In its most extreme form, this is referred to as Addison's disease, a condition that causes muscle weakness, weight loss, low blood pressure and low blood sugar, and can be life threatening. At the other end of the spectrum, as well as in between, lies adrenal fatigue (also known as hypoadrenia).
The average length of heroin addiction treatment is one to three months, but most individuals need additional time, and this is where aftercare comes in. These programs are an extension of the counseling these people received during treatment.
What most people don't realize is that the majority of long-term, hard-core drug addicts are dying in their 40s and 50s. The latest studies show that the life expectancy of a drug addict is 15 to 20 years after they start being a drug addict. So what we see is a replenishment of the population, a new crop of addicts. There are no 90-year-old heroin addicts. Most of those we were recording 20 years ago have died.