“Not in itself a treatment for addiction, detoxification is a useful step only when it leads
into long-term treatment that is either drug-free (residential or outpatient)… The best documented drug-free treatments are the therapeutic community residential programs lasting 3 to 6 months.”
[The National Institute On Drug Abuse Research Report]
The severity of an individual’s heroin addiction is an important component when it comes to successful treatment. Statistics indicate: “treatment tends to be more effective when heroin abuse is identified early.”
Findings for heroin addiction treatment show that drug free programs lasting 3-6 months are the most successful as well as Therapeutic Communities (or TC’s).
In a study of over 1.8 admissions for treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, heroin and other opiates accounted for the largest percentage of drug-related admissions at 18 percent.
The Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration, Office Of Applied Studies reports that heroin treatment admission rates between 1993 and 1999 increased by 200 percent or more in six States and by 100-199 percent in another 11 States. More recently the drug abuse statistics have greatly increased for the abuse of prescription drugs, opiates and heroin.
The west and northeastern parts of the country had the highest heroin treatment admission rates between the years of 1993 and 1999. Many reasons where listed for this including the increase in the numbers of people inhaling or snorting heroin rather than injecting it and also that new users were unaware of the addictive effects of heroin abuse.
In 2000 heroin was the top drug that addicts were seeking treatment for and the primary type of treatment at that point went from detoxification to residential treatment.
Residential treatment that is long-term with a high success rate for permanent sobriety has the best chances of fully addressing all components and handling heroin addiction.
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