Heroin Addiction Treatment Center - Southern California

Start Recovering with Pathways
Call: 1 (888) 681-6726
The U.S is currently in the midst of an Opioid epidemic with around 130 people dying of overdose every day.
Heroin, though illegal in most areas, is one of the most pervasive types of Opioids as it can be cheap and easy to acquire. Heroin use leads to negative effects almost immediately, with users needing to increase the amount they intake so they can avoid the painful and sometimes deadly withdrawals. Many people who are prescribed Opioid painkillers end up using Heroin because they can no longer get enough painkillers legally. These days, Fentanyl is often found in Heroin or substituted for it, leading to a significantly increased chance of overdose. Fentanyl is a much stronger Opioid, and a very small amount can lead to overdose.
 

Heroin Addiction

Heroin addiction can begin as a prescription drug addiction, where users have substituted heroin for their prescription painkiller because it’s easier to obtain. For others, addiction starts with occasional recreational use. No matter the route to heroin addiction, the consequences are devastating for both the user and their loved ones. The initial euphoria quickly descends into a grim addiction as tolerance develops, forcing users to consume more to avoid the dreadful heroin withdrawal symptoms. This often leads to compromised values and judgment as users do whatever it takes to secure more heroin and stave off withdrawal. In pursuit of the early highs induced by heroin and other opioids, users find themselves in a cycle of constant use just to feel normal and somewhat functional. Heroin dramatically impacts the brain, hindering the ability to feel pleasure without the drug and diminishing rational decision-making capabilities. This raises the question: is heroin a stimulant? Despite its initial euphoric effects, heroin is, in fact, an opioid, leading to profound dependence and health risks.
Here are some warning signs of a Heroin addiction:
  • Your life is now centered on using and obtaining the drug
  • You are physically and mentally miserable unless you have used
  • You have cut yourself off from friends or family who don’t participate or approve of your use
  • You have begun lying and stealing from your loved ones to get more
  • You are unable to feel emotions, and rarely feel pleasure
  • You are “nodding out” often. Sudden lack of consciousness
  • You have been experiencing homelessness because of your use
  • You now have track marks and many of your veins are now “shot out”
  • Physical symptoms like aches and pains, chronic fatigue, constipation, poor hygeine, sores or abscesses, pale skin, heart problems, and weight loss
  • You have tried to stop using but continually relapse
  • A loved one has expressed concern about your use
  • You experience extreme paranoia
  • You are borrowing or stealing money, cannot pay bills

How Can Pathways Recovery Center Help Me?

If you are experiencing Heroin/Fentanyl addiction, you know how painful and frightening the withdrawal process can be. This is why the relapse rates are so high in Heroin cases. Extreme agitation, sweating, muscle spasms and aches, severe nausea and abdominal pain combined with strong cravings are difficult to overcome on your own.

Treatment for Heroin addiction often starts with Supervised Detoxification. Detoxing from Heroin can bring about severe symptoms like intense nausea and dehydration and is very dangerous to do on your own, not to mention painful. At Pathways Recovery Center, we’ll make sure you’re medically stable under the monitoring of our on-site clinical and nursing staff who are experienced in implementing medication-assisted detox. This will ensure the safest and least painful withdrawal experience.

In our private, intimate facility designed for serenity and comfort, you’ll begin intensive therapy to not only address addiction, but the underlying factors that led to it. At Pathways, we believe that healing addiction means healing the whole person. You’ll undergo assessments to determine each of the contributing biological, social, and psychological factors that have kept you in the cycle of addiction. Using evidence-based therapies like CBT and DBT, we’ll help you learn new coping skills and positive thinking patterns that will help you overcome your cravings, master your emotions, and heal. At Pathways Recovery Center, we’ll get you the social support you need to stay free from drug and alcohol addiction with tools like 12 Step and group therapy. You are not alone! And for those wondering “what does heroin look like?” or seeking help with purple heroin, understanding its appearance is crucial to early detection and intervention in addiction cases.

Clinically Reviewed By:

Picture of Moses Nasser

Moses Nasser

Dr. Moses Nasser, a double board-certified physician in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine, with expertise in holistic healing, addiction medicine, and psychiatric care, holds an X-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine and has extensive experience in mindfulness-based customer service and medication-assisted treatment.

Contact our addiction specialists today to learn more about substance abuse treatment at

Additional Resources on Alcoholism:

National Library of Medicine

Heroin Addiction

National Institute on Drug Abuse

What are the Treatments for Heroin Use Disorder?

Alcohol Addiction

Methamphetamine Addiction

Opioid Addiction

Cocaine Addiction

Heroin Addiction

Prescription drug Addiction

Call: 1 (888) 681-6726

CONTACT US FOR HELP NOW

© 2024 Pathways Recovery Center. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy

Sitemap