How Can a Methadone Clinic Lead me to Recovery from Heroin Addiction?

As one of the most addictive opiates on the market, heroin addiction can develop within a short period of time, with some people becoming addicted as of the first time using the drug. Once a full-blown addiction takes hold, it’s all but impossible for a person to stop using heroin without some form of treatment help.

In cases of long-term or chronic heroin use, the brain undergoes considerable damage along the way. The methadone clinic treatment approach specifically addresses the physical damage left behind by heroin abuse while equipping a person with the tools needed to build a drug-free lifestyle.

Call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to speak with one of our addiction specialists about methadone clinic treatment programs.

Heroin Addiction’s Effects

Methadone restores the damage left behind by heroin abuse.

According to George Washington University, heroin’s addiction potential stems from it’s powerful and short-acting effects. With each dose of the drug, heroin forces the release of neurotransmitter chemicals in abnormally high amounts. With repeated drug use, these effects take a toll on the brain’s regulatory functions.

Once addiction develops, compulsive drug-using behavior only works to further damage the brain’s functional capacity. Under these conditions, any attempts to stop drug use will be met with severe withdrawal effects due to the brain’s inability to function in the absence of heroin’s effects.

Methadone clinic treatment directly addresses and treats the damage left behind by heroin addiction’s effects.

Methadone Clinic Treatment Components

Methadone Medication Therapy

Methadone clinics use methadone as a type of replacement therapy that tricks the brain in terms of meeting its need for heroin’s effects. According to the University of Maryland, methadone produces many of the same effects as heroin without posing a high risk for abuse or addiction.

Methadone’s ability to mimic heroin’s effects greatly reduces the withdrawal discomfort and thereby enables a person to maintain abstinence from heroin use on an ongoing basis. Methadone also produces long-acting effects, so a person only needs a single daily dose to keep withdrawal effects at bay.

You’re Closer to Recovery from Heroin Addiction than You Think

By utilizing the search tools on MethadoneClinic.com, you can find listings of local methadone centers and doctors, and access our toll-free helpline.

Behavioral-Based Interventions

While methadone’s therapeutic effects go a long way towards promoting continued abstinence, the roots of heroin addiction lie in how it changes a person’s thinking and behaviors. For these reasons, methadone clinics provide ongoing behavioral-based treatment interventions to help recovering addicts replace addiction-based thinking and behaviors with a mindset and lifestyle that supports long-term abstinence.

Behavioral interventions commonly used include:

• Intensive psychotherapy
• Group therapy
• Regular 12 Step support group attendance
• Relapse prevention training

In effect, the behavioral aspect of methadone clinic treatment is just as important as methadone in terms of helping a person maintain ongoing abstinence on day-to-day basis.

Benefits of Methadone Clinic Treatment

Overall, the methadone clinic treatment approach provides a level of care not available through traditional treatment programs. For someone dealing with a severe or long-term heroin addiction problem, methadone’s ability to support and strengthen the brain’s functional capacity offers the best chance at breaking heroin’s hold over his or her life.

If you’ve reached the point where you’re considering heroin addiction treatment and need help finding treatment that meets your needs, call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to speak with one of our addiction counselors.