What is Heroin/Opioid Dependence?

When you take opioids regularly, there are changes in your brain and your nervous system, so you have to continue taking opioids just to feel normal.

In addition, your body continues to change, adapting its own reactions, and needs more and more drugs just to get through the day. It is no wonder that opioid users often say they feel “out of control” and that opioids has taken over their lives. For many, treatment with an opportunity to gain some control back over their brain, their bodies and their lives is critical.

New Perceptions of Heroin/Opioid Dependence

Heroin/opioid dependence is no longer perceived as a sign that you are a bad, weak or immoral person. Research has shown that opioid dependence is a chronic relapsing medical condition that may be caused by a genetic defect, such as diabetes or hypertension. The treatment is an important part of the management of any medical condition, and opioid dependence is no exception. While the complex changes that have happened in your body in the long run may be reversed, it should in the short term be important to stabilise your symptoms: Minimising withdrawal symptoms, reducing the urge and frequency of heroin/opioid abuse and getting away from a lifestyle that is centered around your opioid dependence.

Recovery Direct can help you learn more about the ways you can move forward from here on, and how to begin the journey. If you have unsuccessfully tried to quit using heroin/opioids earlier – then you are not alone. Most try and perform it at least once.

If treatment is not unknown to you, it may be an idea to spend some time reading about your treatment options to find out what is new, both in terms of your options and what is known about them. If you are concerned about a friend or family member who might have a problem, the information here may help you to talk to them and help them embark on the journey.

You can give this information to someone you are worried or send an email to them with a link to this site.

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