gobayview.com

Heroin, or diamorphine, is the most deadly and destructive of the 20 most popular recreational drugs. It is also the most highly addictive. Conventional methods of heroin drug detox revolve around the Twelve-Step Program or the use of chemical analogues that block the binding sites of the drug without inducing the customary sense of euphoria. The addict misses out on the buzz but they escape the horrendous withdrawal symptoms that contribute to many failed attempts to get clear of the drug.

Methods

Two extreme approaches to diamorphine detoxification are presented. One, called instant detox, involves injecting a combination of drugs while the patient is under an anesthetic. Reportedly, the body is cleansed of the drug within twenty minutes. The patient is required to take oral naltrexone for a year afterward. At the other extreme is do-it-yourself cold turkey, a methodical process of discontinuing the drug without checking into a clinic or attending family counseling.

Instant Detox

The seeds of instant detoxification were sown in 1988. A doctor in Austria was injecting addicts with naltrexone, an intravenous opiate blocker. On its own, this drug caused the patients to suffer immensely as the drug was stripped from their nervous systems. A sedative was provided to spare the patients from this suffering. This process brought the time interval of the withdrawal process from a matter of weeks down to a few days.

Cold Turkey

DIY cold turkey is the other extreme. Cold turkey is the term given to the process of suddenly stopping to take an addictive substance instead of using replacement medication or reducing the dose gradually. The DIY approach requires a bit of forward planning to make the process less distressing.

The Plan

Instead of waking up one morning and deciding today is the day to stop using heroin, the individual is advised to plan ahead and set aside a two-week period during which to stop taking the drug. Building up a small nest egg to use for intermittent rewards during the detoxification process is strongly encouraged to help succeed. The family is sent on vacation and friends are asked not to stop by or telephone during the detox period.

Where To Stay

These two weeks should be spent somewhere the individual feels comfortable. Some place they can be surrounded by their own possessions would be ideal, a place where they can chill out and do what they please. The first few days will be hell and it is important that they have pleasant ways to pass the time between bouts of depression, insomnia, chills, shivers and severe muscle cramps. If their own home won’t work, the home of a parent, friend or sibling will do.

Rewards

Break the interval into tiny, manageable milestones and reward each one by reading a good book, watching a DVD or ordering a pizza. Within two weeks, maybe less, the body will have been purged of the drug and you are on your way to a drug-free, productive life.