A Complex Addiction
Opiate addictions are some of the most complex types of addictions that our population faces right now. Everyone is talking about the opiate crisis. What most people are not talking about, however, is the fact that this is a very complex crisis because opiate abuse never is only about one drug.
When Does The Body Becomes Addicted To Opiates?
Your body can become physically addicted to opiate use in as little as 7 days. Some doctors even believe that the mental addiction to these pain relievers can happen in as little as five days. At this time we will address the physical side of the addiction.
When your body becomes addicted to opiates, the brain itself physically changes. The brain becomes dependent on the rush of the serotonin hormone from the drugs and begins to not function without it being present. As time passes, the need for more serotonin more often will happen. This is when addiction has its total hold on the individual.
The physical addiction to opiates is very real. Most people cannot overcome this addiction without the help of an addiction recovery center.
When facing this type of addiction alone, a person will do whatever it takes to get that serotonin level to increase so that withdrawal does not occur. That is why opiate abuse is never a single drug.
Common Substances Used For Withdrawal Symptoms
If a person addicted to opiates cannot access the drugs itself, it is very common for them to seek other substances to treat their withdrawal. Each of these substances are dangerous in their own way and include:
- Alcohol abuse
- Heroin
- Fentanyl
- OTC Anti-diarrhea medications (to treat the physical withdrawal symptoms)
Sadly, many of the people suffering with addictions begin to mix these substances when they do have access to opiates as well for a more intense high. As you can imagine, the addiction intensifies to a very dangerous level.
The Center for Disease Control has recently stated that because of the widespread abuse of opiates and mixing them with other more dangerous drugs, the anticipated deaths from opiate overdoses will exceed 600,000 people by the end of the decade. That is a horrific number.
There Is A Solution
It does not matter how you became addicted to opiates or pain medications. It does not matter how long you have been addicted to opiates. It doesn’t even matter if you have progressed to using booster substances to manage the addiction. What does matter is that you can get help to break the addiction for good. Addiction recovery centers, more commonly known as drug rehab, can help you break the cycle of opiate addiction and regain control of your life. Rehabilitation centers offering complete addiction recovery services will help you break the physical, mental and emotional addiction to opiates and help you rediscover life without addiction.
Quality drug rehab centers address the addiction from a whole person perspective. They look at everything from what led to the addiction to the physical health of the individual to develop a treatment plan. With the use of a substance abuse counselor, the addiction is addressed in a way that helps a person take charge of their life and overcome their need for the substances.
Rehab has drastically changed over the years. In the past, when you went to rehab you were basically locked away to suffer through physical withdrawals under managed care. Today’s rehabilitation center is about treating the whole person for the entire condition so that a recovery can be made.
Substance recovery centers also now have support systems in place for people who enter recovery so that they can remain substance free after completing the program. Different programs are in place to provide the support and reassurance necessary to stay drug free after you finish the program. Taking advantage of these programs is crucial to overall program success.
It is very important to understand that recovery is possible. No matter how far down the addiction road you have traveled, you can change your path. Living a life of recovery is possible, and there are addiction recovery centers that can help lead the way. You can overcome this addiction and rediscover what it is like to live substance free.
