Information on Heroin Addiction

Heroin is a highly addictive and dangerous illegal drug that causes both physical and mental dependence. Kicking a heroin addiction is not easy, though medical and therapeutic treatments can help with the recovery process.

Heroin Use

• The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 3.7 million people had used heroin. Fifty-seven percent of those who used heroin in 2003 were classified as abusers and/or dependent, and about 281,000 people received treatment for heroin abuse in 2003.

Addiction and Withdrawal

• Heroin addiction causes intense drug cravings. Regular users become physically dependent, and experience withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and muscle pain when attempting to stop their drug use.

Detoxification

• Detoxification minimizes the severity of withdrawal, and is often the first step in overcoming heroin addiction. Not in itself a treatment, detoxification helps relieve withdrawal symptoms that occur in the first seven to ten days.

Medications

• Methadone has been used for over 30 years to treat heroin addiction. Methadone is taken once a day to relieve drug cravings and suppress withdrawal. Other medications used to treat heroin addiction include buprenorphine, clonidine, lofexidine, and naltrexone.

Behavioral Therapy

• Combining medicine with behavioral therapies such as cognitive therapy or contingency management is thought to be most effective in treating heroin addiction. Heroin addicts often spend time in inpatient or outpatient treatment facilities.