Treating heroin addiction will involve many steps to make the recovery process effective. For most people, there will be a need for a medical detox to alleviate the symptoms of heroin withdrawal before going to a drug rehab center.

DETOX: Heroin addiction can sometimes include other drugs so it is very important to make sure that you disclose all of the drugs you are currently taking and have taken in the past 6 months. This will help the detox center better diagnose and prescribe the best medications to make your detox go smoothly and as pain-free as possible. Do not try to detox on your own. Heroin withdrawal can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the length of heroin use, and the amount of heroin being abused on a daily basis.

Inpatient rehabs: Detox should be followed by an extensive stay, at a heroin inpatient treatment program. Most of the people who have fought heroin addiction have one thing in common: They recovered from their addiction at an inpatient heroin rehab center. Some people can find sobriety in an outpatient treatment program but due to the temptations and availability to go find heroin, this type of program is less effective in treating the addiction as a whole.  The typical stay for someone recovering from heroin addiction can vary from center to center and usually consists of 30-90-day programs.

Private Inpatient drug rehabs offer the best results for long-lasting sobriety from Heroin addiction. The best treatment facilities for heroin will offer different types of treatment models and detox options for the person who is suffering from the adverse effects of heroin.

Court-ordered treatment: There are many Drug Rehab Facilities that accept criminal justice clients and people with open court cases as an alternative to jail. County and state courts will often suggest treatment in place of jail time for some first-time offender cases.

State-funded heroin treatment programs: Maryland has set aside some resources for the treatment of heroin addiction. Please call our specialists to find out if you qualify for these state-funded rehab programs that are offered in Maryland.

Sometimes a medical intervention can be used to help wean a person off of heroin at a slower rate, alleviating the withdrawal symptoms normally associated with heroin detox. 

Buprenorphine: Being an opioid, Buprenorphine accesses the same receptors in the brain that heroin interacts with. This allows for a seemingly painless transition while managing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Methadone: Over the last few decades this drug has become a bit controversial, due to the fact that the body can build up a tolerance quickly if taken too often, and is under investigation for being potentially addictive. Methadone is considerably stronger than Buprenorphine but works in the same manner, offering alleviated symptoms from withdrawal.

Naltrexone: Designed to block opioid receptors, blocking the effects that would normally take place once Heroin or an opioid is entered into the system. Also used in treating alcoholism.

Suboxone: Specifically designed to work in combination with Buprenorphine and Naltrexone. This combination of drugs not only manages the addiction but also alleviates the temptation to use heroin due to the opioid-blocking drug Naltrexone.

*To locate a doctor who can prescribe medications for a painless withdrawal, please give us a call and we will help you find the closest addiction doctor to you in Maryland.

Addiction No More has been helping people recover from heroin addiction in Maryland since 2002 and will continue to be on the front lines fighting for the rights of addicts to receive treatment for their addictions to drugs or alcohol. Give a call and we can discuss the various treatment options that are available in and outside of Maryland.  Give us a call, toll-free 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have set up a hotline for those who need to find a good solution for their addiction to heroin. Sometimes, it may be right for the individual to seek help outside of their area for anonymity, and safety issues that sometimes follow a Heroin dependency in Maryland. 

The State of Maryland is currently in the middle of a heroin epidemic that is running out of control. Deaths related to heroin and the more potent, Fentanyl, are on the rise faster than ever seen before. Finding heroin that hasn’t been cut with Fentanyl is almost impossible, making for a deadly cocktail that ranges in purity and potency. There have been many recent reports that heroin has become less expensive than it has been in years. This price shift in Maryland has caused heroin to become a cheaper alternative for people who have developed an addiction to opioids in the form of pharmaceuticals. Due to the short supply of pharmaceutical drugs, heroin has become an inexpensive way to keep from going through the painful withdrawal symptoms from prescription medications.

Prescription pain pills can often be overprescribed to patients who realize that they have become dependent on the drug. With recent crackdowns in Maryland on opioid abuse, there has been a huge resurgence of heroin-addicted people in Maryland. Adding to the problem is the fact that heroin is often times cut with Fentanyl (used for pain relief for end-stage cancer patients) and the potency can vary, leading to elevated heroin overdose deaths in Maryland.

Heroin addiction, as of late has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, and the demography that it seems to be targeting the most is young adults. More young adults in Maryland are now using Heroin, according to the DEA. This trend is due in part, to the recent change in the purity of the drug coming in from Mexico. The drug cartels are now starting to refine their heroin to a white powder appealing to the younger generation.  There are roughly 19,000 hardcore addicts in Baltimore and that is just a rough estimate. The reality may be much further reaching than we can imagine. With the crackdown on prescription medications in the state, the need for Heroin rehabs and detox centers is rising at a rate that is in desperate need of more funding. There has been a 60% rise in fatal drug and alcohol-related overdoses, and heroin deaths have increased by 186%, from 2010 to 2015 in the state. read the entire report HERE