How different is Heroin Rehab from Other Forms of Drug Addiction Treatment in North Dakota?

Heroin is an opioid, classified along with morphine, which is incidentally heroin’s parent compound, and codeine. Opioid addiction is always known to be the strongest form of addiction, having very strong withdrawal effects during the detox program and then having very high chances of relapses. This is because heroin and opioids can make the brain totally channelized into thinking that it cannot feel happy at all without their presence. The brain gets the feeling of happiness by the release of dopamine. However, a time comes when the brain cannot secrete any dopamine of its own accord, without the presence of the opioid the person is addicted to.

Due to the strong effects that opioid addiction can cause, the methods of heroin treatment in North Dakota are much different than the methods of treating other drugs. For one, the medication used is different. In heroin addiction treatment in North Dakota, two main forms of medication are used, methadone and buprenorphine. Both these are also opioids. The treatment method is to make the person dependent on these substances rather than on heroin. When these substances are provided to the person, the temptation for heroin is less. Then, with very careful monitoring, the dosages of methadone and buprenorphine are gradually reduced till the person stops feeling any urge for the substance at all.

The same applies for the aftercare program that follows heroin detox treatment in North Dakota. The patient has to be very sensitively monitored and counseled so that a relapse into the addiction does not occur. Mostly, the aftercare for opioid addiction treatment in North Dakota itself can go on for several months.