Many people don’t know the cost heroin abuse can cause you to incur in one day. In fact, it can require more than $200 a day just to gain the amount of heroin necessary to keep from experiencing withdrawal symptoms, especially if you are severely addicted. Detox.com has created an all-new study detailing this exact issue, which also outlines how much less expensive treatment is than daily heroin use. However, you may be wondering what the long-term price of heroin addiction is as well.
Heroin addiction can cost you lots of money in the long run. For example, consider what you would have to do if you were arrested for abusing this drug. First, you might have to retain a lawyer, which could require upwards of $50,000. If you do wind up having to pay a fine, it could be anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000. Finally, if you are incarcerated, you will lose your wages for the entire year (an average of $60,000) and you will probably cost the country itself over $24,000 for your incarceration.
Now, consider what would happen if you overdosed on the drug. This can happen suddenly, but it is a common long-term consequence of heroin abuse. Overdose often requires immediate treatment, so you might need to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance (which will usually be upwards of $1,000). You may need to be in the ED for several hours or days, and you will likely need to be stabilized before you can be released. The price for a 3-4 day stay in the hospital is often around $4,000 to $5,000. If you don’t have insurance, you could end up owing this entire amount.
Another long-term consequence of heroin abuse is serious health problems. Even those who don’t overdose can contract HIV or hepatitis C from using infected needles, enduring collapsed veins and abscesses, or experiencing complications in their hearts or lungs such as infections or pneumonia. Problems like these will likely require you to be in and out of the hospital for several weeks, months, or years, and treatment may require hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.
Most addicts also lose their jobs, their loved ones, and their lives in the long term. Now you can see the truth behind what your heroin addiction is costing beyond just the initial use of the drug. As such, it is time to seek out the help you need.
Heroin detox is often the first step in the journey of recovery, and afterward, you can attend rehab. These programs usually cost as little as $10 to $20 a day, especially if you steer clear of luxury treatment centers. If you have insurance or you are one of the individuals who qualify for low-cost care, it might be even less. It is easy to see, no matter what your current situation, that heroin will only wind up taking more from you in the long run and that treatment is the safer, better, and yes, even the cheaper alternative to living a life controlled by substance abuse.
