While there are a plethora of treatment programs that heroin addicts can attend to help them detox from heroin, many forgo the process because they’ve tried it before with little success or they don’t have the resources to go into treatment. Others prefer the solitary experience because they don’t want others to know about their drug habit. Detoxing from heroin can be safely done at home in most cases because withdrawal symptoms typically are not life threatening, report doctors at the National Institutes of Health.
Prepare yourself mentally to be uncomfortable for three to five days. Mayo Clinic doctors report that withdrawal symptoms depend on the amount of opiates you’ve been taking and the length of time you’ve been addicted. A firm commitment to the detox process and a drug-free future are necessary to withstand the dopesickness you will experience. While the physical withdrawals abate within a few days, the mental cravings can continue for up to a year and require a strong desire to stay clean in order to avoid relapse.
Find a safe place where you can stay while you go through the withdrawal process. Counselors at Sober Recovery community report that you need to have a safe haven where there is no temptation to use drugs, despite extremely strong cravings. Ask someone to go through your house with you to dispose of any paraphernalia and leftover drugs or alcohol that may be left in the house. Use another house if you believe that a totally clean environment will be easier to handle.
Fix up your surroundings to provide you with as much comfort as possible. While in the throes of withdrawal, you will experience cold sweats and may need extra blankets when the chills hit you. Make sure you have plenty of healthy foods. Light nutritional foods such as soup and toast may be easier to tolerate as you experience nausea. Drink herbal teas to help cam your nerves and sports drinks to maintain your electrolyte levels that may become low after vomiting.
Expect to experience withdrawal symptoms will start within about 12 hours after your last hit. Detox side effects range from sweating, nausea and insomnia to cramps, high blood pressure and diarrhea. The most uncomfortable withdrawals will begin to subside within about 30 hours, report doctors at the National Institutes of Health.
Talk to your doctor to get a prescription for medication that can ease the withdrawal. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends buprenorphine to reduce the severity of the withdrawal symptoms and to ease the cravings for a short period of time following detox. Many heroin addicts choose to remain on the buprenorphine or use similar opiate-reduction medications such as methadone. While the drugs will prolong the detox, they also can take the edge off the withdrawal symptoms and allow you to gradually detox over a longer period of time.
Let someone know you will be detoxing at home from heroin, preferably your doctor, so he can check on you periodically over the first 30 hours. NIH doctors report that depression is a serious side effect of heroin withdrawal. By having people call on you, you can ask for support and tell someone if you are having serious thoughts of suicide or other self-harming behaviors.
Use some of the online chat rooms where former heroin addicts share their own experiences with detoxing at home. Sites such as Sober Recovery Community and Heroin Detox.com can keep you occupied so that your mind is diverted from your discomfort. At the same time, you can get encouragement and tips from others who have detoxed at home.
Don’t use no matter what. The toughest part of detox is to resist the urge to use the drug again to eliminate the physical and mental withdrawal pains. Following a detox, the body will be less tolerant to the drug and addicts are more at risk for an overdose. An overdose can be lethal by stopping your breathing. The NIH reports that most opiate overdoses occur in people who have recently undergone a detox process.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-addiction/DS00183/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
National Institutes of Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000949.htm
Sober Recovery Community
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/substance-abuse/151452-heroin-withdrawal.html
Heroin Detox.com
http://www.heroin-detox.com/
