If you live in Sheffield and you’re currently dependent on heroin, please know there’s hope for you. We liaise with diverse treatment centres all over Sheffield to help our clients recover in a way that honours their circumstances.
Heroin detox comes with a unique set of challenges, and that’s why we work hard to refer you to a provider who’s experienced in conquering each and every challenge.
To hear more about our thorough referral process, get in touch with Rehab 4 Addiction on 0800 140 4690.
Heroin detox is the first stage of addiction recovery. It takes place when someone can’t stop using heroin even though it’s resulting in serious consequences, such as unpleasant symptoms, poor mental health, and isolation.
What comes before heroin detox is either heroin dependence or heroin addiction. Signs include:
Whether it’s a dependence or addiction, it becomes urgent that the heroin user withdraws from the highly addictive drug. Professional detoxing is the go-to method because:
There are lots of reasons someone might delay getting a professional heroin detox:
It’s much easier for us to believe we don’t have a drug problem, so our brain often protects us by stopping us from believing that we’re dependent on heroin.
This can look like:
Hopelessness is a common emotion felt by people with heroin dependence or addiction. They’ve been through so much that they may feel there’s no possible way out, so they don’t make an attempt to get sober.
Professional detoxing is an inconvenience for many people.
Some people focus on minor practical concerns, possibly because they don’t fully understand or accept the urgency of their situation. Looking back, after they get sober, they may realise their priorities were unbalanced.
There are also more serious practical concerns that can get in the way of someone seeking professional support. For example, can they afford it? Who will look after their children? Will they be able to keep their job?
Any opioid withdrawal is challenging. Some people avoid heroin detox as they don’t want to face withdrawal symptoms.
They may not realise that symptoms vary from mild to severe, and that medication can be given to ease symptoms. Also, in most cases, by 1-2 weeks, the symptoms have gone away completely.
We hear lots of misconceptions about heroin detox in Sheffield, such as:
Our top recommendation for most clients is detoxing at inpatient heroin rehab in Sheffield.
Despite any misconceptions you may have heard, it’s highly effective, thoroughly planned-out, and involves ample support.
Rehabs, both inpatient and outpatient, can easily integrate the detox with psychological treatments, which is exactly what you need if you’re looking to stay sober permanently.
They’re equipped to help you transition into long-term sobriety, dealing with any triggers along the way.
As well as heroin rehab (for inpatients or outpatients), Sheffield offers:
The first step should always be detox, otherwise you’ll be battling withdrawal symptoms in an uncontrolled environment.
We’d strongly encourage you to not stop there. Incorporate as many forms of support as you can. Ideally, this would be residential rehab with aftercare, but any of the above options can be effective in their own way.
Detoxing from any addictive drug often causes withdrawal symptoms, as you’re adapting to sobriety after being reliant on a substance.
You may be more familiar with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, as alcohol detox is known for being particularly dangerous (especially if attempted independently).
Heroin detox also produces withdrawal symptoms in most patients. It’s a less dangerous type of withdrawal than alcohol detox, but patients should still be cautious, by recovering in a clinical environment, and avoiding cold-turkey quitting.
Severe withdrawal symptoms are rare, but must be treated as a matter of urgency. This includes: severe dehydration, seizures, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
More common withdrawal symptoms, that should still be monitored by detox staff, include:
Heroin detox usually lasts up to two weeks, but it varies from patient to patient.
Most people can expect:
There’s also a stage known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS), which doesn’t occur for everyone, but it’s worth noting due to how common it is.
PAWS is a second stage of withdrawal that often kicks in after acute withdrawal. The symptoms that present at this time can last anywhere from several weeks to a couple of years, so it’s a longer-lasting phenomenon than the acute phase.
Symptoms are largely psychological, as this stage of withdrawal requires your brain to start to function as it used to, which is a learning curve.
Symptoms include:
These symptoms won’t necessarily be affecting you all day, every day. They can become stronger and weaker, and may be intensified by factors such as co-occurring mental health disorders, stress levels, and other addiction triggers.
If you experience PAWS, it’s nothing to panic about. Although it can make recovery more draining, with plenty of support, you can get through this temporary phase.
Some heroin withdrawals don’t involve medication, but most do.
Medication is part of what makes professional detoxing so safe. It works to ease and prevent withdrawal symptoms, and ensure patients with additional physical or mental illnesses can stay safe as they adapt to abstinence. Taking medication can also make patients feel more comfortable during the detox, as well as reducing their relapse risk.
You won’t be forced to take any medication that you don’t want to take. As part of the planning period, the treatment provider will check that you’re happy with the detox process before going ahead with it.
That being said, due to the potential high risk of withdrawing without medication, it will likely be strongly recommended.
This doesn’t always mean a full opioid replacement detox, using buprenorphine or methadone. It could simply mean the patient is offered sleeping tablets, anti-nausea medication, or anti-anxiety medication.
Recent research has found that just 10 sessions of yoga can reduce the length of acute opioid withdrawal by nearly 50% (1).
The length of acute withdrawal is a huge reason many people delay detox, as they feel overwhelmed by the idea of dealing with withdrawal symptoms for a couple of weeks.
Shorter withdrawal periods could invite more people to get sober faster, which would significantly improve recovery outcomes.
Whilst it will take time for the average treatment provider to consider implementing yoga into heroin detox, this research teaches us another important thing: yoga can be an incredibly useful treatment for addiction treatment in general.
Fortunately, lots of heroin rehabs are already using yoga in the later stages of recovery (after the detox phase). The relaxation and concentration that yoga encourages can help people to get through addiction treatment without relapsing.
As for detox, if providers aren’t yet including yoga in this stage, they may be comfortable with you using yoga as a coping mechanism during heroin withdrawal. That way, even if formal yoga practice isn’t yet available, you can still reap the benefits of yoga as you deal with emerging withdrawal symptoms.
Many facilities would also be happy to include yoga in your aftercare plan, whether the yoga is provided by the treatment centre, or included as an aftercare recommendation for the client to implement at home.
With Rehab4Addiction, you may be able to obtain a detox referral in just one day. We work 24/7 to meet our clients’ needs, which means finding the ideal referral in as short a time as possible.
Waiting a couple of days to a week may be necessary, depending on the specifics of your situation, but we will always act with urgency and keep your waiting time as low as possible.
Bear in mind, if you opt for an NHS referral, you’re often waiting several weeks to months, and that’s if there’s any space for you at all.
We’re not here to criticise NHS rehabs, it’s simply a case of a lack of resources and diversity of treatments. With private addiction treatment, you can start recovery incredibly quickly, and the cost doesn’t have to be extremely high. Affordable options are out there.
Important note: there’s no “too soon” when it comes to heroin detox. If you are dependent on the substance, whether mildly or severely, it’s never too soon. Heroin damages your mind and body much faster than you may realise, and detoxing is the first process that puts a stop to this.
Your options for detox in Sheffield are endless, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That’s what we’re here for!
Our advisors work round-the-clock to find high-quality detox options that suit each of our clients. If you’d like to find out where we could fit into your planning, please give us a ring on 0800 140 4690.
Below, we provide answers to common questions around this important topic:
Heroin rehab always starts with a detox. If a heroin user attempted to start rehab without detoxing, they’d still be physically dependent on heroin, and this would cause serious problems in their recovery.
Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding the fact that you need to withdraw from heroin. It’s better to do it safely (in a professional context) than risk severe withdrawal symptoms when you’re not surrounded by medical staff.
No, PAWS can happen as part of any opioid detox, as well as alcohol detox and benzodiazepine detox (1).
The type of drug isn’t what causes PAWS. It’s the fact that the brain has been reliant on the substance for so long, and has to learn how to function without it.
You can still ask for our advice even if you’re not ready to start the detox phase yet. As much as we’d love for you to get a detox tomorrow, we understand it can be complex, and we’re here to support you as you decide what your next steps are.
