Heroin Detox

If you’ve detoxed from heroin before but started using again, the detox may not be the part you need to change. Find out what would be different during a residential stay.

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01438 583222

You’ve probably detoxed from heroin before. Perhaps you did it through your local drug and alcohol service or completed a script reduction.

You may have come off in custody or shut yourself away at home until it was over.

It worked. You stopped using heroin. Then, some time later, you started again.

A heroin detox at Abbington House includes the coming-off period, but it doesn’t end there.

Detox takes place as one part of a residential stay, with treatment continuing once the detox has finished.

What a heroin detox hereinvolves

Heroin detox at Abbington House is medically supervised and individually assessed.
It’s arranged as part of a residential stay where it’s clinically needed, and it isn’t offered on its own.
Your assessment happens before you arrive. It helps the team decide whether treatment here is appropriate and shapes what follows.
The guide to heroin withdrawal and its timeline covers the symptoms, stages and how long withdrawal can take.
You can also read about how detox is managed at Abbington House more generally.

You’ve probably done this before

Perhaps you had no formal support at all. You stayed in your room, ignored your phone and waited until you could get through the day without using.

The detox worked. You came off heroin.

Then you were back in the same flat, with the same numbers in your phone. The person you used with was still nearby.

The reason you wanted heroin at the end of a difficult day hadn’t gone anywhere.

You might have lasted a week. You might have gone for much longer.

Starting again doesn’t change the fact that you managed to stop.

If coming off heroin wasn’t the part you struggled to complete, arranging another detox on its own may give you the same limited help.

A residential stay gives you time to deal with what happens after the detox has ended.

The guide to heroin withdrawal explains the physical side of coming off.

If you’re still trying to work out whether your heroin use needs treatment, the heroin addiction page covers the signs and patterns to look at.

You can also read about the difference between needing detox and needing residential treatment.

How the detox is managed here

Your assessment takes place before admission.

The plan is based on the person being treated rather than a standard schedule decided in advance.

Abbington House has an on-site prescriber, Sophie Picton.

Doses and fixed schedules aren’t published because those decisions depend on the person being treated.

Detox is medically supervised throughout.

Abbington House is CQC-registered and takes up to 21 people at a time. The detox and the treatment that follows take place in the same setting.

If you’re using today, or you’re on a script

You don’t need to hide the fact that you’ve used recently.

The team needs an accurate account of what you’re taking so that they can assess what support you need.

If you used heroin this morning or think you’ll use again before admission, say so during the assessment.

If you have a prescription, the assessment will also cover what you’re prescribed, how you’re taking it and whether you’ve been using heroin alongside it.

Nobody should reduce or stop a methadone or buprenorphine prescription themselves in preparation for admission.

Speak to the person managing your prescription and tell the admissions team exactly what you’re taking.

You can read more about what happens before arrival on the admissions page.

Can you detox from heroin at home?

At home

You may already know that it’s possible because you’ve done it.

You may also have completed a detox through your local service without staying anywhere overnight.

The question isn’t only whether you can get through another detox at home.

It’s whether being at home gives you enough support once it has finished.

At home, the phone call offering heroin can still come through. The person you usually buy from may still be nearby.

You’re also the one arranging appointments and getting yourself to them while managing everything else that was already going on.

Residential stay

During a residential stay, you remain in one place for the detox and the treatment that follows it.

You don’t have to move between services or go home as soon as the detox ends.

If you’re a parent or partner reading this for someone else, you can call and explain what’s happening.

The team can tell you what can be discussed and what routes may be available.

What happens after the detox, and why the days after matter most

The heroin overdose guide explains the risks and what to do if you think someone has overdosed.

The rest of the stay doesn’t stop when the detox ends.

You remain at Abbington House for the treatment that follows, rather than going home as soon as the prescribed detox has finished.

Treatment can include CBT, DBT, trauma-informed work and a 12-step structure.

Family support and aftercare are part of the same stay. You can read more about therapy at Abbington House.

Most stays are around 28 days, although every admission is assessed individually.

The length-of-stay guide explains why some people need more or less time.

One fixed fee covers the stay, including detox where needed, therapy, family support and aftercare.

The figure is published on the rehab costs page.

If a residential stay is appropriate, the heroin treatment page explains what happens beyond detox and what the wider stay involves.

If private treatment isn't an option

Private treatment isn’t the only way to get help with heroin use.

You can speak to your GP or contact your local drug and alcohol service directly. You don’t need a GP referral to approach the service yourself.

NHS treatment is free.

The guide to private and NHS addiction treatment explains the differences between the two routes.

Common questions about heroin detox

01 : Do you use methadone or buprenorphine here?

Methadone or buprenorphine may be used where the prescriber decides it’s clinically appropriate. This isn’t automatic, and there isn’t one medication or reduction schedule used for every admission.

If you already have a prescription, Sophie Picton, Abbington House’s on-site prescriber, will review it as part of your assessment. Don’t reduce or stop your prescription yourself before admission.

02 : Is a detox here different from one my drug service can arrange?

Your local drug and alcohol service may be able to arrange a medically supported detox while you remain at home. For many people, that will be an appropriate option.

At Abbington House, detox takes place as part of a residential stay. You remain in the same setting for the treatment that follows, including therapy, family support and aftercare.

Residential treatment isn’t automatically better than community treatment. The right setting depends on your current use, previous detoxes, health and the support available to you at home.

03 : What if I’ve been using on top of my script?

Tell the admissions team exactly what you’ve been prescribed, how you’re taking it and what heroin you’ve been using alongside it. This information is needed so that Sophie can assess your current prescription and decide whether treatment at Abbington House can be provided safely.

Using heroin on top of a prescription doesn’t mean you should stop or reduce the prescription yourself. Continue taking it as prescribed unless the clinician responsible for it tells you otherwise.

Talking things through

Call 01438 583222 to talk through what’s been happening, how long you’ve been using and what happened the last time you came off heroin.

The team will also ask about the period afterwards, including what support you had and what led to you using again.

That information helps them assess whether a stay at Abbington House would be appropriate.

The honest answer may be that another service or setting would suit you better. If that’s the case, they’ll tell you.

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