HEROIN REHAB: TIMELINE & LEVELS OF CARE

Heroin detox can be painful and very harmful if you do on your own. Detoxing from heroin should never be attempted on your own. You are dealing with a drug that is directly affects the brain receptors and the pleasure centers of your brain. The composition of your body has been changed. Trying to detox on your own will not only cause serious pain, but it can prove to be life-threatening.

There will be pain involved in this stage because there is no medical treatment administered. Most treatment centers offer medication-assisted treatment during detox that allows the client to become more comfortable during detox. Over time your tolerance builds up very quickly so withdrawal symptoms can be extremely severe. But with the medical supervision the time passes, but the recovery length may vary depending on severity of addiction or degree of physical dependence. The process may take several days or weeks depending on how heroin has damaged their body.

These usually last 20 to 45 days depending on your substance abuse history. While this can be the most intensive program, it gives clients the ability to get out of their current environments. There are many things that can contribute to substance abuse. Getting out of the current environment is crucial to your success. After that you will be transferred to a PHP or intensive outpatient program.

While these inpatient programs can be expensive, they provide a variety of different programs, and your insurance typically covers most the of the bill. The inpatient program allows clients to get rid of toxins and move to the next phase where they can become a productive member of society once again. 

Most inpatient and residential programs offer individualized drug treatments, counseling, case management, group therapy and other services as needed. An inpatient program may include: detoxification, medications for relief of withdrawal symptoms during heroin detox, and medically monitored withdrawals so your risk is minimized when you withdraw off it.

Heroin PHP is the middle ground between residential and intensive outpatient treatment. The level of care is determined by how many days sober you have. The core difference between after care options like a partial hospitalization program, IOP, and OP is the hours of programming and therapy hours. In PHP, you will not have 24 hours a day of programming and therapy like in a residential program, but you still get hours per day, just less than the other levels.

Intensive outpatient or IOP is the next step to allow clients to become a functioning member of society again. IOP is a critical step of your recovery journey. With even less hours, when your treatment team believes you are ready they will help you find a job. They will prep you for interviews, look at your resume, and give you critiques on your portfolios. You are also likely to participate in a ton of fun activities like surfing, boxing, gym days, kick ball, soccer, hikes all around California.