Opiates (such as the prescription drug Oxycontin) are among the most difficult drugs in the world to quit, due to the extreme physical discomfort that occurs when trying to stop cold turkey. The addiction can be conquered, but the process is much easier if you have a compassionate, medically-trained opiate detox facility to help.
Why is opiate detox so important?
Many addicts have those moments of clarity when they realize their drug addiction is a problem. Some attempt to stop using on their own, but this desire to get clean is, oftentimes and unfortunately, not enough. Opiates’ excruciating withdrawal symptoms force many addicts back into the habit. These addicts may no longer be using to get high — they’re using to avoid the crushing lows that occur when the opiates runs out.
An opiate detox center combines the addict’s desire for a better life with the medical tools necessary to make sober life a reality. Call Treatment Solutions today at 877-417-6237 for a free referral to the opiate detox facility that best fits your needs. During professionally-administered drug detox, drugs such as clonidine may be given to minimize pain or sickness. With the client no longer paralyzed by withdrawal symptoms, a comprehensive recovery treatment program can begin.
What are opiates’ withdrawal symptoms?
Opiate withdrawal can be intense, with symptoms that include:
- Nausea
- Body Pain
- Insomnia
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Sweats
- Cold Flashes
Without proper medical help, these symptoms can be overwhelming. For heavily-dependent addicts in poor health, unsupervised opiate detox is even more dangerous. These symptoms may exist on some level, even if an addict does detox the right way at a high-quality drug rehab center. But under proper care, opiate withdrawal will be manageable.
Detox is only the first step.
Remember, detox is not a cure for opiate addiction. For a successful addiction recovery, detox must be followed by comprehensive drug rehab that addresses the root causes of the client’s addiction. Counseling and group therapy play important roles in this process — but because quitting opiates is so difficult, there are several drugs used as part of a comprehensive relapse prevention strategy. These include:
- Methadone: Used for more than 30 years to treat heroin addiction, methadone is aa synthetic opiate that, when taken properly, is not intoxicating and reduces the desire for other opiates, while preventing withdrawal symptoms.
- Buprenorphine: A more-recently approved treatment for opiate addiction that carries less risk for overdose and withdrawal effects,buprenorphine can be prescribed in the privacy of a doctor’s office.
- Naltrexone: An opiate addiction drug that, while less widely used, can be effective in highly motivated patients. Naltrexone should only be used with patients who have already been detoxified in order to prevent severe withdrawal symptoms.
The prescription opiate problem is growing.
More Americans are getting hooked on opiates, not through a street-corner drug pusher, but through their pharmacist. Some people begin taking prescription opiates as a doctor-prescribed method of pain relief, but soon become hooked on the high. Or, they’re faced with a disease that forces long-term opiate use, and find the withdrawal symptoms too much to take. These individuals can benefit from a detox only program.
Millions of others, though, are taking prescription opiates without any medical need for the pills — oftentimes underestimating their addictive qualities and potential for overdose. Between 1999 and 2002, data from the National Center for Health Statistics showed opiate pills such as hydrocodone and oxycodone more likely to cause drug overdose deaths than cocaine or heroin. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates 48 million people have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.
Prescription opiates can ruin lives, and they frequently serve as a gateway drug into street heroin use. If you or someone you know has a problem with prescription opiates, the an opiate detox center is where you can begin to reclaim control over your life.
The high cost of doing nothing could be death.
Tara Amber Vitone struggled for six years with her heroin addiction. The only time the Long Island, NY woman stayed clean was when she was pregnant with her three children. When the young mother overdosed and ended up in the hospital, her mother urged her to quit using. “I said, ‘You have all these little children, you want to see them grow up, you don’t want to die,’” mother Geraldine Celli told Newsday. “She started to cry. She didn’t want to be that way.”
But Vitone kept using. At the age of 24, she overdosed again and died, leaving her children to be raised largely by their grandmother. “It’s not like I’m complaining, because I love my grandchildren, but I’m 54 years old,” Celli said, while holding 6-year-old Gianna on one knee. “It’s really hard.”
Don’t let this sort of tragedy strike you or your loved ones. Call Treatment Solutions today at 877-417-6237.
No matter your insurance, be it Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross / Blue Shield (BCBS), Assurant, Unicare, United Health Care, Anthem, Carefirst, Asuris Northwest Health, Golden Rule, Celtic Insurance, Fortis, Health Net, Kaiser, Vista, Shelter, Wellpoint, Tri Care, Accordia or even Medicare, and state insurance — we can help you with an opiate detox program. We also offer many affordable self pay options as well as luxury opiate detox programs.
