Holistic heroin detox treatments are available at most drug rehab centers that adopt a holistic approach to recovery. Holistic treatments focus on improving your whole health versus individual symptoms, which is helpful when you’re also trying to overcome health problems caused by addiction. Knowing more about the ins and outs of holistic heroin detox programs can help you get closer to choosing the best possible treatment program for you.

If you or your loved one is struggling with heroin addiction, understand that help is available and nearby. Call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with a drug abuse counselor about heroin detox centers devoted to helping you achieve sobriety.

The Holistic Approach to Heroin Addiction

Holistic treatments generally focus on treating the whole person physically, mentally, and spiritually. This means identifying the root cause of your addiction, and treating it in a way that allows you to overcome that specific root cause.

For example, if your heroin addiction stems from depression, you’ll be treated for depression using therapies that naturally help you manage and prevent depression. Healthy lifestyle habits such as exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, and getting plenty of sleep can naturally balance your serotonin levels, and lower depression.

Holistic Heroin Detox Treatments

Most holistic heroin detox programs do not typically involve the use of drugs and medications. Instead, you might be given vitamins and nutritional supplements to boost your immune system as you withdraw from heroin. Other therapies are available to help relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms caused by quitting heroin.

Heroin detox treatments commonly involve a combination of one or more of the following:

Yoga is a popular holistic treatment option.

• Massage therapy
• IV vitamin therapy
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Tai chi
• Acupuncture
• Exercise
• Nutritional counseling
• Spiritual counseling

Massage therapy and acupuncture help relieve muscle aches associated with heroin withdrawal, while IV vitamin therapy helps restore vital nutrients you may have lost throughout your struggle with addiction. Yoga and meditation are effective at combatting heroin cravings, and can be used to relieve stress and anxiety long after addiction treatment ends. The healthcare staff at holistic rehab centers will recommend the best therapies for you based on your personal health and wellness needs.

Finding Holistic Heroin Detox Treatments

Holistic heroin detox treatments are available at drug rehab centers all across the country. You can visit a holistic detox center close to home, or visit a holistic rehab center away from home in a peaceful, relaxing environment. Detoxing at a rehab center is one of the safest ways to overcome heroin addiction since you’ll be surrounded by caring staff members who can guide you comfortably through withdrawal.

Since heroin addiction can be highly difficult to overcome due to the way opioids affect your brain and body, avoid trying all-natural or holistic at-home detox treatments. Many times, these treatments are ineffective, and fail to address the underlying causes of heroin addiction. Plus, detoxing at home outside of a safe healthcare environment can put your health at risk due to the severity of certain heroin withdrawal symptoms.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with finding a holistic heroin detox center, let us help. Call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with a caring drug abuse counselor about your rehab options. We’ll help you find holistic heroin detox centers that offer all the amenities and accommodations you need to successfully overcome heroin addiction for good.

Ancient Secrets for Opiate Addiction Treatment

Detox is often the first stage of any alcohol or drug addiction treatment. When you’re addicted to opioids like heroin, detox is the one program that will help you successfully overcome physical dependency on the drug. But when you’re intent on overcoming heroin addiction for good, should you recover at an inpatient rehab center, or outpatient rehab center?

If you’re addicted to heroin or other opioids, understand that you’re not alone in your fight against addiction. Call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with a drug abuse counselor about your options for heroin detox and rehab centers near you.

What Are Inpatient Rehab Centers?

Inpatient rehab centers allow you to live at the facility for the duration of treatment. Heroin detox programs at these rehab centers can last anywhere from one to several weeks, depending on the severity of your addiction. Many times, inpatient rehab centers combine heroin detox with counseling services so you can overcome both the physical and mental challenges posed by addiction.

Since you’ll be living at an inpatient rehab center, you may have access to special amenities such as fitness centers, spas, and cafeterias stocked with all-natural, organic options. The amenities and accommodations offered at each rehab center vary based on factors such as cost, location, and treatments.

What Are Outpatient Rehab Centers?

Heroin detox can be conducted at facilities that just offer the detox program, or at outpatient centers that also offer counseling services similar to those available at inpatient rehab centers. The benefit to going to a heroin detox center is being able to resume your daily life activities more quickly after overcoming physical dependency on heroin. Additionally, detox centers are often less costly than inpatient drug rehab centers.

Outpatient rehab makes it easier to resume your daily life.

Outpatient rehabs offer heroin detox and counseling similar to that offered at inpatient rehabs, but allow you to live at home so you can manage other important obligations like work, education, and family. These facilities provide you with access to addiction counselors who can help you overcome mental causes of addiction so you can avoid relapse and stay sober for life. Support groups and aftercare programs are also available at outpatient drug rehab centers.

Which Heroin Detox Program Should You Choose?

There are heroin detox programs located in every state that can help you overcome heroin and opioid addiction. The program you choose should cater to your health and addiction needs, as well as to your personal needs as long as it enhances your recovery. For instance, if you suffer a long-term addiction to heroin, you may consider choosing heroin detox at a long-stay inpatient rehab center located somewhere serene and relaxing, like the beach.

If you’ve been struggling with a short-term addiction to heroin, you may fare best seeking treatment at a heroin detox center, or an outpatient center that offers counseling. If you also suffer from co-occurring disorders in addition to addiction such as bipolar disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may want to stick to a heroin detox program offered at an inpatient or outpatient rehab center. This allows you to receive counseling for your addiction and co-occurring disorder.

Understand that you’re not alone in your fight against heroin addiction, and that there are heroin detox centers located all around the country that can help. If you or someone you love is struggling with heroin addiction, call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with a drug abuse counselor about all your treatment options.

Opiate Withdrawal: Getting Through and Moving Forward

The effects of chronic opiate addiction take a considerable toll on a person’s physical and psychological well-being. It’s not uncommon for people struggling with severe addiction problems to also be dealing with full-blown psychological disorders. When addiction and mental illness co-exist, these conditions are known as dual diagnosis, or co-occurring disorders.

Recovering from opiate addiction by itself can be challenging for even the most determined of individuals. When mental illness enters the picture, the recovery process becomes that much more difficult since a person is dealing with two mental disorders as opposed to just one.

Under these conditions, opiate addiction treatment programs must be able to treat both the addiction and the psychological disorder in order for a person to have any chance at a successful recovery outcome.

Please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to ask about dual diagnosis treatment program options.

Dual Diagnosis Conditions

According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, an estimated 7.9 million Americans struggled with co-occurring disorders in 2014. As addiction and psychological disorder tend to feed off one another, having one condition automatically increases the risk of developing the other.

Opiates have a debilitating effect on the brain’s chemical system and overall functional capacity. These effects only grow worse with time. The end result leaves users with persistent brain chemical imbalances that ultimately work to reinforce drug-using behavior.

Psychological disorder works in much the same way as opiate addiction as far as brain chemical imbalances go. Consequently, addiction and mental illness only work to reinforce one another, making both disorders more severe over time.

Opiate Addiction Treatment Provisions

Opiate addiction and mental illness feed off one another, making intensive treatment a necessity.

Integrated Treatment Approach

The integrated treatment approach, also known as Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment or IDDT, combines addiction and mental health treatment services together, according to Case Western Reserve University. In effect, IDDT uses a coordinated approach that’s designed to manage the symptoms of both disorders at the same time rather than treating the two conditions separately.

Also, integrated treatment enables rehab programs to address the individual treatment needs of each person as opposed to using a one-size-fits-all treatment approach.

Behavior-Based Therapies

Opiate addiction and psychological disorder both breed destructive thinking and behavior patterns. These patterns only work to worsen the severity of both conditions over time.

For these reasons, behavior-based therapies make up a core component within a quality opiate addiction treatment program. Behavioral therapies commonly used include:

• One-on-one psychotherapy
• Group therapy
• Stress management training
• 12 Step support groups

In effect, behavior-based therapies equip you with the skills and tools needed to build a drug-free lifestyle.

Medication Therapies

More often than not, dual diagnosis conditions borne of opiate addiction leave behind brain chemical imbalances. Brain chemical imbalances essentially leave a person unable to move forward in recovery without some form of medical treatment.

Quality opiate addiction treatment programs can employ a range of medication therapies designed to treat both the addiction and psychological dysfunction. Medication therapies commonly used include:

• Methadone (for opiate addiction)
• Buprenorphine (for opiate addiction)
• Antidepressive medications
• Anti-anxiety medications

Medication therapies can work wonders in helping a person feel better about him or herself and from there, become fully engaged in the treatment process.

If you need help finding a program that treats both opiate addiction and mental illness, we can help. Call our helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

The Dangers of Putting Off Opioid Addiction Treatment

Through ongoing research and development, the opium poppy plant has spawned an entire family of drugs, commonly known as opiates. The majority of opiates produce pain-relieving effects, though there are a handful that produce different types of effects.

According to Palomar College, the opium poppy contains several alkaloids, or organic compounds that can interact with the human body and alter more than a few of its essential chemical processes. The list of opiates derived from the opium poppy can be broken up into different drug classifications based on each drug’s relation to the opium poppy plant.

For information on opiate addiction treatment programs, call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?).

Opiate Drug Classifications

As a group, opiates interact with the body’s own pain-management system, which is made up of various neurotransmitter and endorphin chemicals. In turn, opiate or opioid receptor sites exist throughout the brain, spinal cord, digestive tract as well as in other organs throughout the body, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

This list of opiates starts with the natural opium poppy alkaloids and then progresses into the man-made or synthetic varieties.

Natural Opium Derivatives

Natural opium-based drugs are derived from the alkaloid compounds found in the opium poppy plant. Natural derivatives include the following:

Natural opiates are derived from the opium poppy plant.

• Morphine
• Codeine
• Heroin
• Thebaine
• Oripavine

Morphine and heroin in particular exist as the two strongest natural opium derivatives. Morphine-based alkaloids appear in large concentrations within the opium poppy, whereas as heroin comes from specific types of opium poppy plants, such as the Asian poppy.

Semisynthetic Opium Derivatives

Semisynthetic opium derivatives contain both natural and synthetic, or man-made ingredients. This opiate classification contains a few of the more powerful prescription opiate drugs on the market.

Some of the more commonly used semisynthetic opiates include:

• Oxymorphone
• Oxycodone
• Hydromorphone
• Hydrocodone
• Buprenorphine

Since these drugs contain a mixture of natural and man-made ingredients, they can vary in potency levels based on any one drug’s synthetic chemical makeup.

What Are Opiates?

Synthetic Opium Derivatives

Synthetic opium derivatives contain all man-made ingredients, with this classification including some of the most powerful prescription opiate drugs in existence. As opiates carry a high risk for abuse and addiction, the more powerful the drug the greater the risk, according to the Journal of Drug & Alcohol Dependence.

Some of the more well-known synthetic opiates include:

• Fentanyl
• Lortab
• Demerol
• Methadone
• Dilaudid
• Norco
• Atarax

Opiate Addiction Treatment Medications

This list of opiates contains a few choice drugs that have been specifically designed to treat opiate addiction. Both buprenorphine and methadone produce effects that work to stabilize chemical imbalances in the brain left behind by chronic opiate addiction.

Yet another classification to add to the list of opiates are the antagonist drugs. Naltrexone and naloxone, two drugs that work as opiate addiction preventative agents, produce uncomfortable effects in the event a person relapses in recovery.

Considerations

While this list of opiates is by no means exhaustive, it does cover the main categories for this group of drugs. It helps to keep in mind that regardless of whether a person uses opiates for treatment purposes or on a recreational basis, the abuse and addiction potential for opiates remains the same.

Please don’t hesitate to call our helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) if you need help finding an opiate addiction treatment program.

Opiate abuse in any form can open up a Pandora’s box of unexpected problems and issues. Whether taking these drugs for medicinal reasons, or using for recreational purposes, ongoing opiate use wears away at a person’s ability to cope with daily life.

Co-occurring disorders become an issue when opiate addiction and mental illness develop alongside each other. Conditions, such as depression and anxiety can easily take shape over the course of a developing addiction problem.

Understanding the relationship between opiate abuse and mental illness can help you or someone you know take steps to stopping opiate abuse in its tracks before a bad situation turns worse.

Co-Occurring Disorders

According to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, opiate abuse and mental illness have a way of “seeking” each other out in terms of the effects these conditions have on brain functioning. Opiate drugs produce psychoactive effects, altering normal chemical processes in the brain over time.

This disruption naturally brings about imbalances in the brain’s chemical system. Once imbalances take root, conditions are ripe for mental illness or psychological disorder to develop.

The types of psychological disorders commonly associated with opiate abuse include:

• Bipolar disorder
• Major depressive disorder
• Anxiety disorders
• Panic disorder

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to ask about opiate abuse treatment options.

Opiate Abuse Effects on Mental Illness

Opiate abuse creates chemical imbalances in the brain, leading to emotional instability.

Severity of Mental Illness Worsens

While opiate addiction develops out of the drug’s effects on the brain, addiction in and of itself is actually a form of mental illness, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In effect, the changes brought about by opiates on brain chemistry warps the areas of the brain that regulate thinking and emotions in fundamental ways.

For these reasons, opiate addiction actually worsens the severity of a developing psychological disorder.

Addiction Potential Increases

Someone struggling with symptoms of depression or bouts of anxiety may well seek out an opiate “high” as a means to gain relief from symptoms of mental illness. Not surprisingly, it can easy to fall into a pattern of self-medicating uncomfortable symptoms.

Over time, this pattern of drug use only works to reinforce the addiction in terms of the psychological dependence that develops as a person comes to seek out relief through opiate abuse. In effect, opiate abuse and mental illness act as a two-way street with one condition aggravating the symptoms of the other.

Lifestyle Effects

People living with co-occurring disorders often experience the very worst of what these conditions have to offer in terms of the rapid decline in quality of life that occurs. Lifestyle effects brought on by co-occurring disorders often take the form of:

• Job loss
• Divorce
• Damaged relationships
• Homelessness
• Problems with the law
• Financial strain
• Poor physical health

Ultimately, the combined effects of opiate addiction and mental illness can leave a person at the mercy of the drug’s effects in his or her life.

If you suspect you or someone you know is dealing with a co-occurring disorder and need help finding a treatment program, please don’t hesitate to call our helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

Am I Abusing Prescription Opiates? – 3 Reasons to Get Opiate Abuse Treatment Now Rather Than Later

Unfortunately, opiates are the fastest growing drug addiction in the country. In 2010, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 200,000 people used heroin and 5.1 million people used painkillers for nonmedical reasons.

Opiates suppress the central nervous system, creating pain relief and a euphoric high feeling. While some people do start out taking them with a legitimate prescription, many become addicted and continue taking them even after their prescription is over.

While this article will explain more about opioids, our opiate specialists can supply you with even more info. Give our hotline a call at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with someone who can answer your opiate questions.

List of Opiates

Opiates can come in a number of different forms. They might be concocted as liquids, powders, syrups, or tablets.

There are also various ways to consume opiates. Many people prefer to inject the drugs, as this is the fastest way to feel its effects. Additional methods include snorting, taking it orally, and smoking it.

The list of opiate drugs is even longer than the methods of ingesting them. Some of the more popular ones include:

• Heroin
• Hydrocodone, such as Vicodin
• Oxycodone, such as Percocet and OxyContin
• Morphine, such as Kadian and Avinza
• Codeine
• Methadone

Many of these drugs are legal when prescribed by a doctor, which is what makes them so easy to obtain. In these cases, addicts get introduced to opiates through a pain prescription and then never look back. However, drugs like heroin are illegal in every case.

How Opiates Work

Drowsiness is a common side effect of opiate abuse.

Opiates work by sticking to specific proteins in your brain known as opioid receptors. As these proteins are stimulated, it helps reduce pain and sensation throughout the body. In addition, many people experience a euphoric feeling because these receptors are linked to your reward centers.

As you continue to take opiates, your brain will begin to get used to having this constant stimulation of the opioid receptors. This will cause your tolerance levels to go up, meaning you will need higher doses of the drug to achieve the same effects.

After a while, you will find yourself physically dependent on the drug. If you try to stop taking it, you will experience withdrawal symptoms that can range from mild to severe.

Effects of Opiates

Taking opiates produces a number of noticeable effects in people. Some of the most common side effects include:

• A “rush” feeling that offers intense relief and satisfaction
• Slower breathing, brain activity, and heart rate
• A lack of appetite and thirst
• Decreased sexual desire
• An increased tolerance to pain
• Mental confusion and slower thinking
• Drowsiness

As you can see, the adverse side effects outweigh most of the positive benefits. Regardless, people still continue to take opiates because of how it makes them feel.

Withdrawal from Opiates

Once a person becomes addicted to opiates, they will experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking it. These unpleasant side effects can begin only four to six hours after the last dose. Some of the most common ones include:

• Anxiety and agitation
• Muscle weakness and cramps
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Tremors, chills, and sweating
• Intense cravings

Normally, these symptoms peak at 72 hours after the last dose and finally disappear seven to 10 days after the last dose.

If you’re suffering from opiate withdrawal symptoms, our hotline specialists can help. Just give us a call at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) and we can direct you to the nearest opiate treatment center for help.

As you can see, opiates are very dangerous drugs that aren’t really worth the risk. While they do have some benefits when used on a short-term basis, taking them for more than the recommended time can lead to a deadly addiction.

Opioids vs. Opiates – What’s the Difference?

One great way to wean yourself off of opioid substances is to take Suboxone. It’s a combination of two medications, buprenorphine and naloxone, that work together to ease your withdrawal symptoms.

While it might sound counterproductive to replace one drug for another, Suboxone is not intended to be a long-term treatment. Instead, it is meant to prevent you from taking any medications in the future. To understand how long a typical Suboxone treatment plan should be, it’s important to understand better how Suboxone works.

How Suboxone Works

Suboxone is what’s known as an opioid partial agonist. It works by tricking your brain into thinking it’s receiving an actual dose of opioids, activating your opioid receptors and causing a weakened form of euphoria. This prevents withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking opioid drugs.

However, unlike real opiates, Suboxone’s effects begin to level off at a certain point. Even if you try and take more of the medication, you won’t be able to experience a more potent euphoria. This prevents people from misusing the drug and becoming addicted to it.

Additionally, it also blocks the effects of other drugs, meaning you can’t get high like you used to.

Because you are no longer receiving any pleasurable benefits from the drug and have your withdrawal symptoms under control, it makes it easier to wean off of.

The Different Phases of Treatment

During the maintenance phase, you’ll be given a daily dose of Suboxone.

Suboxone treatment typically begins with an induction phase, during which the medication is administered at a low dose in the presence of a doctor. This occurs after you have stopped taking drugs for at least 12 hours.

After this initial dose, the doctor will increase the amount of Suboxone you are taking. Generally, you will take one dose a day, with certain dosage adjustments made by your doctor. This is known as the stabilization phase, and will eventually eliminate your cravings and side effects.

Finally, you will enter the maintenance phase, during which you will have a steady dose of Suboxone every day. Some people stay in this phase for the rest of their lives, but many people are able to slowly eliminate the medication from their lives.

Average Length of Suboxone Treatment

With this information in mind, you can see how there could be a large discrepancy in how long Suboxone treatment lasts. However, the average length of treatment should last between 30 to 90 days. This should be plenty of time for your body to fully detox and improve your cognitive and physical function.

However, many people choose to stay on Suboxone for a long-term basis because it is easier. While this might seem easier than detoxing, it can lead to mountains of medical bills as well as a chance of future health issues.

As you can see, Suboxone is best when used only as a short-term tool rather than a long-term maintenance medication. However, it’s best to consult your doctor to know exactly what method is right for you. Only they can access your chances of relapsing and if you would thrive without maintenance treatment.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your doctor, we can also help. Our hotline is available 24 hours a day at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?). You can speak with a specialist who will talk more with you about Suboxone treatment and what method is right for you.

How Long Does Suboxone Block Opiates?

Detoxing from opioid addiction is the only way to get your life back on track. Unfortunately, it’s associated with an array of nasty withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms often scare people from even trying to detox.

However, by knowing what to expect from opiate withdrawal symptoms before you begin detoxing, you can prepare yourself for whatever comes your way. Here are some of the most common symptoms people experience when going through opioid detox.

Agitation and Anxiety

Because using opioids directly affects your brain, the withdrawal period can produce a number of mental and emotional symptoms. Many users experience extreme agitation that makes it difficult to communicate or interact with other people.

Additionally, the anxiety can make you worried about every small problem in your midst. You might even be worried you are dying, which is why it is so important to get help from a detox center so they can calm you down during this period.

Muscle Aches and Spasms

Drug users often experience muscle spasms in the leg when detoxing. This results in an involuntary kicking motion, which may be where the term “kicking the habit” came from.

Additionally, the muscle and joint pain that results from detox can make it hard to sit still or avoid rubbing the area.

This can be one of the most daunting withdrawal symptoms, as it might feel like you are physically in danger. This is one reason why it’s so important to choose a quality detox center to visit during your treatment.

Insomnia is a common opiate withdrawal symptom.

For help selecting the right treatment center for you, give our hotline a call at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?). Our experts can help you select a center near you that fits all your needs.

Runny Nose and Sweating

One very obvious side effect of opioid detox is runny everything. Just a few hours after your last dose, your eyes, nose, and skin will start dripping.

Many people experience sweat, tears, and a runny nose that streams down their face. While it can be uncomfortable and annoying, it’s a small symptom that can easily be remedied with tissues and a cool environment.

Abdominal Cramping and Diarrhea

Unfortunately, opioid withdrawal can wreak havoc on your gastrointestinal system. It’s common to experience painful abdominal cramps that often result in diarrhea.

When this happens, it’s important to keep drinking a lot of water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Excessive diarrhea can also cause an imbalance in your electrolyte balance.

Nausea and Vomiting

In addition to diarrhea, nausea and vomiting are another large concern. You might end up vomiting several times during the detox process, even if you no longer have any food in your system.

While vomiting itself is not hazardous, problems can arise if you inhale when throwing up. This can cause you to breathe in the contents of your stomach and lead to a lung infection if you aren’t careful.

Insomnia and Yawning

One annoying withdrawal symptom associated with detoxing is yawning. You might end up yawning several times a minute and be unable to stop.

Even with your yawning, you still won’t be able to sleep. Withdrawal often causes insomnia, disrupting your normal sleeping patterns and keeping you up late into the night.

Most of these withdrawal symptoms will begin to emerge eight to 12 hours after your last dose. Luckily, they should all disappear within a week to 10 days.

While it might sound like it will be an unbearable experience, it’s more manageable than it sounds. Most of these symptoms are similar to those you experience when you have the flu.

If you still have questions what you’ll experience during an opiate detox, give our hotline a call at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?). We can discuss potential symptoms with you as well as help you find a detox center to manage your withdrawal process.

When Does Withdrawal from Opiates Require Professional Treatment Help?

With today’s fast-paced lifestyles, an unexpected accident or injury can really throw off a busy schedule. Prescription opiates fit in nicely with today’s hustle and pace, allowing a person to pick up where he or she left off while still recovering from an injury.

Unfortunately, this level of convenience comes with certain risks as opiate drugs in general carry a high potential for abuse and addiction. What may seem like a passing symptom along the can quickly develop into a full-blown condition, especially when opiate abuse practices take shape along the way.

Being able to spot signs of opiate abuse sooner rather than later offers the best chance of preventing an out-of-control addiction problem from taking over your life.

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) for information on available opiate abuse treatment options.

Opiate Abuse Potential

The brain houses its own pain management system that uses endorphin chemicals to relieve pain, whether it be physical pain or emotional stress. According to the Journal of Pain Research and Treatment, endorphins share a similar chemical makeup with opiate drugs. This similarity allows the brain to easily adapt to opiate effects and adjust its own endorphin production rates accordingly.

These conditions account for why opiates carry such a high risk for abuse and addiction.

3 Reasons to Get Opiate Abuse Treatment

Physical Dependence

Fatigue and agitation are warning signs of opiate dependence.

With ongoing opiate use, the brain develops a dependence on opiate effects to carry out its regulatory functions. Over time, physical dependence brings on withdrawal effects, which are a clear sign that a person is engaging in opiate abuse.

Withdrawal effects result from growing brain chemical imbalances brought on by fluctuating endorphin chemical levels. Symptoms to watch for include:

• Problems sleeping
• Fatigue
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Agitation

Psychological Dependence

Psychological dependence becomes an issue when a person starts to use opiates as a way of coping with daily life responsibilities. Much like the brain comes to rely on opiates to manage the body’s systems, psychological dependence develops out of the mind and the effects opiates have on a person’s thinking and emotions, according to the Journal of Science & Practice Perspectives.

In the absence of needed opiate abuse treatment, this “need” for opiates will override all other priorities in a person’s life.

Lifestyle Effects

While it may be difficult to spot the physical and psychological effects of opiate abuse, major changes in your daily lifestyle are hard to miss. In effect, psychological dependence breeds poor choices and faulty decision-making for the sake of getting and using the drug.

Lifestyle effects to watch for include:

• Relationship conflicts caused by drug use
• Problems on the job or loss of employment
• Financial strain
• Problems with the law, such as DUIs

Considerations

While following prescription guidelines greatly reduces the risk of opiate abuse, it’s still possible to fall into drug abusing patterns all the same. As a general rule, the longer you stay on opiates the greater the risk.

If you suspect you or someone you know may be engaging in opiate abuse and need help finding a treatment program that meets your needs, call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction counselors.

The Makings of an Opiate Overdose & the Need for Opiate Addiction Treatment

Addiction develops in stages, with each stage being worse than the one before. Many who struggle with opiate abuse have already reached the more advanced stages of addiction. Not surprisingly, the later stages of opiate addiction are often the most difficult to treat.

Methadone treatment, first developed in the 1960s, is specifically designed to address the physical and emotional challenges experienced by people recovering from chronic or long-term addiction problems. Also known as the “treatment of last resort,” people who’ve had little to no success with other forms of drug treatment may well benefit from the methadone treatment approach.

Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to ask about methadone treatment programs.

The Effects of Chronic Opiate Addiction

With each dose of an opiate-based drug, the brain secretes large amounts of neurotransmitter chemicals. Under normal conditions, the brain only releases these chemicals when needed, such as during times of stress or when a part of the body is injured.

With chronic opiate addiction, compulsive drug use depletes needed neurotransmitter supplies leaving the brain dependent on opiates to manage the body’s systems, according to Princeton University. By the time a person seeks out help, addiction treatment must address both the physical and psychological damage left behind by chronic opiate abuse.

3 Signs to Watch For

1. Severe Withdrawal Episodes

Restlessness and anxiety are common opiate withdrawal symptoms.

Someone struggling with a long-time opiate addiction experiences severe withdrawal episodes on a regular basis. Severe withdrawal brings on excruciating symptoms, both physical and psychological, including:

• Gastrointestinal problems
• Headaches
• Hypersensitivity to light, sound and touch
• Depression
• Restlessness
• Anxiety

For someone in need of methadone treatment, many of these symptoms will persist long after he or she stops using the drug.

Methadone medication therapy works to restore a normal brain chemical balance and relieve uncomfortable withdrawal effects on an ongoing basis.

2. Overwhelming Drug Cravings

Compulsive drug use breeds its own set of habits and routines that ultimately impact a person’s thinking and emotional well-being. By the time addiction takes hold, opiates have become a primary means for coping with daily life stressors. In effect, drug cravings develop out of a person’s “needing” the drug to make it through the day, according to the Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine.

Methadone treatment uses ongoing behavior-based treatments that work to replace addiction-based behavior and thinking with healthy strategies for coping with daily life.

3. Loss of Control

The loss of control that comes with opiate addiction not only leaves addicts unable to control their drug intake, but also strips away any ability to attend to important areas in their lives, such as work, family and finances. The physical and psychological damage that results from chronic drug use essentially warps a person’s psychological makeup to the point where getting and using the drug becomes the only important tasks in his or her life.

Overall, the methadone treatment approach provides the types of treatment supports needed to undo the damaging effects of opiate abuse and help you take back your life from the grip of addiction.

We can help you find the type of methadone program that best meets your treatment needs. Call our toll-free helpline at 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

Finding the Best Inpatient Methadone Treatment for Opiate Addiction