Heroin Addiction & Rehabilitation

Heroin is a compound that is synthesized from Morphine, which is extracted from the Opium poppy, Papaver Somniferum. Opium and it’s derivatives have a long history of use by humans.

Pain Medications

The Opiates are extremely powerful pain medications. If undergoing surgery, or recovering from a painful car accident or self-medicating for psychic pain, the opiates will be effective in masking that pain wherever it might be.

Daily heroin use might seem like a workable solution at first, however there is always a time when the opiate user would like very much to be free of this habit. The physiological effects of Heroin alone can be devastating. From chronic constipation and subsequent whole body toxicity to the more frightening wounds and abscesses that are associated with injection drug use. Heroin users are extremely vulnerable to blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV, which are serious, incurable diseases.

Overdose Risk

There is a risk of overdose with heroin which can be lethal. Usually the drug is cut with with fillers like sugar, starch, powdered milk, quinine, strychnine or fentanyl. If the source of heroin is unknown the ratio of heroin to filler is also unknown. The user may overdose if there is a significant change in the purity of the drug.

Opiates

Opiates bind to receptors all over the body, they are especially concentrated in areas of the brain that control breathing, pain and emotions. The body’s natural opiate is called “endorphin.” Endorphins are always present in the brain, but they are released in greater amounts when people are in pain or under stress.

Heroin Addiction

Prolonged use cause physical dependence and addiction. The body develops a tolerance to the drug and increasingly higher doses are needed to create the desired effect and fend off withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can be extremely painful. In addition to craving the drug, common symptoms include severe pain in the bones and muscles, diarrhea and vomiting. Sleep is almost impossible. The symptoms intensify over the first few days and can last for about a week. Sudden withdrawal by heavily-dependent users in poor health is occasionally fatal.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Eliminating the drug cold turkey can be very painful, but it is possible to get through withdrawal without all that pain with our medically supervised natural detox program.

Heroin use has increased in the last years. The number of past-month heroin users nearly tripled from 68,000 in 1993 to 208,000 in 1999.¹ The average heroin addict spends between $150 and $200 per day to maintain a heroin addiction.¹

Effects of Heroin on the Brain

In 1973, scientists discovered that the brain had receptors for opiates. In other words, there are places on neurons that recognize opiates. These receptors were located in parts of the brain important for breathing, pain and emotions. The discovery of opiate receptors in the brain raised the question as to why neurons would have such receptors. Two years later, scientists found the answer: the brain manufactures its own opiates known as “endorphins.” Endorphins are always in the brain, but they are released in greater amounts when people and animals are in pain or under stress.

Heroin use creates physical dependance. Heroin drives out the neurotransmitter endorphin; when this happens and heroin isn’t used, withdrawal symptoms set in. Withdrawal symptoms vary from one person to the other and may include the following: insomnia, muscle ache, nausea, vomiting, chills, sweating, diarrhea, dilated pupils, goose bumps, watery eyes, runny nose, yawning, muscle cramps, stomach cramps, shakes, feeling jittery, irritable, panic, tremors.

Heroin Statistics

The number of past-month heroin users nearly tripled from 68,000 in 1993 to 208,000 in 1999.¹ The average heroin addict spends between $150 and $200 per day to maintain a heroin addiction.¹

Rehabilitation for Heroin

Conventional drug treatment uses a medical detoxification prior to rehabilitation. We may accept people after a medical detox or without medical detox since our natural detoxification program controls all withdrawal symptoms very efficiently without the use of pharmaceutical drugs.

Natural Detoxification Program

Our Natural Detoxification program controls all withdrawal symptoms very effectively without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. A conventional medical detox program is therefore not required before starting our program.

Length of stay recommended varies with individuals needs. Our prices decrease monthly the longer you stay. Long- term stay includes community activities such as working in the garden or helping with other tasks that are particularly attractive to each individual. Occupational therapy is recommended but optional. The hours are flexible and adapted to everyone’s ability. We also include classes on topics of interest such as raw food preparation, and gardening. Topics are chosen according to what is needed.

We encourage creativity and education and we provide material to play with. Our library contains books and DVD’s on raw food preparation and many health related topics. We are well stocked with games, puzzles, art supplies, and musical instruments. We have occasionally held dancing events in our facility or taken people to a nearby resorts for ecstatic free dancing on Sundays.

HAWAII NATURAL DRUG REHABILITATION                                       & RAW DETOXIFICATION CENTER