About Opiate Addiction
Drug addiction is a disease. People who are addicted to opiates have become physically dependent on a drug and need that drug in order to function normally.
Opiate abuse usually starts with a person simply following a doctor’s orders. But for some people, drug use turns to drug abuse without them being aware of it happening. Addiction to opiates can occur in a matter of days and it can happen to anyone.
|
|
|
What Are Opiates?
Opiates are powerful narcotics most often used to relieve pain. Derived from opium which is extracted from poppy flowers, opiates are the base of potent drugs such as heroin and most pain medications.
Opiates are especially addictive because of their chemical composition. They affect the brain by activating "pleasure" centers that create euphoria while also reducing "pain" centers in the brain.
Over time, the brain’s chemistry adjusts to the presence of opiates in the body, requiring increasingly more of the chemical to feel “normal.” At the same time, any lack of opiates in the body will trigger intense discomfort in the form of withdrawal symptoms.
Many people go to great lengths and make great sacrifices just trying to avoid the difficult withdrawal process. It may seem like the simplest way to avoid withdrawal is to keep taking the drug. But as the body continues to adapt, the amount of drug required to feel “normal” must be continually increased—and the addiction grows stronger.
How Could This Have Happened?
What may have started as an innocent need to treat routine pain has grown into a serious physical problem and you are not sure what to do or how to take care of your problem.
Taking opiates for pain management or for other reasons may lead to physical and neurological changes that require your body and brain to have the drugs, whether you need them or not. Now, you need the drugs even if you don’t really want to be taking them.
Signs and Symptoms of Opiate Addiction
Many people do not realize they are “dependent” on prescription drugs. Also, because opiate addiction is easy to conceal, it may be difficult or impossible to determine whether a loved one or family member is struggling with an opiate dependency.
Consequences of Addiction and Opiate Abuse
The consequences of drug addiction are numerous, severe, and affect all aspects of life:
• Physical Consequences
Continuous use of opiates leads to physical dependence and adverse symptoms such as nausea, constipation, sedation and weakened immune system. Upon stopping use without proper treatment, you can expect to feel intense withdrawal symptoms that include diarrhea, anxiety, nausea and sleeplessness.
• Mental Changes
In the brain, activity of serotonin receptors is affected, which in turn leads to depression, lethargy, and moodiness. This chemical addiction necessitates continued use of the drugs in order to feel "normal."
• Social consequences
Less time is spent with friends and family. Parents lose touch with kids. Married people lose touch with their spouses. Kids lose touch with friends and family. Work or school becomes secondary to the addiction. Careers are damaged as people lose their jobs. Students fail classes and sometimes drop out of school altogether. Families fall apart.
• Financial consequences
The cost of addiction to opiates can be hundreds of dollars per day. Money intended for food, clothes, bills, etc., is spent on drugs. Society also pays for drug addiction because of increased hospital fees, increased law enforcement and judicial expenses, and prison costs.
• Other consequences
Accidents, violence, legal problems and even death are associated with continued opiate use. The effort to obtain illicit pain medication or drugs often lands people in jail or other legal trouble. The incidence of death from overdose and drug-related accidents among people who abuse opiates is disproportionately high.
|
|
About Withdrawal from Opiate Dependency
Withdrawal is the physical process that occurs within the body, once the body is no longer receiving the drug to which it is addicted.
Altered brain chemistry means that the body needs
to "readjust" and the process can be difficult.
Treatment Options
Modern advances in drug detoxification have led to a dramatic increase in the number of treatment options
available.
Some of the most common options are:
• Hospitalization
• Inpatient drug rehabilitation
• 12-step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous
• Rapid Opiate Detoxification – can be effective, but carries some medical risks
• The Meditox Method – a safe and effective personalized program designed to make withdrawal as painless
as possible. Meditox drug detox centers provide the support and expertise of opiate addiction specialists to
help you break free of addiction
To learn more about the Meditox’s treatment program, please call for a free, confidential consultation.
- Prescription Drug Addiction
- Suboxone Treatment
- Drug Rehab Alternative
- Drug Detox
- Opiate Detox
- Methadone Detox
- Heroin Detox
- Vicodin Detox
“Today is week #5! I have my life back, this morning my husband told me he hadn't seen me like this in three years! My daughter told me "your back Mom"! My Fybromyalgia is down to 2 to 3 percent of what it was, I am fully able to live with the Joy and Love and Laughter which has always been my way.”
Mother, Real Estate Agent, 49
August 11, 2006
- Drug Addiction Recovery Online at SoberCircle.com
- Frequently Asked Questions About Suboxone Treatment
- Avoiding Opiate Detox Relapse Triggers
- Friendships That Fail During Opiate Detox
- Happy Half-Birthday to Me!
