What are the Long Term Effects of Heroin
Many people remain stuck in a state of fear and hopelessness due to the devastating effects of heroin and heroin addiction. This fear can cloud their ability to see the possibility of a better life. However, there is hope. Recovery is possible, and there are many effective means, methods, and modalities available to help individuals overcome heroin addiction and reclaim their health and future.
Understanding Heroin Addiction
The effects of heroin do not discriminate. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 0.4% (or about 1.1 million people) reported using heroin in the past 12 months. Also, ”Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, an estimated 0.4% (or about 1.0 million people) had a heroin use disorder in the past 12 months. These are not insignificant numbers.
One of the reasons why so many people struggle with addiction may be because many people are still confused about what addiction actually is. Many people still stigmatize addiction as some type of “choice.” The fact of the matter is that this is simply untrue. Addiction is a disease. In fact, addiction has more in common with other chronic biological diseases like cancer than it does with a “choice.”
Addiction is also what is known as a family disease. This is because addiction affects more than just the individual who is struggling. According to Social Work in Public Health, “The family remains the primary source of attachment, nurturing, and socialization for humans in our current society. Therefore, the impact of substance use disorders (SUDs) on the family and individual family members merits attention. Each family and each family member is uniquely affected by the individual using substances including but not limited to having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her.”
The Long-Term Effects of Heroin Addiction
The long-term effects of heroin addiction will vary based on the individual. However, there are some universal long-term effects. The following are just a few of those effects:
- Feeling anxious, nervous, or overly “stressed out”
- Not being able to stop once using heroin
- Experiencing long-term loss of appetite (or excessive appetite) and a lack of care regarding physical appearance and wellbeing
- Exhibiting excessive mood swings
- Experiencing impaired cognitive judgment
- Having trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (hypersomnia and insomnia)
- Experiencing physical ailments such as headaches, body aches, and gastrointestinal problems
- Having extended feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness
- Continued cause of harm to oneself or others
- Having suicidal ideations
These symptoms are significant and can even be deadly. This is why reaching out for professional help sooner rather than later is critical. Doing so could mean avoiding these long-term effects of heroin addiction.
Recovering From the Long-Term Effects of Heroin Addiction
Many effective modalities can help one recover from the effects of heroin addiction. These modalities often come from three different areas of recovery, the psychotherapeutic, the holistic, and the experiential.
Experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy can be highly beneficial for helping one recover from the effects of heroin. This is because nature immersion therapy offers physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits.
Nature immersion therapy offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning… While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN).”
Additionally, working with others can also greatly help one recover from heroin addiction. It helps so much, there is even a chapter named after it in the primary text of 12-Step recovery (commonly referred to as the Big Book).
The Big Book states, “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]. It works when other activities fail… You can help when no one else can.”
Focus on Long-Term Success at The Phoenix Recovery Center
Here at The Phoenix Recovery Center, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” That is why all of our recovery plans are individualized and comprehensive with a focus on the future.
Sick and tired of being sick and tired? Recovery is out there. It’s time to go out and get it.
Many people understand the dangers of immediate heroin use (overdose and overdose death, for example), but they don’t understand the long-term effects. The reality is that the long-term effects of heroin use can be devastating (even without an overdose or overdose death). The good news is there are many effective means, methods, and modalities that can help one recover from heroin addiction. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this alone. To begin your healing journey complete this short form or call The Phoenix Recovery Center at (801) 438-3185.
