How Can Opiate Addiction Treatment Help Me?

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Anyone who misuses and abuses opiates on an ongoing basis knows how drug use can take on a life of its own. What begins as recreational use soon turns into a compulsive need that quickly takes over daily life.

By the time a person reaches the point of considering opiate addiction treatment, serious problems have likely developed in his or her life.

Opiate addiction treatment encompasses a range of interventions designed to help a person through the recovery process. Since addiction exerts its greatest effect on the mind, a big part of opiate addiction treatment focuses on helping you overcome the addiction mindset while developing habits and behaviors that support long-term drug-free living.

Opiate Addiction Components

Opiate addiction treatment helps you develop a drug-free lifestyle.

Long-term opiate abuse breeds two kinds of dependence: physical and psychological.

Physical dependence develops as the drug weakens neurotransmitter-producing cells in the brain. After a certain point, the brain becomes dependent on opiate effects to regulate bodily systems. These developments account for withdrawal episodes that develop along the way.

Psychological dependence develops out of the brain chemical imbalances that result from ongoing opioid abuse. These imbalances have an adverse effect on the brain’s reward system, an area that dictates the mind’s thinking patterns and emotional responses to daily life.

Opiates skew these functions to the point that a person becomes obsessed with getting and using drugs.

Not sure if your insurance will help cover your treatment costs?

Call our helpline at 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for more information.

How Opiate Addiction Treatment Can Help

Breaking the Body’s Physical Dependence

Breaking the body’s physical dependence on opiates marks the first step in the opiate addiction treatment process. This entails stopping drug use altogether, which brings on severe withdrawal effects, such as:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Agitation
• Abdominal cramping
• Depression
• Problems sleeping
• Alternating chills and fever
• Bouts of anxiety
• Muscle aches

Opiate addiction treatment programs can administer medications to reduce symptom severity and your discomfort. Ongoing emotional support is also provided through support group meetings, psychotherapy, and group therapy sessions.

Breaking the Mind’s Psychological Dependence

The psychological dependence lies at the heart of addiction. Consequently, most of the opiate addiction treatment programs center on breaking the mind’s dependence on opiates, which is much harder to break than the body’s physical dependence.

Psychological dependence affects the way a person thinks, as well as his or her motivations and priorities, all of which drive compulsive drug-using behavior. Opioid addiction treatment programs employ several interventions designed to treat different aspects of psychological dependence. Interventions commonly used include:

• Drug education and counseling
• Group therapy sessions
• Individual psychotherapy
• Family therapy
• Motivational therapies
• Relapse prevention strategies

With ongoing opiate addiction treatment, a person begins developing healthy habits, behaviors and ways of managing stress that, combined, form a drug-free lifestyle.

If you or someone you know is considering opiate addiction treatment, you may need help finding a program.

Call our toll-free helpline at 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.

Is Alternative Opiate Addiction Therapy Right for You?

If you don’t like the idea of taking medication for your opiate addiction recovery, alternatives such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, or aquatic therapy may interest you.

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