Heroin Treatment Program
Too often, individuals addicted to heroin only stop with intervention (usually by law enforcement). The long-term use of heroin eventually changes how the brain functions. These brain changes lead to the behaviors most distressing to both the addict and his or her family: the addict goes from voluntary to compulsive drug use. The reason for this is heroin’s effect on the brain’s natural inhibition and reward centers. These parts of the brain malfunction, and compulsive cravings cause the addict to use heroin despite adverse health, social, and legal consequences. Therefore, forced abstinence (as with incarceration) or detox without treatment can’t help addiction to heroin. Once physically free from withdrawal symptoms, addicts must learn how to avoid relapse.
Morningside Recovery understands that heroin addiction requires a complex recovery process. Usually by the time a client makes it to Morningside, heroin has taken over his or her life. The insatiable urge to get heroin and experience the temporary relief of the drug controls the person. Even after detox, cravings for heroin may be triggered by contact with the people, places, and things associated with prior use, as well as by stress. One client shared her experience: “I did the Suboxone detox three times and every time I told myself that I was fine and needed to get on with my life. Then I would end up stressed and it seemed like out of nowhere somebody would offer me dope and I would do it.”
Heroin often replaces clients’ hobbies and former activities. It clouds a person’s ability to function at work, with family, and in the community. Because addiction can affect so many aspects of a client’s life, treatment at Morningside examines the needs of the whole person. Morningside incorporates a variety of therapeutic services into our daily treatment regimens. The clinical staff designs a range of activities that address the medical, psychological, social, academic, and vocational needs. Thus, at Morningside, what we call “Phase I” of treatment focuses on some key areas. We offer a variety of therapeutic approaches:
- Group therapy, including community meetings in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. This helps clients understand their addiction by realizing that there is strength in numbers and hope in the experience of peers. Clients realistically come to terms with the consequences and insanity of heroin use. Clients learn effective strategies for dealing with their emotional and interpersonal problems without resorting to drugs or alcohol.
- Motivational Incentives: positive reinforcement such as rewards or privileges for participation and enthusiasm while attending counseling sessions. Clients see others succeeding, which boosts their motivation to stay drug free.
- Motivational Interviewing: employs strategies to evoke rapid and internally motivated behavior change to make the most of therapy and treatment activities.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: a very practical approach that emphasizes looking at ourselves and our own thinking as the source of how we feel and what we do. CBT helps clients recognize, avoid, and cope with the situations in which they are most likely to use heroin.
Family members can suffer as deeply as the addict. Treatment eases the pain, and deals with the feelings of fear and hopelessness. The family and client learn to deal with their own pessimistic ideas and unrealistic expectations. In addition to our Heroin Treatment Program, clients and their family members are strongly encouraged to attend the Morningside Family Program. Everyone involved learns how to accept the life problems that cannot be changed, while building better coping skills that lead to hope and serenity.
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