A range of treatments including behavioral therapies and medications are effective at helping patients stop using heroin and return to stable and productive lives.
Medications include buprenorphine and methadone, both of which work by binding to the same cell receptors as heroin but more weakly, helping a person wean off the drug and reduce craving; and naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors and prevents the drug from having an effect (patients sometimes have trouble complying with naltrexone treatment, but a new long-acting version given by injection in a doctor’s office may increase this treatment’s efficacy). Another drug called naloxone is sometimes used as an emergency treatment to counteract the effects of heroin overdose.
For more information, see NIDA’s handbook, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment.
Chronic use of heroin leads to physical dependence, a state in which the body has adapted to the presence of the drug. If a dependent user reduces or stops use of the drug abruptly, he or she may experience severe symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms—which can begin as early as a few hours after the last drug administration—can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), and kicking movements (“kicking the habit”). Users also experience severe craving for the drug during withdrawal, which can precipitate continued abuse and/or relapse.
Besides the risk of spontaneous abortion, heroin abuse during pregnancy (together with related factors like poor nutrition and inadequate prenatal care) is also associated with low birth weight, an important risk factor for later delays in development. Additionally, if the mother is regularly abusing the drug, the infant may be born physically dependent on heroin and could suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal syndrome in infants that requires hospitalization. According to a recent study, treating opioid-addicted pregnant mothers with buprenorphine (a medication for opioid dependence) can reduce NAS symptoms in babies and shorten their hospital stays
There are real life heroes, and there is hope and help.
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/
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“I’m going to take that chance and I’m going to do better. I’m tired of the roller coaster I’ve been on. I’m tired of all the lies, especially the ones I’ve been telling myself. I really thought I could quit whenever I decided. I realize now that’s not true.”
–Lace Lowell
My husband of almost twenty-six years, still rounding up, baby, and my two boys who I promised no more songs and rock biographies about heroin.
My bff and biggest fan, Lisa Kinzel
The bff of my heart, Michelle Warren
My copy editor: Dr. Diane Klein
My proof reader: Hazeline Paddock-Ng
My Black Cat Divas: Wendy Neuman Wilkin, Rita Jinkins Post, Tressa Sager, Jamie Sager Hall, April Merriman, Chantelle Stx, and Harvey Gaudun-Stables
My always & anytime encourager: Kimberly Schaaf
Dr. Shane Haynes – technical consult
My longest, dearest fan and literary guide, Mary Humphrey
Best friends for fun, Kari Novotny and Paige Dejacimo
Book blogger friends: Mandy Anderson at MandyIreadIndie, Denise Tung at Flirty Dirty Book Blog, Kim Person at Shh Mom’s Reading, Peggy Warren at Le’ BookSquirrel, and Brandee Engle Veltri at Brandee’s Book Endings
Michelle Mankin is a young/new adult romance writer as well as a self-proclaimed giant... inside of her own mind!
For many years she worked in the insurance industry as an underwriter. Somehow, the boredom didn't kill her but the hour and hours of looking at facts and figures provided ample time for her mind to wander.
Black Cat Records in Vancouver provides the central backdrop for all of Michelle’s current novels. Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a Brutal Strength centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock 'n roll industry.
Things take a bit of a darker, edgier turn with the Tempest series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.
When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend as she takes the children to school and back.
BRUTAL STRENGTH SERIES:
Love Evolution
Love Revolution
Love Resolution
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE MANKIN ON:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Mankin/233503403414065
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleMankin
On her website: http://www.michellemankin.com/
