The decision to get treatment for your heroin addiction is a commendable one. Heroin is a highly addictive drug that causes severe addiction, and the treatment process will require commitment, patience, and determination on your end. You may have decided to attend outpatient rehab because it allows you to remain at home and still work and attend to your family.
An intensive outpatient therapy program for heroin addiction can help you deal with the intense withdrawal symptoms as well as acquire new healthy living skills to prevent relapse in the future. However, in some cases, you may decide that you aren’t happy with your current outpatient rehab and want to quit. While you won’t be arrested for leaving rehab, there are a few reasons why you should reconsider before walking out.
It Can Be Dangerous to Discontinue Medications
People are frequently prescribed medications to help reduce the symptoms of post-acute heroin withdrawal. Some of the medications you may encounter are:
- Buprenorphine
- Methadone
- Naltrexone
- Suboxone
These medications help treat the symptoms of heroin withdrawal and can reduce cravings as well as prevent heroin from having an effect to dissuade drug use. Quitting these medications abruptly can have negative health and mental consequences that make you prone to relapse quickly. Without anything to help curb cravings and treat withdrawal, you are more likely to use heroin again and possibly risk an overdose as you take more to reduce the intensity of the cravings.
Therapy Helps Over Time
You may want to quit outpatient rehab because you feel like it isn’t working. It’s normal to crave drugs or even be resistant to therapy at first. Before you leave your program, talk to your counselor or rehab staff and see if you can change your program or simply work with a new therapist. If you find that outpatient rehab isn’t strong enough, consider switching to an intensive outpatient program (IOP) that will take up the majority of your day and tackle your addiction in a more dynamic fashion including group counseling, family education, withdrawal management and relapse prevention.
You Joined for a Reason
You didn’t start outpatient rehab because you want to be an addict. Recover is hard, but addiction is deadly. Don’t let your current struggles prevent you from seeing your program through. You committed to your sobriety because you want to live a drug-free future. No one will call the police because you don’t complete an outpatient rehab, but you will still be financially responsible for the program and could face complications if you don’t pay.
Find the Right Program for Your Heroin Addiction
If your current rehab isn’t working, don’t lose hope yet. There are still plenty of options out there. The secret to your recovery could be as simple as switching to a new facility. Call us today at 833-846-5669 and tell us your problem. We’re happy to help you find the right heroin addiction program for you.