Factors that contribute to how addictive a narcotic is include the availability of the drug and frequency of use.

Using narcotics recreationally on a regular basis will likely lead to dependence or addiction, however certain factors can make this outcome even more probable.

Taking your narcotic prescription as directed by your doctor, and communicating any odd side effects or concerns will help you avoid abuse and addiction.

Different narcotic addictions are often treated in the same way, with a combination of medication and behavioral therapy. The difference in treatment is based on the individual’s needs, rather than the drug of abuse.

Factors such as withdrawal symptoms and tolerance level increases contribute to one’s opiate overdose risk. Without treatment help, someone who abuses narcotics will likely overdose at some point.

When someone abuses heroin, you’ll notice significant physical and behavioral changes that can indicate a developing problem.

The stigma attached to heroin abuse has been around for decades. Indeed, heroin addiction exists as one of the most debilitating forms of drug abuse, reducing its victims to shells of who they used to be. Enter prescription pain pill abuse: doctor prescribed with medicinal benefits. Stigmas attached to prescription pain pill addiction carry less …

Opioids, otherwise known as prescription pain medications, offer effective treatments for relieving most any type of pain symptom. In spite of these treatment benefits, the effects of these drugs disrupt the brain’s chemical system over time when abused or used in excess. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the effects of opioid abuse …

Codeine, one of the less potent opiate drugs, nonetheless carries the same abuse and addiction potential as oxycodone, morphine and heroin when codeine abuse practices become an everyday indulgence. Like all opiate drugs, codeine influences brain chemical processes in such a way as to alter the brain’s chemical system over time. Whether using this drug …

Recovering from a heroin addiction can be one of the most difficult challenges in a person’s lifetime. For many, the damaging effects of heroin addiction persist long after drug use ends. Vivitrol, one of the newer opiate addiction treatment medications on the market, offers a novel approach for helping addicts overcome the effects of heroin …