What people think about addiction, they usually think about alcohol, drugs, and gambling. One of the most common drugs to which people may get addicted is heroin. Heroin is a powerful opioid that many people get addicted to after they suffer from chronic pain. The reality is that chronic pain is one of the most pressing issues facing the modern healthcare system. Unfortunately, many people end up getting addicted to prescription opioids. Then, when those no longer work, they reach for something stronger, such as heroin. Everyone needs to understand the stages of heroin addiction so that they can seek appropriate treatment. The experts at Georgia Addiction Treatment Center can help individuals educate themselves and find the support necessary.

The Exploration Phase of Heroin Addiction

When it comes to drug abuse and opioid addiction, the first step in heroin addiction is exploration. It is highly unusual for people to try heroin as their first drug. Usually, people end up taking heroin after trying something else and realizing that it no longer works. Some of the most common prescription opioids that people may take before heroin include:

  • Oxycontin
  • Oxycodone
  • Hydrocodone
  • Vicodin
  • Codeine
  • Percocet

After people realize that these drugs no longer work, they will often reach for something stronger. That is where heroin comes into the picture. Usually, people try heroin at first. Then, they realize that this may do something more for their pain than prescription medications do not do. All of a sudden, they have developed a heroin addiction.

People Develop a Tolerance To Heroin

Over time, no matter what substance people are taking, they will eventually develop a tolerance to that substance. This means that they will need to take more of that substance to achieve the same results. For example, one of the reasons why prescription opioid medications eventually do not work for someone’s chronic pain is that they need to take more of these medications to achieve the same pain reduction level.

The same is true when it comes to heroin. Even though heroin may work well for someone’s pain at first, they will quickly have to increase the dose of heroin to achieve the same results. This can be incredibly dangerous because it increases the risk of someone overdosing on heroin. A heroin overdose could result in death.

A Full-Fledged Addiction Develops

Eventually, people become addicted to heroin. They begin to sacrifice everything at the altar of addiction. This is the last stage. Some people may end up emptying their bank accounts to find where heroin. Other people may start to drive hundreds of miles to find heroin. They may end up skipping school to find more. They might end up forgoing professional obligations, skipping work to find more heroin as well. Ultimately, heroin addiction has the potential to destroy someone’s life and wreck their relationships with family members. This is just another example of opioid addiction and drug abuse claiming another life. Fortunately, we have the tools to stop this from happening. Rely on the team from Georgia Addiction Treatment Center to help you address opioid addiction.

Call Georgia Addiction Treatment Center Today

Heroin addiction is not something that should be taken likely. If someone ends up overdosing on heroin, it can lead to respiratory depression, causing them to stop breathing. This could be fatal. Do not let this happen. Is that, rely on the trained, professional experts at Georgia Addiction Treatment Center. At Georgia Addiction Treatment Center, we have the training, tools, and professionals necessary to help you recover. Please contact us today at [Direct] to learn more about our treatment programs and how we can help you recover from opioid addiction.

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