Cold Turkey vs. Heroin Detox
Can I Go Cold Turkey and Stop Using Heroin?
Heroin addiction is a growing concern across the US. Heroin is highly addictive and causes severe withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop using. Because severe symptoms of withdrawal and cravings cause people to quickly relapse when trying to stop heroin cold turkey, detoxing from heroin on your own is quite difficult. However, a heroin detox center can help you go through withdrawal and safely through medication-assisted treatment, ensuring you complete the detox process.
Heroin addiction and opiate addiction can cause severe physical and psychological dependence. When attempting to stop using heroin, you will likely experience intense withdrawals and cravings especially if you have been dealing with long-term drug addiction. Symptoms of withdrawal from heroin and opiate addiction can make it very difficult to stop using alone.
Quitting heroin without a substance abuse treatment program will not be easy. The withdrawal timeline will look different for each person, but you can expect symptoms to start between 6 to 24 hours after the last dose, peak between 48 to 72 hours, and opioid detox to last about a week. Withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Excessive sweating
- Watery eyes
- Runny nose
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Chills
- The onset of flu-like symptoms
- Excessive restlessness
- Severe abdominal cramps
- Muscle and joint pain
Risks of Quitting Heroin Cold Turkey
Professionals do not recommend quitting heroin without opioid detox medical supervision. Although quitting heroin is likely not to be fatal, there are other factors to consider when going into heroin withdrawal. Some of the risks of stopping heroin drug abuse on your own include:
The risk of relapse is extremely high during heroin withdrawals
Many people will begin using it again to ease pain, withdrawal symptoms, and cravings. You may overdose during the withdrawal timeline. Many people who are going through drug detox from heroin will experience psychological and emotional distress, which could cause them to struggle mentally and not make good judgment. One may overdose after ingesting too much heroin during a relapse.
Risk of making a bad choice or having an accident
Your mental state may become confused, anxious, or depressed, affecting your judgment during drug detox. You could end up sharing needles with someone untrustworthy or become suicidal. You may also physically hurt yourself in an accident. Withdrawal symptoms can still be dangerous, including issues such as severe dehydration or choking on vomiting.
Why Should Choose Heroin Detox
Medical detox centers can help you go through heroin withdrawal safer and more comfortably through medication-assisted treatment. There are several reasons why heroin detox programs are a better option than attempting to quit heroin cold turkey, including:
Medical detox is safer
A team of medical professionals will monitor your vitals around the clock to ensure your heroin detox is going as planned. They can administer IV fluids and ensure you are safe in case of suicidal ideation.
Medication Assisted Treatment will make the process easier
FDA-approved medications like methadone and suboxone can help ease severe symptoms of withdrawal and cravings which will ease or eliminate painful symptoms.
You can transition into a drug rehab program
The hardest part about getting into an addiction treatment program is starting, once you have completed drug and alcohol detox, you can easily transition into an addiction treatment program.
Access to individual therapy
Behavioral therapy during drug detox can make the process less lonely and help you through psychological distress.
Meals and housekeeping services may be provided
Some addiction therapy programs will take care of all your needs, including having a chef and housekeeping services.
Learn how to deal with insomnia during detox here:
Safe Heroin Detox at Novo Detox
Novo Detox offers medical detox with 24/7 medical care from our licensed doctors and nurses. We provide FDA-approved medication-assisted treatment for the use of heroin detox. As a luxury drug rehab and detox center, you can comfortably go through the withdrawal timeline in a resort-like setting. After completing heroin detox, you can transition into our inpatient residential treatment program to address the psychological aspects of drug addiction. Please give us a call at (844) 834-1777 today to learn more about our drug and alcohol detox program.
