Immediate Heroin Detoxification Or DIY Cold Turkey

Heroin is a member of the opiate family of drugs derived from the opium poppy. Known by the scientific name, diamorphine, it is rated as the deadliest and most destructive of the top 20 recreational drugs. It is destructive in terms of its potential for addiction and the physical harm that results from its use. Conventional methods of heroin detoxification revolve around either the use of chemical analogues that compete with the drug for binding sites in the brain or the Twelve-Step Program adapted from that used successfully by recovering alcoholics.

Methods

Two unconventional methods of detoxifying from diamorphine will be discussed. One, called DIY or do-it-yourself cold turkey, is a carefully planned approach to cutting yourself off from drug use that does not involve going to family drug addiction counseling or checking into a drug treatment facility. At the other extreme is instant detox, using a combination of drugs that are injected while the patient is under a general anesthetic. This method is reported to wipe the body clean of the drug in as little as twenty minutes. The patient is then prescribed oral naltrexone for a year afterward.

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

At the other extreme is going cold turkey (DIY). Cold turkey refers to the process of abruptly discontinuing the use of an addictive substance instead of gradually decreasing the dose or using replacement medication. The DIY method uses a methodical, carefully planned approach to cold turkey.

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

A key part of DIY is to find a comfortable place to live during these two weeks. Being able to get up and make a cup of tea, watch television and read the addict’s own books are crucial components to the success to this technique. If the individual’s own home isn’t suitable, a friend, sibling or parents’ place will be fine. The process won’t be easy. The early stages will be full of insomnia, depression, chills, shivers and severe muscle cramps.

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.