ARC, West Los Angeles  California

Heroin addiction is characterized by the need for medical services during the withdrawal period. ARC provides onsite medical detoxification services including the advanced treatment protocols of Suboxone and Buprenorphine. Untreated heroin addiction is a serious condition which can lead to fatality. If you or a loved one needs treatment for heroin addiction call 877 415 HOPE today. Our credentialed staff will answer any questions you might have.

History of Heroin Addiction

The opium poppy was utilized in lower Mesopotamia as early as 3400 B.C. Heroin was first synthesized in 1874 by a British chemist working in London. Heroin initially was prescribed for pain and as a cough-suppressant and the powerful ramifications of heroin addiction soon became evident. Heroin was legal for medicinal purposes until 1924 when the United States Congress banned its manufacture, distribution and sale within its sovereign borders.

Heroin then became an illicit drug that steadily climbed in popularity until 2003 when the NIDA determined that 3.7 million Americans had used heroin at some point in their lifetimes. The NIDA also determined that this number underestimated the actual scope of the developing heroin addiction trends.

Heroin has moved out of the cultural backwaters and into mainstream society. It is often introduced as a party drug by users or dealers and purity levels of heroin have steadily increased to meet its growing demand. Because of the drugs illicit distribution, those suffering from heroin addiction never know the actual purity of each fix. Consequently, heroin overdose is common and can result in death.

Effects of Heroin Addiction

The addictive qualities of heroin are hastened by the fact it is a derivative of morphine. Once in the brain, heroin is rapidly metabolized into morphine by removal of the acetyl groups. It is the morphine molecule that then binds with opioid receptors and produces the subjective effects of the heroin high.

The onset of heroin’s effects is dependent on the method of administration. Orally the heroin is totally metabolized in vivo into morphine before crossing the blood-brain barrier, so the effects are the same as morphine when taken by mouth. Snorting heroin results in onset within 10 to 15 minutes. Smoking heroin results in an almost immediate, though mild effect which strengthens the longer it is used in that particular session. Intravenous injection results in rush and euphoria within 7 to 8 seconds, while intramuscular injection takes longer, having an effect within 5 to 8 minutes.

Heroin addiction has unique characteristics demonstrating the powerful psychological effects of the drug. Heroin addicts often report that pursuit of the drug takes over all other human requirements, such as the need for food and water.

Heroin Addiction Withdrawal

Heroin addiction has acute withdrawal symptoms that include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"), and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. However, some people show persistent post-acute withdrawal symptoms for many months. At one time it was speculated that successful treatment for heroin addiction entailed only removal of the drugs dependence. Unfortunately, this has proven untrue as relapse after withdrawal is quite common. This is partly due to the “rewiring” that takes place during active heroin addiction. The mentality for pursuit of the drug becomes so ingrained that coupled with the reality of the post-acute withdrawal symptoms of sleeplessness, depression, fatigue and anxiety many heroin addicts are prone to relapse during early recovery.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction with ARC is Effective and Unique

ARC focuses initially on treating two important elements in heroin addiction.

• Medical detoxification and continued medical treatment of post-acute withdrawal symptoms
• Determining what underlying issues have contributed to the onset of the heroin addiction

Armed with medical treatment and clinical support each client of the center experiencing heroin addiction receives a personalized treatment plan that addresses their present and future recovery needs. Our staff is intimately familiar with heroin addiction and imparts their experience in successfully combating the disease. Having role models who have overcome heroin addiction is often the crucial factor in tipping the scales towards a client achieving and maintaining sustained recovery.

The broad scope of care available with ARC for treating heroin addiction includes a team of physicians, psychiatrists, licensed professionals, experiential therapists and certified heroin addiction counselors. Our treatment philosophy focuses on addressing the underlying issues that have contributed to each client’s addictive process.

Traditional drug treatment centers provide extensive information about heroin addiction but often lack the resources to help clients with co-occurring conditions and the post-acute withdrawal symptoms that are notorious for plaguing heroin addicts during early recovery. Our onsite medical and clinical resources offer each client the opportunity to resolve both these issues with ongoing support throughout the treatment process. We provide daily individual therapy sessions including such methodologies as:

• Grief Therapy
• Trauma Therapy
• Somatic Therapy
• Analytical Therapy
• Reflective Therapy  
• Insight-Based Therapy
• Reason-Based Therapy
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

To effectively educate each individual about the origins of their addictive process the ARC drug treatment center offers a residential primary care program where the focus of care is on establishing a clean and sober baseline while clients are given the opportunity to practice the basic principles of recovery in a safe environment. During this period clients are assigned a primary clinician who will develop a personalized treatment plan designed to outline a plan of action for achieving each person’s individual drug treatment center goals. These goals are related to their unique personal, inter-relational, social and vocational needs in early recovery.

The ARC drug treatment center is committed to restoring clients experiencing heroin addiction and their loved ones to a healthier, happier state of being. ARC offers a family program that addresses the issues that have evolved from the addictive process. This program helps to prioritize the multitude of problems that have developed and begins the process of resolution and reconciliation for clients and their loved ones. It serves as a great starting point for a new chapter to unfold in the lives of all those who have been impacted by the devastation of active heroin addiction.

We understand that sustained heroin addiction recovery often takes time to formulate, and clients are offered continuing clinical and transitional support in Phase 2 Continuing Care and Phase 3 Extended Care. Traditional drug treatment centers often offer continuing care, but the transition into these programs means new counselor assignments, new living quarters, etc. (In some cases these traditional drug treatment centers continuing care programs are not in proximity to 12-step meetings or vocational and educational opportunities making it difficult for clients to engage effectively in a daily program of recovery)

With ARC each client moves into transitional care with the same counselor they have already developed trust and understanding with ensuring that clinical work will continue vs. restart. Our proximity to 12-step meetings, employment opportunities and educational resources ensures that clients will begin the process of learning to live independently while the safety of the ARC clinical and medical services are still readily available.

If you or someone you know is struggling with heroin addiction and is in need of treatment call 877 415 HOPE today. Our credentialed staff will answer any additional questions you have.