The Latest on the Heroin Epidemic

Heroin usage in the United States continues to rise, and it has over the past decade. It not only plagues adults but teens and young adults across the country. While the heroin epidemic continues, young adult drug rehab centers in Idaho try to reverse the effects.

Taking a Stand Against Heroin

If people want to see a decrease in heroin usage, they have to stand up against it. Experts say that taking a stand involves getting help for loved ones who struggle with the drug. They can’t overcome heroin addiction on their own. They need help through heroin addiction treatment that only rehab centers can offer.

Enrolling in the best heroin rehab programs provides medical care, professional and peer support, and therapy programs. Recovering from heroin abuse does not mean stopping drug use, it means healing your body and mind and continuous treatment.

Effects of Heroin Abuse

Heroin use initially gives a euphoric sensation. However, this pleasurable sensation is altering brain chemistry from the first use. It changes the control areas of automatic body functions, emotions, and pain messages from the central nervous system.

Effects of heroin abuse include:

• Health complications –  insomnia, gastrointestinal distress, lung complications, infections from injections, and blood-borne viruses
• Mental health issues – development or worsening of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorders
• Financial problems – spending any money on heroin and loss of career or school options
• Relationship issues – increased fighting with a spouse, neglect of children, loss of friends
• Legal trouble – stealing to get money for heroin, driving under the influence, custody loss for children

Heroin use affects not only the individual but society as a whole.

The Heroin Epidemic Claims More Lives Every Year

Experts aren’t sure about how to stop the increase in heroin usage. They’re sure of one thing, however. This epidemic claims tens of thousands of lives every year.

There are many statistics showing the precedent for addiction treatment programs. In 2018, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) reports over 67,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose. Of these, about 15,000 died from a heroin overdose, and the rest died from another form of opioid overdose. These figures mean that almost a quarter of opioid overdose deaths involved heroin. Despite these high numbers, tens of thousands of more people use heroin for the first time every year.

Another report from the NIH shows 652,000 people in the U.S. suffered from a heroin use disorder in 2017. The information continues to point out that 80 percent of heroin users first misused prescription drugs.

The CDC’s data shows that two out of three overdose deaths involved an opioid, like heroin, in 2018.

If your loved one is dealing with a heroin or prescription drug addiction, seek help from a teen drug rehab center before it is too late.

Let Us Help Your Family

The best way to help people who suffer from heroin abuse is to get help sooner rather than later. The longer that they abuse the drug, the higher their chance of overdose rises. At Zelus Recovery, we provide heroin addiction treatment for teens and young adults. Some of the programs that we offer include:

• Early intervention for adolescents
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Outpatient drug rehab
• Relapse prevention

For a better recovery experience, we also provide addiction therapy services which include:

• Individual, group, and family therapy
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Multisystemic therapy
• Relationship therapy program

Don’t let heroin addiction claim your loved one’s life. Fight back against the heroin epidemic with help from our licensed addiction treatment specialists. Contact Zelus Recovery at 208.518.0797 to speak with our friendly staff and find out what we can do for your family.

---

Located in Meridian, Idaho, Zelus Recovery offers life-changing outpatient addiction treatment for adolescents and young adults. Using proven therapeutic approaches that promote family involvement, we help young individuals who are struggling with addiction turn their lives around.