Point Pleasant, WV – Hope for Tomorrow, a West Virginia addiction recovery center with locations in Point Pleasant and Beckley, recently released a blog on the signs of heroin addiction. Hope for Tomorrow offers treatment for many substance use disorders to people from all walks of life. Their experiences with patients have made them experts on substance use disorders, including heroin use disorders.
Hope for Tomorrow opens the blog by highlighting the fact that West Virginia has led the country in drug overdose deaths since 2014. They emphasize the importance for everyone to recognize the signs of heroin addiction, and remind the audience that they can help people in need through educating themselves.
The blog offers some of the most vital information next: the psychological and behavioral signs of heroin addiction. According to the article, some signs of heroin use disorder include euphoria, anxiety, mood swings, trouble focusing, paranoia, and more. “People who use heroin will likely start to withdraw from friends and family, and leave behind activities they once enjoyed for heroin,” the blog continues. “They may become secretive about their whereabouts and behavior, and request to borrow money without explanation.” Hope for Tomorrow also warns of the likelihood of declining school and work performance, and how people with heroin use disorders often wear long sleeves no matter the weather.
Physical signs of heroin use disorder are equally important, and the blog also addresses those symptoms. Some physical symptoms are flushed skin, dry mouth, a frequent runny nose, weight loss, and constricted pupils, among others.
“Long-term heroin use can lead to liver and kidney disease,” the blog also informs the reader. “They also might end up with collapsed veins and abscesses, a weaker immune system, blood clots, and chronic pneumonia.”
Hope for Tomorrow also takes time to address a concern on so many peoples’ minds – heroin overdose. There is always a risk of overdose, the blog says, but some factors make it more likely. One of these is polysubstance abuse, which involves taking more substances at once. The blog warns that substances can have dangerous interactions with one another. “Individuals who abstain from heroin for a while and return to it are also at a higher risk of heroin overdose, due to their body being able to tolerate less than before,” the article adds.
Many people are curious about who is most likely to develop a heroin use disorder and why, and the article covers that as well. “Anyone can develop a heroin addiction. It doesn’t discriminate, but there are some qualities that many people with a heroin use disorder have in common,” it begins. While genetics are commonly attributed to addiction, and the blog acknowledges that, it also points out that genetics don’t make someone more likely to try heroin. Instead, it makes the brain more susceptible to addictive behaviors. According to Hope for Tomorrow, what really makes people more susceptible to developing a heroin addiction is undiagnosed mental health conditions, trauma, high stress levels, and growing up in an environment where heroin is present.
Any parents concerned about their teens’ potential drug use can find information in Hope for Tomorrow’s blog, too. It points out that when it comes to teens, heroin use will be most evident in declining school performance, developing new friend groups, and quitting extracurricular activities. The blog also cites paraphernalia as a huge sign of heroin use, in teens and otherwise. “What they use to take it depends on each method of administration, but a lot of it is the same: needles, cotton balls, spoons, lighters, straws, and rolling papers are most common.”
At the end of the article, Hope for Tomorrow offers guidance for readers concerned about a loved one’s potential heroin use disorder. They advise doing research on treatment centers and having an honest conversation with them. “They may not respond well at first, but let them know you care about them, treat them with empathy, and don’t give up,” the blog closes.
Hope for Tomorrow touts their welcoming atmosphere as one of their best qualities. They’re very clear: anyone is welcome at their facility, including veterans, pregnant women, and people with additional medical conditions. They also offer dual diagnosis treatment, and address every aspect of an individual’s substance use disorder. For more information, visit their website or call them at 877-679-8162.
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For more information about Hope For Tomorrow-Point Pleasant, contact the company here:
Hope For Tomorrow-Point Pleasant
Cristina Villalon
(304) 902-8532
beckley@myhopefortomorrow.com
3471 Ohio River Rd Point Pleasant WV 25550
