Heroin Addiction Treatment Program in Atlanta, Georgia
From 2019 to 2020, heroin overdose deaths soared 31% in Georgia. Heroin is prevalent in Atlanta; the city is part of the “Heroin Triangle.” In 2020, over 900,000 people ages 12 or older used heroin. 13,165 individuals lost their lives to fatal overdoses involving heroin that year.
Escape the haze of addiction. Our heroin addiction treatment programs in Atlanta, GA, will restore your clarity.
The war on pain medications has created another battle. Individuals are trading prescriptions for a new type of pain. Heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain than pills. Southeast Addiction Center is your prescription to freedom. Our Georgia drug rehab center gives you life beyond the tangles of temptation.
The Importance of Getting Help for Heroin Addiction
Heroin is part of the famously addictive opioid family of drugs. The illegal synthetic drug is made from morphine produced by the poppy plant. You can snort, inject, or smoke the powder. This leaves the door open for abuse. If you’re on the fence, waiting will only make it worse. Knowing the destructive effects heroin delivers is critical to grasping how deadly it is.
The high hits almost immediately. The drug enters the bloodstream without pause. It then attaches to and activates the opioid receptors in the brain. A euphoric dose of dopamine is released. The urge to chase this fast and fleeting feeling makes it so addictive.
Prescription pills are a type of opioid used in medical settings. Painkillers carry the same perils, though. A doctor carefully manages these prescriptions. Heroin is not one of these drugs. It has no medical purpose. Almost 143,000 lives were cut short by heroin-related overdoses spanning 1999 to 2020.
Signs and Symptoms of Heroin Addiction
Georgia has a rising heroin problem as more people turn to the street drug. The opioid holds no healing or helpful intent. It hijacks your mind and soul.
For these reasons, heroin is a Schedule I substance in the U.S. How long and how much you use impact how heroin use displays.
In contrast to the blissful rush, the aftermath isn’t fleeting.
Short-term risks include signs and symptoms like:
- “Nodding off” describes the trance-like state of a heroin high
- Going back and forth from awake to asleep or unconscious
- Itchy skin
- Dry mouth
- Constricted pupils
- Lowered thinking and reasoning abilities
- Slowed down the heart rate and breathing
- Body parts feel heavy and harder to move
- Trouble focusing, loss of interest in activities
Using heroin over time makes the list of consequences pile up. Your tolerance soars. It impacts your physical and mental well-being as addiction takes the stage. The drug alters the structure of the brain and how it functions.
The white matter in the brain can deplete with ongoing use. This directly changes your decision-making skills, mood regulation, and stress management. This is the one-way road to addiction.
Longer-term use creates more severe consequences like:
- Strong urges to use
- Not being able to control or stop despite negative repercussions
- Lung issues and increased vulnerability to illnesses such as pneumonia
- Persistent and serious constipation
- Unusual sleep patterns
- Abscesses also related to unclean needles
- Liver and kidney damage due to the strain of processing toxic compounds
- Heart problems, like infections of the heart lining from dirty needles
- Circulatory system problems
- Personal and professional issues like being fired
- Hospitals and institutions like jail
- Deepening of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. This makes suicide an indirect effect alongside overdose death.
If you get withdrawals if you don’t use as much as usual, you need to seek help immediately. It’s not as simple as stopping. This is drug addiction. Your body reacts in distressing withdrawal signs if it doesn’t receive a fix.
Another danger in heroin use is not knowing what else you put in your body. It’s an illicit substance, so there’s no ingredient label. Another opioid is fentanyl. It is a strong, synthetic opioid with a killer reputation. A little goes a long way; a few crumbs can be lethal. This makes it a dream for drug dealers to cut costs.
- An 80% rise in fentanyl present with other drugs occurred in 2022, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI)
- Overdose deaths in Georgia involving fentanyl rose 106.2% from 2019.
- A trend of mixing drugs into strains like “purple, purp heroin” is hitting the streets.
Heroin habits can come in different faces and forms. There are more risks than ever before. Our treatment center in Atlanta offers personalized programs to prepare your recovery path.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Heroin Dependence
Heroin is hard to break up with because you feel bad when you try to quit. Our heroin treatment programs are popular because they work. Our team of clinicians are experts in detoxing you safely and swiftly. After cleansing the toxins, our treatment options take you into recovery.
Getting better starts at a reputable detox center. Going it alone or “cold turkey” can be dangerous. The first step is detox. Our inpatient detox center ensures the least painful and most stable detox possible.
This is one of the most vital steps towards recovery since many people will relapse to end the discomfort if attempting to get sober on their own.
Some of those symptoms may include:
- Chills and rapid body temperature changes
- Vomiting, diarrhea, nausea
- Insomnia, restlessness
- Aches and pains in the bones and muscles
- Anxiety and depression
- The sensation of skin crawling
- Unrelenting cravings for heroin
Heroin addiction brings a wide range of physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
You don’t want it to happen, but if you keep using, the chances of an overdose are sky-high. The signs and symptoms can mimic being high. If you took a dose laced with fentanyl, even naloxone might not have enough to combat multiple doses.
The following are signs of an overdose:
- Losing consciousness and not coming to
- No reaction to outside stimulus
- Awake but unable to talk
- Slow and shallow breathing or no breathing
- Choking sounds, struggling to speak
- The body is very limp
- The face is very pale or clammy
- Fingernails and lips turn blue or purplish black
- Pulse (heartbeat) is slow, erratic, or not there at all
Overdose is the worst-case scenario. Our levels of care make the most of your time at our Atlanta recovery center.
Why Choose Us for Heroin Addiction Treatment?
Georgia has a large amount of heroin addiction treatment centers. They offer similar promises, but do they go the distance in their substance abuse treatment? We are action-driven. Our consistent five-star reviews, a best-in-class team of clinicians, and accreditation by the Joint Commission support our commitment to care that goes the distance.
You’re never just a name here. Our small clinical caseloads have a 2:1 client-to-staff ratio. Your unique needs are addressed. We cater to making this as smooth as possible. We’re located close to Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta Airport) International Airport and are happy to pick you or your loved one up if you’re arriving from out of town.
Southeast Addiction Center provides a supportive, safe, and structured environment to achieve long-term recovery. From detox to aftercare in sober living, we’re by your side.
Our Services for Heroin Addiction Treatment
Heroin is a challenging addiction to break free from. You’re not alone in your fight. Our multidisciplinary team of passionate clinicians provides proven treatment services. These approaches are proven by science to treat the entire you.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Heroin addiction comes with a wide range of physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. These effects can hang around after stopping. The period after detox is critical in recovery. We offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as part of our services.
Studies show that specific medications and behavioral therapies produce the best long-term results. MAT leverages FDA-approved, non-narcotic medications. It is best used as a tool, not a single solution. Our therapeutic, holistic, and behavioral treatments give the full advantage.
Here are a few examples of medications we utilize:
Naltrexone blocks the receptors that sense opiates. This prescription doesn’t have any opioid properties at all. This cuts down on cravings and eliminates the pleasurable effects that heroin produces.
Antidepressants like bupropion (Wellbutrin) manage symptoms of mood swings like depression and the sudden lack of dopamine your system craves.
Buprenorphine binds and activates the opioid connections in the brain with less intensity than heroin. It “scratches the itch” without the high. It’s less likely to be abused than methadone.
Buspirone helps lower the anxiety that shows up during withdrawal. Buspirone works by affecting the serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain.
Talk Therapy
You will experience the top evidence-based therapies in treatment. These effective therapies are part of an entire treatment plan.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) empowers taking ownership of your recovery. It’s a non-confrontational, conversational style of therapy. MI recognizes actual change must happen from the inside. It makes building trust with a therapist easy.
Group therapy is a positive environment your therapist leads. You refine your communication skills and learn from the lessons of others. You think outside of yourself. Fellowship is critical in early recovery.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a proven behavioral therapy for addiction and mental health conditions. In these group or individual sessions, you identify unhealthy thought patterns that harm your recovery.
Individual therapy sessions are you and your therapist working on your most significant areas of concern. You can focus on facing your challenges. Thinking deeper about what you believe led to your addiction is a game changer.
The specific combination of therapies used for our clients will depend on individual needs and circumstances.
EMDR Therapy
We also use eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). EDMR allows you to identify upsetting events. At the same time, your therapist performs brain-stimulating sensory acts that distract your brain. Asking you to listen to sound movement or tapping are simple acts that help retrain your brain.
This therapy can be used alongside other types of treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, individual counseling, and group therapy, to form a well-rounded treatment plan.
Holistic Therapy
We use a finetuned blend of science-centered interventions with a holistic approach. Holistic means we nurture the mind, body, and soul in recovery. Nutritional classes, therapeutic fitness like yoga, and guided meditation treat all of you.
These therapies retrain the brain and body. You maximize your physical and mental health and boost confidence in recovery. We also offer chiropractic care to ease the toll heroin use takes on your body.
Our Programs for Heroin Addiction Treatment
Inpatient Detox
Inpatient detox is often the first step to feeling better. For recovery that sticks, getting clean is essential. Detox programs get rid of the toxins put in your body by meth. The best results happen in a safe and serene setting. This is the place to get that done.
You have a team that wants to make this as calm as possible. We use MAT to make it as comfy as we can. Medical is onsite 24 hours. If anything happens, they can act immediately. This is the safest starting point if you go through drug withdrawals.
Our outpatient programs help you adjust to regular life. You still enjoy our clinicians, including doctors, therapists, social workers, and counselors. You receive medication management if you need it. There are individual and group therapy sessions and a mixture of the top evidence-based and wellness treatments.
Partial Hospitalization Program
Partial hospitalization programs (PHP) provide more freedom than inpatient. It gives mental health support alongside substance abuse. Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a rigorous outpatient program. PHP before starting IOP works excellently. This is a high-intensity, daily program. It requires 30 hours each week.
Intensive Outpatient Program
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) involve attending three to five days a week. It’s less demanding than PHP. IOP lasts about three months and up to six months. You participate in a structured program during the day and return home to sleep each night.
We offer AM and PM options for intensive outpatient. We want to make this work for you.
Outpatient Program
Outpatient Program (OP) is the last step with us. You still have our clinical pros but much time to live independently. It involves about an hour or two per week. This is for maintenance purposes, which keeps your sober self strong.
Aftercare
Aftercare is imperative to plan for relapse prevention when you’re back in the world.
Your plan might include the following:
- Sober living housing/events
- Support groups like 12-step meetings Narcotics Anonymous( NA)
- Counseling or group therapy
- Connecting with a sponsor or mentor
Sober living is a type of relapse prevention in aftercare. You’ve made it far and want to keep this going. Your previous programs gave you the tools, and now you can use them. You live offsite in our modern housing. You have your own life with the balance of like-mind individuals. We offer semi-private rooms to embrace an environment without the stress of substances.
Get Help Now for Heroin Addiction in Atlanta, GA
Heroin isn’t who you are. We’ll do everything in our power to awaken sustained sobriety. Remember, heroin addiction won’t go away on its own.
Southeast Addiction Center is here to assist you in taking your life back. Ready to make a change? Our team is standing by 24/7 to take your call at (888) 981-8263, or you can email us at info@southeastaddictioncenter.com
Get the help you need now
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If you or a loved one need help, we are available to guide you through every step of your recovery. Call us today and speak with a recovery counselor to get started.
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