Heroin abuse is a growing problem globally, with the number of users in the UK, Europe, and the USA on the rise. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World even estimates that a worrying 9.2 million people abuse heroin worldwide. [1]
Even more concerning, a 2017 European Drug Report found that drug-related deaths in Europe have been steadily on the rise for years, with the UK reporting the highest number of overdoses and heroin addicts. [2]
It’s clear that heroin addiction is a dangerous problem.
These worrying numbers demonstrate that a vast number of people worldwide need to stop using heroin. But it’s not safe to merely stop using heroin because of the danger and discomfort of heroin withdrawal.
Once the motivation for an improved quality of life and health spurs an individual to quit heroin, they often want to do it immediately. But quitting heroin cold turkey is not recommended.
During withdrawal from heroin, there will be a short time when your body will go through uncomfortable and potentially dangerous flu-like withdrawal symptoms. Allowing heroin to leave your system is not an easy process.
Users can go through drug detox in two ways, either alone and without medical assistance (cold turkey) or through the safety of a medically managed detox programme. The second option minimises the risk of any dangerous symptoms.
The only way to recover from heroin addiction is to rid the body of heroin and its subsequent toxins, commonly known as detoxification or ‘detox’.
However, quitting heroin cold turkey looks different from the safer, medically managed detox option.
The term quitting cold turkey refers to when someone stops using heroin suddenly. Unfortunately, removing heroin from your body cold turkey means individuals won’t have the benefit of gradually reducing their heroin use and potentially substituting it with medically prescribed medication.
Without professional medical help, quitting heroin cold turkey often results in uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms or potentially dangerous side effects.
These side effects are usually too awful to handle without medical help. Unfortunately, due to the harmful nature of quitting cold turkey, many people are unsuccessful in their detox attempts.[3]
Heroin is one of the most addictive illegal drugs, with many people becoming swiftly addicted even after only one use. Of course, not everyone may become addicted. But, with regular abuse, heroin becomes highly addictive.
As someone continues to use heroin frequently, they will no longer receive the same high as the original amount. This increased tolerance results in users ingesting more and more heroin to reach even more intense highs.
But this isn’t the only way that a person becomes addicted. Addiction also comes via the method of heroin ingestion.
When snorting, smoking, or injecting heroin, it is sent swiftly to the brain, where it can convert into morphine and bind with opioid receptors to create a euphoric effect. Unfortunately, this fact-track makes it very difficult to stop using heroin.[4] [5]
It’s impossible to say exactly what type or the severity of withdrawal symptoms a person will go through, as everyone will have a different experience.
Factors include how long someone has been abusing heroin, how much they regularly ingest, and how dependent the brain and body have become on heroin.
What’s more, the duration and severity of your withdrawal will vary from person to person. For example, those with prior opioid withdrawal or mental illness history may find they suffer more intensely from heroin withdrawals.
Heroin addiction is highly probable because it creates intense, pleasurable, and euphoric effects. Unfortunately, the symptoms are the opposite of any pleasant intoxicating effects during withdrawal. These symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. [6]
Even the most severe withdrawal symptoms of heroin addiction aren’t necessarily fatal. However, some physical and psychological symptoms can be life-threatening or create the risk of self-harm and suicide.
Quitting cold turkey increases the risks of these withdrawal symptoms and side effects tenfold. For example, quitting heroin alone increases the risk of committing suicide when the substance abuse goes untreated. [7]
What’s more, swift withdrawal from heroin results in immediately reduced tolerance, meaning users are more likely to overdose due to their body’s reduced tolerance.
Although many people will not die from quitting heroin cold turkey, this is still a severe, painful, and dangerous method to rid the body of heroin.
Because the withdrawal symptoms can be so painful, people often resort to retaking heroin before fully detoxing, creating a higher relapse rate.
Just because many will safely leave heroin detox via cold turkey, this doesn’t mean that death via heroin withdrawal isn’t possible. In addition, individuals quitting heroin cold turkey can suffer life-threatening symptoms such as severe dehydration.
When people already suffer from underlying medical conditions, they can worsen by the withdrawal process. As mentioned, the high likelihood of relapse coupled with lowered tolerance can lead to death by overdose.
Some people forget that quitting cold turkey can also result in emotional instability, which can lead to self-harm and suicide.
Because of the dangers and severe withdrawal symptoms already discussed, quitting heroin without professional and medical support is never advisable.
Going through detox via a safe, medically managed detox clinic ensures you will have access to multiple methods of safe heroin withdrawal.
When going through withdrawal this way, individuals will have access to medications to allow them to reduce their heroin consumption safely, gradually, and comfortably.
Utilising the services offered at heroin detox clinics and heroin rehab means individuals have access to essential medications to allow them to withdraw from heroin gradually. These medications not only make the withdrawal process safer but also more comfortable.
For example, medical professionals may prescribe buprenorphine to treat the unpleasant heroin withdrawal symptoms. In severe cases, this can also be prescribed as a long-term maintenance drug to allow individuals to keep off heroin.
In contrast, individuals may be prescribed Suboxone, a combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone.
What’s more, going through heroin withdrawal through medically managed detox means you will be monitored to ensure your safety during detox. For example, your temperature, breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are monitored to ensure you stay comfortable and healthy.
Doing so means the withdrawal side effects can be safely and comfortably managed while also reducing relapse rates.
A medical detox clinic also provides patients with extensive addiction treatments, including therapies such as individual counselling and group therapy, to ensure that they can stay on the path to sobriety.
By incorporating both medications and therapy, heroin detox clinics give the body and mind the best chance to recover from heroin addiction.
Because heroin is only a short-acting opioid, the euphoric effects take hold swiftly but also leave the bloodstream swiftly. Therefore, it only takes between six and twelve hours for the symptoms of heroin withdrawal to show themselves after the last dose has been ingested.
Over the next two to three days, symptoms will continue to worsen and peak for five to ten days. Whereas these physical symptoms can endure for up to 10 days, the psychological effects can last for weeks or even months after complete detox.
During the heroin withdrawal peaks (at around two to three days), receiving treatment through a detox clinic ensures the withdrawal symptoms aren’t too uncomfortable to manage.
Although the average length of heroin detox is around five to seven days, those with a severe dependence on heroin may need more time. However, reaching a maximum of ten days is not unheard of.
If it sounds like you or someone you love may need medically managed detox to rid themselves of heroin addiction, then there is help.
There is a facility for everyone with suitable detox clinics, outpatient facilities, and inpatient rehabs available and ready to help with treatment across the UK.
At Rehab 4 Addiction, we can help you find the best and most personalised treatment for you or a loved one. So call us today; we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
[1] International Statistics
https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/heroin/international-statistics.html
[2] European Drug Report 2017 https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/4541/TDAT17001ENN.pdf
[3] Incarceration and opioid withdrawal: The experiences of methadone patients and out-of-treatment heroin users
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2838492/
[4] Research Report Stories https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/heroinrrs_11_14.pdf
[5] What are the immediate (short-term) effects of heroin use? https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-immediate-short-term-effects-heroin-use
[6] What is heroin? https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin
[7] Suicide among heroin users: rates, risk factors and methods https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12410779
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
