Heroin Addiction Treatment Center & Hospital near Seattle

What is heroin addiction

Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal substance that is derived from morphine, which comes from the seeds of some varieties of poppy plants. It is not only the most abused drug of all the opiates, but also the most rapidly acting. This drug can be found as a white or brownish powder or as a sticky black substance, which is referred to on the streets as “black tar”. Although pure heroin does exist, it is commonly cut with other substances such as sugar or starch, or it can be cut with strychnine or other poisons. Since heroin users do not know the exact potency of the heroin they buy off the streets or the poisons it can be mixed with, heroin use has a high risk of overdose or death.

While most often injected straight into the veins or muscles, heroin can also be snorted, smoked, taken orally, or used as a suppository. Although all methods produce some sort of high, smoking and sniffing do not produce a high nearly as quickly or as intense effects as directly injecting the drug into your bloodstream. The surge of euphoria can be felt minutes after injecting heroin, lasting for only a few hours before disappearing. The positive feelings from the high are then quickly replaced by an alternating wakeful and drowsy state where mental functioning becomes cloudy.

Heroin addiction is a chronic and relapsing disease that is accompanied by compulsive drug seeking behavior and use. After an extended period of use, heroin causes neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain, as well as tolerance and physical dependence. As addiction begins to take over the individual, they gradually spend more and more time obtaining and using heroin. An addict’s sole purpose in life becomes seeking out and using this drug. Heroin literally changes their brain and behavior.

Cascade Behavioral Health Hospital in Tukwila near Seattle has had many years of experience helping men and women who are struggling with addiction problems. While right now you may feel as though you’ve hit rock bottom, we want you to know that you can get your addiction under control and back to living the life you want to live.

Why seek treatment for heroin addiction at Cascade

Chronic heroin use, if allowed to continue, will end up causing the user a variety a wide range of negative medical consequences. If the primary method of abuse is injection, then an individual may end up with collapsed veins, bacterial infections of blood vessels and heart valves, abscesses, and liver disease. Smoking heroin can cause pneumonia and depression as well as overall depressing effects on the individual’s respiration.

In addition to greatly affecting your health, heroin addiction can cause you to lose everything that you hold dear in life. As the drug slowly takes over your life, you will no longer seem to care about anything else. You may lose your job because you are no longer completing your required responsibilities or you may be forced to drop out of school due to failing grades. You may now be living in a world of social isolation because your friends and family have moved on, no longer wanting to support your heroin use. Heroin addiction can leave you broke, alone, and in bad health.

As one of the best treatment centers for heroin addiction near Seattle, we understand how terrifying it may be to make the important decision to go to a hospital for your heroin addiction. We know that you may be scared to face potential unpleasant withdrawal symptoms or you may not be ready to face painful emotions that you’ve kept hidden for so long. The compassionate staff is here to do everything they can to make you feel safe and comfortable throughout the recovery process.

Our substance abuse care has a number of different treatment options so you can be assured that you are going to get treatment that is tailored to your specific needs. Your entire treatment team will take the time to get to know you and your family on a personal level, which will instill a sense of trust. Our leading healthcare experts are truly dedicated to you and your recovery process, making sure to put patient welfare above all else.

Our philosophy and benefits

A our heroin abuse hospital near Seattle, we take a holistic approach to care because we have a strong belief that addiction treatment is most successful when the entire person is treated. A heroin addiction will not only affect you physically, but also emotionally and mentally. Our innovative programs are designed to provide you with comfort and education, as well as empower you to take an active approach in your recovery.

Treatment at Cascade Behavioral Health Hospital for heroin addiction

At our treatment center for heroin addiction we work hard to provide every man and woman who comes to us with an addiction problem with optimized mental health treatment. Our substance abuse program provides each patient with stabilization, a variety of therapeutic methods, and a number of experiential programs designed to treat the whole person. Upon arrival at our rehab program you will first undergo a comprehensive medical and psychological assessment which will help our staff determine your treatment needs. The results of this assessment is what we will use to create your treatment plan. Some additional methods we use may include:

Detoxification: If you arrive at our treatment center physically dependent on heroin, you will go through our detoxification program before you begin any other treatment. Throughout this process you will be monitored on a 24 hour basis to ensure your safety, while your body cleanses its self from all toxic substances. Medication may be used throughout this process in order to help relieve some of the withdrawal symptoms that you may experience.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This is a common technique used by addiction counselors to help patients identify their negative thoughts that may have added to their heroin addiction. Once these thoughts have been identified, you can then work on replacing them with more positive ways of thinking, which can in turn help alter your behavior for the better.

Dialectic Behavioral Therapy: Another common technique used at our treatment center that is used to help patients learn how to accept past experiences that are no longer under their control. This allows you to move on with your life instead of dwelling on the past.

Individual Therapy: Individual sessions at our hospital are a time where an individual can meet one-on-one with a counselor to discuss in depth any concerns that the patient may have. This is also a time where an individual can really get to the core of what may have caused the heroin abuse.

Group Therapy: Our group sessions are designed to provide our patients with education about addiction and time to process emotions surrounding their own addiction. Through groups, patients can support each other, while at the same time learning from the experiences of others.

Family Therapy: Family is a huge part of the recovery process for individuals who are struggling with an addiction. Through family sessions, the family can learn more about their loved one’s addiction and can have a chance to express how the addiction has affected them. On Wednesdays family members can meet without the patient, allowing them more time to process their own emotions and to learn what being addicted to heroin means.

In addition to all of the traditional therapy methods, we also provide a number of experiential treatment services that are there to help the healing process. Some of these services may include:

• Acupuncture
• Medication
• Nutrition counseling
• Exercise programs
• A.A. and N.A. meetings

Continuing care – what comes next?

As one of the best treatment centers in Tukwila near Seattle, we are dedicated to providing you with continuity of care to make sure that you are successful with your recovery in the next steps of your treatment. We offer an Intensive Outpatient Program that allows patients to get treatment, but also allows for them to get back to the responsibilities of their daily life. Our IOP is a 12-step program that offers group sessions, as well as family therapy.

Serving the Greater Seattle Area

Our inpatient treatment center for heroin addiction and related disorders (like depression and anxiety) is located in Tukwila near Seattle which allows for us to serve residents from all over the greater Seattle region, including King and its surrounding counties. Our treatment center is staffed 24 hours a day by admissions counselors who are standing by to answer your questions. Call us today.