Medical Detox and Suboxone for Heroin or Opiate Pill Addiction

With the nationwide heroin and opiate & opioid painkiller epidemic rising to historic proportions, medical detox and Suboxone therapy is more important now than ever!

. In this year of presidential politics, we are hearing more and more about the heroin epidemic that is infiltrating communities large and small, urban and suburban, rich and poor, young and old. As the politicians attempt to grapple with the complexity of heroin, prescription pain killers (Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, etc.) and opiate addiction, as well as how to provide better treatment services on a national level, the overdoses continue on a daily basis! The general public is increasingly aware of the need to treat heroin and opiate painkiller addiction on a level never before seen.

For decades, the general consensus has been that heroin use occurred primarily in urban centers, and mostly by the underprivileged population.  As a result, the problem got swept under the rug by a large swath of the country.  Over the last decade or so, heroin has become much more available and often the drug of choice for middle and upper class people, affecting students in affluent communities as well as youngsters in blue collar areas.  At the same time, the use of prescription pain killers (which are highly addictive opiates) has increased dramatically throughout the entire populations.  Statistics show that pain pill addiction truly has no socioeconomic barriers at all.  Drugs like Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycontin have become mainstream, across all segments of society. They also show that the addiction to pills is becoming increasingly prevalent among all age groups.  It is not unusual to find middle-aged and older aged adults abusing opiates.

Medical detox programs are the most effective and humane way to help an individual begin the arduous process of recovery from this insidious disease.  With proper supervision, Suboxone therapy can wean the client off the physical effects or heroin, opiates and opioids.  For those of us who have witnessed a loved one going through the painful physical withdrawal from these substances, we are both grateful and relieved to know that Suboxone therapy is now available through medical detox programs.

More and more insurance companies are now becoming willing to recognize these addictions as diseases that require inpatient treatment; Suboxone therapy is not a SUBSTITUTE for heroin or opiate use, but the beginning of a long-term commitment on the part of the client to strive for sobriety.

We need to be cognizant of the fact that medical detox using Suboxone therapy is only a short-term commitment; the average stay for a client is 7-10 days.  By that point, all physical symptoms of withdrawal should be under control and the medical detox team will work with the client to take the next steps toward recovery.  Those steps will most likely include the transfer to an inpatient or outpatient rehab facility until the client and staff feel that he/she is stable enough to enter a “step-down” program.  Without a continuation of rehab in one of several forms, the likelihood of relapse is almost inevitable.  On the other hand, if the client and his support system (family, friends, co-workers) are willing and able to offer the encouragement to the client to work diligently on his/her recovery, the hope for sobriety will increase as each day passes.

These days, heroin and prescription pain killer addiction are no longer a guaranteed predecessor to a week or two of utter mysery, and we have Suboxone to thank for that!

For more information on medical detox services for heroin, opiates, opioids or any other classification of drugs or alcohol, contact Valley Detox Center in Los Angeles, California 24/7 at: (888) 544-6049.