While most any form of addiction can make life unbearably difficult, opiate addictions take a particularly draining toll on a person’s everyday life and sense of self. Once a person reaches the point where something’s got to change, opiate effects have all but stripped away any power of will he or she once had.
Opiate addiction treatment provides the type of support and guidance you’ll need to overcome opiate addiction. Opiate addiction treatment options are many, which makes it easier to find the type of treatment that’s right for you. The extent of a person’s addiction will most likely determine which type of opiate addiction treatment to choose. Ultimately, your individual treatment needs will determine which approach will work best for you.
Detoxification Treatment
Talking to a treatment professional will help you determine which treatment for opiate addiction is best for you.
Opiate addiction treatment is more like a process than a single treatment approach. Addiction, in and of itself, happens in stages as the drug gradually takes over a person’s brain and body functions. Likewise, the opiate addiction treatment process starts with the detoxification stage where drug materials are flushed from the body.
Opiate addictions in particular have a way of debilitating bodily processes to the point where the body can’t function without the drug’s effects, according to Harvard Health Publications. Detoxification offers a controlled, medically supervised treatment environment that’s designed to help ease recovering addicts through the uncomfortable withdrawal effects that develop when a person stops using.
Opiate withdrawal effects typically take the form of:
- Diarrhea
- Anxiety
- Muscle aches
- Hot flashes
- Chills
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Tremors
- restlessness
Without detoxification treatment help, withdrawal effects can easily overwhelm a person’s desire to stop using. Opiate addiction treatment makes it possible for recovering addicts to make it through this difficult initial stage and continue on in the recovery process.
Medication-Assisted Therapies
Medication-assisted therapies are designed to help wean recovering addicts off opiate drug effects. With continued use, opiates deplete brain receptor cells of needed endorphin chemicals. In the absence of drug effects, low endorphin levels make it that much more difficult for recovering addicts to remain drug-free.
Medications used in opiate addiction treatment include:
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
- Naltrexone
Each drug type produces different effects when it comes to reducing withdrawal symptoms and eliminating drug cravings. The severity of the addiction and a person’s individual circumstances often determine which type of medication therapy will work best.
Behavioral Therapy
An addiction to opiates happens on two levels: a physical level and a psychological level. Since addicts have reached a point where their behaviors and overall lifestyle centers on drugs, only treating the body’s dependency on opiates leaves a person at serious risk for relapse. Behavioral therapy for opiate addiction treatment helps recovering addicts work through the emotional and psychological issues that drive them to use drugs as a coping mechanism.
Through ongoing therapy treatment, a person can develop healthy, productive coping skills, which enables him or her to manage daily life without the need for drugs. While detoxification and medication therapies play important roles in helping recovering addicts remain drug-free, dealing with the issues that drive addiction is essential to maintaining abstinence on a long-term basis.
