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Heroin
Heroin is a synthetic opiate drug that is highly addictive. It is made from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as “black tar heroin.”
How is Heroin Abused?
Heroin can be injected, snorted/sniffed, or smoked—routes of administration that rapidly deliver the drug to the brain. Injecting is the use of a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Snorting is the process of inhaling heroin powder through the nose, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Smoking involves inhaling heroin smoke into the lungs. All three methods of administering heroin can lead to addiction and other severe health problems.
How Does Heroin Affect the Brain?
Heroin enters the brain, where it is converted to morphine and binds to receptors known as opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain (and in the body), especially those involved in the perception of pain and in reward. Opioid receptors are also located in the brain stem—important for automatic processes critical for life, such as breathing, blood pressure, and arousal. Heroin overdoses frequently involve a suppression of respiration.
After an intravenous injection of heroin, users report feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by dry mouth, a warm flushing of the skin, and a heaviness of the extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded. Users who do not inject the drug may not experience the initial rush, but other effects are the same.
With regular heroin use, tolerance develops. This means the abuser must use more heroin to achieve the same intensity of effect. Eventually, chemical changes in the brain can lead to addiction.
What Other Adverse Effects Does Heroin Have on Health?
Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, and—particularly in users who inject the drug—infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, and liver or kidney disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health of the abuser, as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration. In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin often contains toxic contaminants or additives that can clog the blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain, causing permanent damage to vital organs.
Chronic use of heroin leads to physical dependence, a state in which the body has adapted to the presence of the drug. If a dependent user reduces or stops use of the drug abruptly, they may experience severe symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms, which can begin as early as a few hours after the last drug administration, include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), kicking movements (“kicking the habit”), and other symptoms. Users also experience severe craving for the drug during withdrawal, precipitating continued abuse and/or relapse. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose and typically subside after about a week; however, some individuals may show persistent withdrawal symptoms for months. Although heroin withdrawal is considered less dangerous than alcohol or barbiturate withdrawal, sudden withdrawal by heavily dependent users who are in poor health is occasionally fatal.
Heroin abuse during pregnancy, together with related factors like poor nutrition and inadequate prenatal care, has been associated with adverse consequences including low birthweight, an important risk factor for later developmental delay. If the mother is regularly abusing the drug, the infant may be born physically dependent on heroin and could suffer from serious medical complications requiring hospitalization.
What Treatment Options Exist?
A range of treatments exist for heroin addiction, including medications and behavioral therapies. Science has taught us that when medication treatment is integrated with other supportive services, patients are often able to stop using heroin (or other opiates) and return to stable and productive lives.
Treatment often begins with medically assisted detoxification, to help patients withdraw from the drug safely. Medications such as clonidine and, now, buprenorphine can be used to help minimize symptoms of withdrawal. However, detoxification alone is not treatment and has not been shown to be effective in preventing relapse—it is merely the first step.
Medications to help prevent relapse include:
- Methadone, which has been used for more than 30 years to treat heroin addiction. It is a synthetic opiate medication that binds to the same receptors as heroin; but when taken orally, as dispensed, it has a gradual onset of action and sustained effects, reducing the desire for other opioid drugs while preventing withdrawal symptoms. Properly prescribed methadone is not intoxicating or sedating, and its effects do not interfere with ordinary daily activities. At the present time, methadone is only available through specialized opiate treatment programs.
- Buprenorphine is a more recently approved treatment for heroin addiction (and other opiates). It differs from methadone in having less risk for overdose and withdrawal effects, and importantly, it can be prescribed in the privacy of a doctor’s office.
- Naltrexone is approved for treating heroin addiction but has not been widely utilized because of compliance issues. It is an opioid receptor blocker, which has been shown to be effective in highly motivated patients. It should only be used in patients who have already been detoxified in order to prevent severe withdrawal symptoms. Naloxone is a shorter acting opioid receptor blocker, used to treat cases of overdose.
For pregnant heroin abusers, methadone maintenance combined with prenatal care and a comprehensive drug treatment program can improve many of the detrimental maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with untreated heroin abuse. Preliminary evidence suggests that buprenorphine also is a safe and effective treatment during pregnancy, although infants exposed to either methadone or buprenorphine prenatally may require treatment for withdrawal symptoms. For women who do not want or are not able to receive pharmacotherapy for their heroin addiction, detoxification from opiates during pregnancy can be accomplished with medical supervision, although potential risks to the fetus and the likelihood of relapse to heroin use should be considered.
There are many effective behavioral treatments available for heroin addiction—usually in combination with medication. These can be delivered in residential or outpatient settings. Examples are: contingency management, which uses a voucher-based system where patients earn “points” based on negative drug tests, which they can exchange for items that encourage healthy living; and cognitive-behavioral therapy, designed to help modify a patient’s expectations and behaviors related to drug abuse, and to increase skills in coping with various life stressors.
How Widespread is Heroin Abuse?
Monitoring the Future Survey1
According to the 2007 Monitoring the Future survey, there were no significant changes since 2006 in the proportion of students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades reporting lifetime2, past-year, and past-month use of heroin overall.
Heroin use has been steadily declining since the mid-1990s. Recent peaks in heroin use were observed in 1996 for 8th-graders, 1997–2000 for 10th-graders, and 2000 for 12th-graders. Annual prevalence of heroin use in 2007 dropped significantly, by between 38 percent and 40 percent, from these recent peak use years for each grade surveyed.
Heroin Use by Students, 2007:
Monitoring the Future Survey
| |
8th Grade |
10th Grade |
12th Grade |
| Lifetime |
1.3% |
1.5% |
1.5% |
| Past Year |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.9 |
| Past Month |
0.4 |
0.4 |
0.4 |
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National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)3
According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of current (past-month) heroin users in the United States increased from 136,000 in 2005 to 338,000 in 2006. The corresponding prevalence rate increased from 0.06 to 0.14 percent. There were 91,000 first-time users of heroin aged 12 or older in 2006, down from 108,000 reported in 2005. Among persons aged 12 to 49, the average age at first use of heroin was 20.7 years.
1 These data are from the 2007 Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, and conducted annually by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. The survey has tracked 12th-graders’ illicit drug use and related attitudes since 1975; in 1991, 8th- and 10th-graders were added to the study. The latest data are online at www.drugabuse.gov.
2 “Lifetime” refers to use at least once during a respondent’s lifetime. “Past year” refers to use at least once during the year preceding an individual’s response to the survey. “Past month” refers to use at least once during the 30 days preceding an individual’s response to the survey.
3 NSDUH (formerly known as the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) is an annual survey of Americans age 12 and older conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Copies of the latest survey are available at www.samhsa.gov and from NIDA at 877-643-2644.
Revised 7/08
Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website
(http://www.nida.nih.gov/)
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Heroin Rehab and Drug Treatment Detox Facility
Seabrook, New Jersey (NJ)
(800)761-7575
Seabrook House is an internationally
recognized, private and exclusive, and CARF accredited inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism rehab treatment center. Our main facility is located in rural Bridgeton, New Jersey (NJ), convenient to New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA), Maryland (MD), Delaware (DE), Virginia (VA), Connecticut
(CT), Rhode Island (RI) and Massachusetts (MA). Our extended-care luxury transitional living facility is located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania (PA), within minutes of the New York state border.
Our alcohol and drug rehab campus in New Jersey extends over a 40-acre manicured estate,
providing a serene and healing drug rehab environment. Our 90 day rehab transitional living facility in Pennsylvania is similarly situated on a 14-acre estate with rolling hills and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. For over
34 years we have been helping families find the courage to find
recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse such
as marijuana addiction, heroin dependency, cocaine addiction, xanax abuse, prescription medication abuse and other compulsive diseases.
If you have a loved one that does not want help, don't give up! Many have come to our rehab program and into full recovery as a direct result of a Family Intervention. Call or click now for more information on how family intervention may work for you.
Applying
our research-based recovery treatment center methods for drug addiction
and alcoholism, which we call The Seabrook
House Model®, we assist patients in restoring their lives
by embracing a way of life based upon the 12-Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). We apply
a variety of recovery therapies including cognitive behavioral
(CBT) and adjunct therapies including music, yoga, massage, EMDR,
psychodrama, equine assisted, Reiki, and outdoor adventure ropes
course. Belief systems of Adler, Rogers and Jung and many other
psychological theorists are applied during CBT.
Our rich history and CARF accredited quality alcohol and drug addiction treatment rehab
programs have earned Seabrook House a citation in "The 100
Best Treatment Centers for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse - The
Only Complete Guide to the Most Outstanding Drug Rehabs in the
Country" by Linda Sunshine and John Wright. This Avon Publication
is available through most bookstores.
Seabrook House addiction drug rehab center specializes in a withdrawal
treatment for opiate detox i.e. heroin, oxycontin, using specific
medication protocols with Suboxone, whose primary active ingredient
is buprenorphine. Suboxone (buprenorphine / naloxone), at the
appropriate dose, can suppress symptoms of heroin withdrawal,
decrease cravings for opioids, block the effects of other opioids,
and help patients stay in drug rehab treatment. You may also apply
for admission online to our drug rehab center by using our
encrypted Preadmission
Assessment form. Please be assured that your alcohol and drug
rehab addiction treatment records and information are protected
by Federal confidentiality laws and we cannot share your information
with anyone unless you give us written consent. Contact a Clinical Outreach Representative in your area if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Our main drug rehab facility
is located in southern New Jersey (NJ), approximately 1 1/2 hour
drive from Princeton, New Jersey (NJ), Seabrook House's residential
drug rehab addiction recovery treatment services are convenient
to rehab Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA), Radnor, Pennsylvania (PA),
Reading, Pennsylvania (PA), Wilmington, Delaware (DE), Dover,
Delaware (DE) or within a 2 to 3 hour drive from New York City, New York (NY), Long Island, New York (NY), Bridgeport, Connecticut (CT), Gaithersburg, Maryland (MD),Washington, DC, Virginia Beach,
Virginia (VA) and Baltimore, Maryland (MD), or within a 5 hour
drive from Boston, Massachusetts (MA), Worcester, Massachusetts (MA). We have treated individuals from as far away as Honolulu, Hawaii (HI) .
We accept addiction treatment admissions 24 hours
per day for rehabilitation services for alcoholism, alcohol withdrawal
and drug withdrawal detoxification,
so please call now if you are in need of immediate assistance
or would like more information about detoxes, drug rehabs, heroin
detox, family intervention, substance abuse treatment or residential
addiction treatment in the New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA),
Delaware (DE), New York (NY), Massachusetts (MA), Connecticut
(CT), Rhode Island (RI), Virginia (VA) and Maryland (MD) areas.
Who
Are Seabrook House's Alcohol Rehab and
Drug Addiction Rehab Patients?
Seabrook House's alcohol and drug addiction rehab
patients come primarily from New Jersey (NJ), many from the Cherry
Hill / Haddonfield / Moorestown area, as well as the Princeton
area in central New Jersey and Montclair area in northern New
Jersey. In addition, from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania
(PA), the mainline Philadelphia, PA suburbs, New York City (NYC)
including Manhattan (NY), Delaware (DE), Maryland (MD) and other
Mid Atlantic states, although we have treated many from as far
away as Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA),
New Hampshire (NH), Vermont (VT), California (CA), Bermuda, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands. They range in age from 17 to 80.
Many of our patients are referred by family members, employers,
large union health & welfare funds, health insurance companies,
small local unions, employee assistance professionals (EAP), and
managed care companies. Many patients transfer directly from hospitals,
other detoxes, community mental health centers, intensive outpatient
programs (IOP), union member assistance programs, and primary
care physicians. We have provided them drug detox, drug rehab,
alcohol detox, alcohol rehab, and many other forms of addiction treatment. Substance abuse treatment is our specialty.
Because of our close proximity to Manhattan, New
York (NY), New York City (NYC) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(PA), Seabrook House addiction rehab center has for many years
provided alcoholism and drug addiction rehab treatment to members
of the arts & entertainment communities. These have included radio,
television, stage and film industry associates from the east coast
as well as California (CA). We understand that high profile individuals
with substance abuse and alcoholism problems may have special
needs related to the media as well as confidentiality issues.
Protecting the anonymity of alcoholic or drug addicted patients
in rehab and controlling media takes experienced addiction professionals.
Many addiction rehabs cannot address these special needs. We understand
that addiction does not discriminate. In addition, many physicians,
nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, lawyers and other professionals
have sought our alcohol rehab and drug addiction rehab treatment
services and gone on to lead happy, healthy, clean and sober lives.
Contact
800.761.7575 for Immediate Admission for Alcoholism Detox and
Drug Treatment or Family Intervention
Seabrook House addiction rehab center is a licensed
residential addiction treatment facility with 125 beds and provides
alcohol and drug detox treatment and inpatient rehab treatment
through its Adult Rehab Program for both men and women, and its MaterLiber Program, for alcoholic
and drug addicted mothers and their dependent children. We specialize
in detox treatment for opiates such as heroin, morphine, oxycontin,
vicodin, codeine,demerol, fentanyl, methadone, percodan and percocet.
In addition, Seabrook House addiction rehab center offers professional Family
Intervention treatment services to those families attempting
to help a resistant loved one with a substance abuse problem in
need of heroin detoxification or addiction rehab treatment services.
The family education and drug information programs, family intervention
treatment services, and substance abuse counseling treatment services
of Seabrook House have been nationally recognized.Our addiction rehab center and detox program accepts
most health insurance companies, managed care, and union health
& welfare funds for partial payment of its alcoholism and
drug rehab treatment programs. Please review our rates
for all detox and addiction drug rehab programs. When choosing
any alcohol withdrawal and drug addiction rehab treatment center,
follow the CARF
guidelines to ensure that the addiction drug rehab treatment
program you choose is a licensed and accredited substance abuse treatment facility.
Call
our 24 Hour Alcohol Rehab & Drug Treatment Rehab Helpline
for Immediate Detox Addiction Help
Transportation Services for Alcoholism
Detox and Drug Rehab Centers from New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY),
Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), Rhode Island (RI), Pennsylvania
(PA), Delaware (DE), Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA), Washington,
DC, California (CA), Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), Nevada (NV),
Idaho (ID), Utah (UT), Arizona (AZ)
Seabrook House will provide private and discreet
individualized transportation to and from all airports to ensure
the safety and confidentiality of all of our patients. Please
speak to your Admissions Counselor for more information on how
you may qualify for direct airport pickup. Seabrook House also provides "sober escorting"
if the patient is clinically and medically appropriate. This specialized
service offers a Seabrook House staff person to fly to the home
location of the patient and personally pick them up and accompany
them directly to our drug rehab treatment facility. The escort
is an experienced addiction professional, also in recovery from
chemical dependency. Upon discharge the escort will then accompany
the patient to the next level of care at a transitional sober
living environment. Flight times to Seabrook House are brief from many east coast and Midwestern
airports (see chart below). The Philadelphia International Airport
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA), is the closest airport
to our alcohol detox and drug rehab facility
From Boston, Massachusetts
(MA) - 45 minute flight time
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From Providence, Rhode Island
(RI) - 45 minute flight time
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From Columbia, South Carolina (SC) - 60 minute flight time
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From Atlanta, Georgia (GA) - 90 minute flight time
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From Miami, Florida (FL) - 2 hour flight time
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From US Virgin Islands (USVI) - 3 hour flight time
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From Columbus, Ohio (OH) -
45 minute flight time
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From Hartford, Connecticut
(CT) - 45 minute flight time
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From Bermuda (BM) - 90
minute flight time
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From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
(FL) - 2 hour flight time
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From Indianapolis, Indiana
(IA) - 2 ½ hour flight time
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From Los Angeles, California
(CA) - 5 hour flight time
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From Chicago, Illinois (IL) - 3 hour flight time
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| From Honolulu, Hawaii (HI) - 10 hour flight time |
Patients coming from out of state may fly into
a variety of airports at discounted airfare rates. All airports are conveniently
located within minutes of the Seabrook House addiction
rehab facility:
Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania (PHL) 45 minute drive
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Atlantic City International
Airport, New Jersey (ACY) 60 minute drive
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Newark International Airport, New Jersey (EWR) 90 minute drive
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Princeton Airport, New Jersey (PCT) 75 minute drive
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John F. Kennedy International
Airport, New York (JFK) 120 minute drive
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LaGuardia Airport, New York (LGA) 120 minute drive
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Baltimore Washington International
Airport, Maryland (BWI) 120 minute drive
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