Quitting an illicit substance is one of the most challenging battles that a person can face, especially when it comes to opiates, such as heroin. The addictive properties of most opioids are remarkably strong, and will test a person in ways that they’ve never been tested before. It’s for this reason that quitting heroin is such a dangerous prospect. The other major challenge is that addicts often feel as though they are alienated from their families and society, in general. This makes it less likely that they will seek help on their own. Because of this, many addicts, when they feel they need to kick their heroin dependency, believe they can do it by going cold turkey. Besides the fact that it almost never works, here is why that is such a dangerous idea…
Physical hell
There is no easy way to get over a heroin dependency. That’s the hard truth of the matter. There will always be incredibly difficult physical symptoms, no matter how you go about it. However, fighting the physical symptoms of heroin withdrawals in a medical environment is much more manageable than trying to do it in a locked room on your own. The withdrawals from heroin will put your body through a physical hell that is hard to imagine unless you’ve experienced it. The intense nauseation will consume you for days, and you will feel like you are burning and freezing at the same time, regardless of what you do to counteract these feelings. On top of this, the severe vomiting and diarrhea will be relentless. Also, you can forget sleeping.
Mental dependence
While the physical symptoms of heroin withdrawals can be devastating, they aren’t even the worst part of quitting cold turkey. The mental dependence of heroin is far worse than the physical. Heroin is one of the most intensely pleasurable experiences that a person can have. The opioid hits your brain and releases a euphoria that can’t be matched. These feelings are vastly stronger than even an orgasm. This is the reason that heroin is so addictive, as it prevents your mind from generating its own serotonin and endorphins. Because of this, you become dependent on heroin to generate any positive emotions. You can’t feel happiness unless you take heroin. For this reason, heroin withdrawals cause severe depression, and it is common for many individuals who go cold turkey to commit suicide.