularity of use, an individual’s brain chemistry is altered by the drug. But soon, the brain is no longer able to produce or regulate neurotransmitters. It is reliant upon the drug to do so. Thus, an individual forms a dependency or addiction to heroin.
Treating the disease of addiction means healing the body and attempting to restore the brain’s natural chemistry. One of the methods for doing so at a heroin rehab center near Gresham is through medication. For example, some regularly used medication to address heroin addiction include:
- Heroin addiction is frequently treated with methadone. This medication reduces heroin withdrawal. While it affects the body in much the same way as heroin, it is a regulated medication. Gradually, individuals taper off of methadone as they treat their dependency.
- Buprenorphine is another medication used to treat heroin addiction. Its advantage over methadone is its abuse potential is significantly lower. Often, naloxone is added to buprenorphine to stave off the onset of further withdrawal symptoms.
- Another medication is naltrexone. By blocking opioid receptors, it allows for long-term abstinence from heroin by reducing cravings.
Some individuals may not respond to medication alone. This is why Crestview Recovery offers a variety of therapies to address client needs. Some of our therapies include:
- Holistic Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- Trauma Therapy
These alongside individual, group, and family therapy give clients the tools they need to recover.
Finding Treatment at a Heroin Rehab Center Near Gresham
After making the brave and difficult decision to seek help for heroin addiction, many individuals find the next step is detox. Through medically supervised detox, individuals flush the drug out of their system in a safe, secure environment. Because heroin withdrawal symptoms can be intense, it’s important to have professional support to avoid relapse and make sure one doesn’t endanger themselves or others. Heroin withdrawal symptoms can range from nausea, cramping, and flu-like symptoms to seizures, hallucinations, and heart and respiratory issues.
After completing detox, clients are ready to build their treatment program. With the variety of therapies our heroin rehab center offers Gresham residents, clients alongside counselors and therapists can craft a program meeting specific needs. Once a therapeutic plan is in place, individuals can enter the appropriate treatment stage. Some clients may need the rigid structure and supervision of residential care while others less so. In these latter cases, partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient programs may be where they need to begin their treatment.
Regardless of what stage a client enters treatment, Crestview Recovery makes sure they have the resources needed to make sobriety lasting. For clients who don’t feel confident in their recovery after the standard timeframe of treatment, there is extended care. Here individuals continue to work through their issues in therapy but have more space and time to progress. Because no one experiences recovery in the same way, our extended care program allows individuals to move at their own pace.
Crestview Recovery
Overcoming heroin addiction is difficult. However, there is help available. Crestview Recovery’s heroin rehab center is here for Gresham residents. It doesn’t matter what stage of addiction you are in. It doesn’t matter what your past experiences with addiction have been. We want to get you healthy again.
Contact us today at 866.262.0531 to learn how we can be your guide on the road to recovery.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.